Several committees in the House and Senate held hearing this week. Generally, the hearings were a time to introduce members of the committee and to hear high level overviews of government agencies. For example, the Department of Commerce provided an overview to the House Commerce Committee (no mention of mental health parity), and the Attorney General provided an overview of his office as well.

12:30 PM - Senate Education Policy will hear from the MN Professional Educator Licensing and Standards Board

12:30 PM - Senate Judiciary and Public Safety will hear from the Departments of Correction and Public Safety

1:00 PM - House Human Services Policy will hear a Dept. of Human Services 101 presentation

1:00 PM - House Veterans and Military Affairs Finance and Policy will hear HF 45 (Feist) creating an assessment process to determine if a current or former member of the military who has committed a crime can be deferred to treatment, etc.

3:00PM - Senate Human Services will hear SF 7 (Hoffman) which would increase rates for a variety of services such as waivered services, PCA, customized living, etc. NAMI Minnesota supports increased rates.

 8:30AM – House Judiciary Finance and Civil Law will hear HF 90 to increase funding for the Board of Public Defense (NAMI Minnesota supports)

10:30AM -House Public Safety Finance and Policy Committee will be hearing presentations from the Minnesota Sentencing Guidelines Commission, the Department of Corrections and Probation, and Department of Public Safety.

10:30AM - House Health Finance and Policy will hear overviews of the Departments of Health and Human Services

1:00PM - House Human Services Finance and Policy Committees will hear an overview of the Department of Human Services

3:00PM – House Education Policy Committee will be hearing presentation from the Minnesota Department of Education and the Professional Educator Licensing and Standards Board

3:00PM - House Housing Finance and Policy will hear a presentation by the MN Housing Partnership and MN Housing

8:30AM – House Elections Finance and Policy Committee will hear HF28 (Frazier) restoring voting rights to individuals convicted of a felony upon completion of any term of incarceration

10:30AM - House Education Finance will hear a presentation from the MN Department of Education

12:30PM – Senate Jobs and Economic Development Committee will be hearing SF2 (Mann) on Paid Family and Medical Leave

1:00pm – House Commerce Finance and Policy Committee will be hearing the Omnibus cannabis bill (NAMI Minnesota has concerns with the bill)

1:00PM - House Human Services Policy will continue with DHS 101

3:00pm – House Education Policy Committee will be hearing HF 5 (Jordan) providing school lunch and breakfast for all students and HF 44 (Feist) school districts requiring access to menstrual products for students (which NAMI supports)

3:00PM - House Housing Finance and Policy will hear presentations on homeslessness services

10:30AM - House Education Policy Committee will hear a presentation from the Professional Educator Licensing and Standards Board

New Hope closed down to "group homes" or corporate foster care programs, revoking their rental license because three citations were issued by police. NAMI Minnesota became aware of the actions thank to a story by KSTP.

NAMI Minnesota collaborated with Mental Health Minnesota, Touchstone, and the MN Association of Community Mental Health Programs in sending a letter to the mayor and city council outlining our concerns including closing a home even though all three citations were related to one individual who was moved to a different home before revoking the license, and issuing a citation for illegal drugs even though the person had died. We are nervous that this action will lead to group home staff being reluctant to call 911 when there is a crisis.

KSTP issued a second story on the issue. Thanks to Kirsten Swanson for excellent reporting.

The Department of Employment and Economic Development issues it annual report on the Individual Placement and Support (IPS) program for persons with serious mental illnesses in Minnesota. IPS is an evidence based program that helps people with serious mental illnesses obtain and retain jobs. IPS emphasizes rapid job search for competitive jobs consistent with the person's goals, interests and experience. There are 19 projects covering 44 counties.

In calendar year 2021, IPS grant funded projects served 1,028 individuals and 617 obtained employment. Compared to other IPS programs, MN had the highest rate. Most people were ages 15-64 with the average age being 41. About 12% were Black or African American, 2% American Indian, 5% Hispanic/Latino and 1% Asian. In looking at people's diagnosis, 46% had a mood disorder, 17% schizophrenia and 15% obsessive compulsive disorder. 40% of participants received Social Security benefits and 739 people were on Medicaid. In looking at the jobs people were in, 16% were in retail sales, and 10% building cleaning and pest control.

Recommendations in the report included:

Read the full report here. Please note that the Mental Health Legislative Network has a bill to replace the one time funding.

There has been a lot of discussions about the possible merger. A recent editorial by key legislators revealed their concerns with a merger which was followed by an opinion from the editorial board of the Strib. NAMI Minnesota has some concerns due to the impact of the merger between Health East and Fairview which resulted in the closure of St Joe's hospital - and over 100 psychiatric beds. We are also concerned about the potential negative impact on the mental health research being done at the U of MN side of Fairview, different medical records systems and the lack of commitment of Sanford to have psychiatric beds at most of their hospitals.

The MN Attorney General, Keith Ellison, is seeking public input. From the website:

The Minnesota Attorney General’s Office will use the information the public submits to evaluate the transaction under existing laws, as well as to determine opportunities for changes or improvement to public policy, regulation, or state or federal law. Comments or information that members of the public submit as part of this civil investigation will generally be treated as “protected nonpublic data” under the Minnesota Government Data Practices Act.

First, individuals can complete this Community Input Form. Members of the public are encouraged to contact the Attorney General’s Office about the proposed merger through the Community Input Form or by phone at (651) 296-3353 (Metro area) or (800) 657-3787 (Greater Minnesota).

Second, as part of the review of the transaction, the Attorney General will host a series of community meetings to directly gather feedback. All the community meetings below are open to the press and the public. They will also be livestreamed on Attorney General Ellison’s Facebook Page.

SAINT PAUL

DATE: Tuesday, January 10

TIME: 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM

WHERE: Department of Revenue, Room 2000, 600 Robert St N, St Paul, MN 55101

BEMIDJI

DATE: Tuesday, January 17

TIME: 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM

WHERE: Bemidji State University, Hobson Memorial Union Ballroom, 1500 Birchmont Dr. NE, Bemidji, MN 5660

WORTHINGTON

DATE: Wednesday, January 25

TIME: 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM

WHERE: Worthington High School cafeteria, 1211 Clary St., Worthington, MN 56187

GRAND RAPIDS

DATE: Tuesday, January 31

TIME: 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM

WHERE: Ives Studio at the Reif Performing Arts Center, 720 NW Conifer Dr., Grand Rapids, MN 55744

Drug overdose deaths are at a record high. The upcoming Substance Use Disorder (SUD) Shared Solutions Summit is a collaborative effort where participants will begin work on a three-to-five year strategic action plan to improve Minnesota's SUD system.

The summit will include speakers and interactive breakout sessions focusing on key themes that were identified during listening sessions last fall:

• A Coordinated, Holistic, Integrated Continuum of Care

• Prevention and Education

• Cultural Engagement and Responsiveness

• Funding and Workforce

• Law, Policy and the Criminal Justice System

Registration is now open for the summit, which will take place at the Elmer L. Andersen Human Services Building in St. Paul on Jan. 10-11. A virtual option will be offered for those who cannot attend in person. The event is free.

To register, or to find resources about the substance use disorder crisis in Minnesota, visit the SUD Shared Solutions Summit webpage at mn.gov/dhs/sud-summit.

The SUD Shared Solutions Summit is a collaborative effort between the Minnesota Association of Resources for Recovery and Chemical Health, Project Turnabout, Niyyah Recovery Initiative, the American Indian Chemical Dependence Advisory Council, Alluma, Minneapolis College, the Association of Minnesota Counties, the Minnesota Department of Human Services and the Minnesota Department of Health.

ASL interpreters and CART services will be provided for the summit.

A recent segment on MPR detailed the workforce shortages in SUD treatment programs.

Once the public health emergency ends, people will have to renew their health insurance. If you've moved recently, make sure you can get important information about your health insurance. Keep your address updated to avoid missing mail about your Medical Assistance or MinnesotaCare.

You can visit mn.gov/dhs/mycontactinfo at any time to learn how to update your address. If you have questions call one of these:

• Your county or tribal agency. The County and Tribal Information Directory is available at https://edocs.dhs.state.mn.us/lfserver/Public/DHS-5207-ENG.

• DHS Health Care Consumer Support at 651-297-3862 or 800-657-3672

The Minnesota Department of Human Services is conducting a survey on crisis teams. They want to hear from both individuals/families who have had contact with crisis teams and from professionals. Your feedback will help shape our crisis teams in the future. Note that this is mainly focused on the state funded crisis teams, not co-responder or city focused crisis teams. Thanks in advance for taking the time to complete this short survey.

For individuals and families:

For professionals (mental health professionals, police, teachers, etc.)

See these vacancies that are available in the state agencies related to mental health and are a good way to be engaged in the mental health community. Please go to https://commissionsandappointments.sos.state.mn.us/Position/ to see the open positions and apply!

Behavioral Health Planning Council

Vacancies: 1 Seat -- Adults in recovery from or at risk of substance use disorder

Vacancies: 2 Seats -- Adults with a Lived Experience of Mental Health

Drug Utilization Review Board

Vacancies: 1 Seat -- Consumer Representative

Vacancies: 2 Seats -- Pharmacist Member

Early Intensive Developmental and Behavioral Intervention (EIDBI) Benefit Advisory Group

Vacancies: 1 Seat -- Licensed Professional #5

Vacancies: 1 Seat -- Licensed Professional #6

Vacancies: 2 Seats -- Provider

HHS, through SAMHSA, awarded $47 million to states and U.S. territories to expand and enhance 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline services. Later this month, HHS, through SAMHSA, plans to award $21.1 million in 988 Lifeline Tribal Response Grants and technical assistance to improve 988 response in tribal communities, which face unique challenges to accessing technology and crisis services. Minnesota was awarded $1 million which went to the MN Department of Health.

SAMHSA plans to award additional funds to further improve 988 response in tribal communities early next year. Additionally, this month, SAMHSA plans to award $64.8 million to 988 Lifeline administrator, Vibrant Emotional Health, to manage and expand access to local and national 988 Lifeline crisis centers, maintain and enhance language-based services, ensure effective system routing, training, evaluation, network operational outcomes, and improve access to specialized care for populations known to be at higher risk for suicide.

“Thanks to the additional funding provided to SAMHSA under the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, we are developing and expanding grant programs like these to help people across the country who are experiencing mental health and substance use-related distress to receive the support and care they need,” said Miriam E. Delphin-Rittmon, Ph.D., HHS Assistant Secretary for Mental Health and Substance Use and the leader of SAMHSA.

From Mindsite News:

As we’ve heard many times before, children’s emergency room visits have increased sharply in recent years, along with rates of depression and suicide attempts. Now a large new study in JAMA Pediatrics offers some new insights to that trend. It found that while visits to pediatric ERs increased 1.5% a year from 2015 to 2021, visits for mental health crises jumped 8% a year. What's more, 13% of those young patients returned within six months.

The adolescents most likely to come back were not patients who harmed themselves, the New York Times reported. Instead they were kids whose agitation and aggressive behavior were too much for their parents and caregivers to handle. Many had previously received sedatives or other drugs to restrain them when their behavior became disruptive. The data point to the futility of trying to handle mental health problems at an ER, clinicians say.

“It’s just putting a Band-Aid on the problem,” Christine M. Crawford, a child and adolescent psychiatrist at Boston Medical Center, told the Times. “They go back home and they’re still waiting for that appointment to meet with a therapist.”

The researchers analyzed more than 308,000 mental health visits at 38 hospitals and found that youth with psychotic disorders were 42 percent more likely to revisit the emergency department within six months, compared to those with suicidal or self-harming behavior. Patients with impulse control disorders were 36 percent more likely to come back, and patients with disorders like autism and ADHD and those who required medications to subdue them were each 22 percent more likely to revisit.

The results suggest that researchers should focus more attention on children with cognitive and behavioral problems, and whose parents may turn to emergency rooms for respite, study co-author Anna M. Cushing, a pediatric emergency room physician at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, told the Times. They “really just are at their wit’s end,” she said. “Their child’s behavior may be a danger to themselves, but also to the parents, to the other children in the home.”

SF 2 (Senators Mann, Dziedzic, Port, Boldon, and Mohamed) Creates paid family and medical leave including for taking time off from work for health issues, including a mental illness or to care for someone with a health issue, including mental illness. Referred to the Committee on Jobs and Economic Development.

SF 7 (Senators Hoffman and Abeler) Increases rates for a variety of community services such as disability waiver services, elderly waiver services, customized living services, nursing facilities, community first services and supports, personal care assistance services, nonemergency medical transportation services and establishing a residential settings closure prevention grant program. Referred to the Committee on Human Services.

SF 11 (Senator Mohamed) Establishes a state rent assistance program for low-income, cost-burdened households. Referred to the Committee on Housing and Homelessness Prevention.

SF 20 (Senator Kunesh) Appropriates $90 million in FY24 and the same amount in FY25 for Full-Service Community Schools (addressing health and mental health, social services, etc.). Referred to the Committee on Education Finance.

SF 23 (Senator Dibble) Bans conversion therapy with children or vulnerable adults. Prohibits medical assistance coverage for conversion therapy. Referred to the Committee on Health and Human Services. NAMI Minnesota supports this bill.

SF 26 (Senator Champion) Restores the right to vote to individuals convicted of a felony once they are released from prison. Referred to the Committee on Elections.

SF 28 (Senator Westlin) Appropriates money to pay for special education (called cross subsidy). Referred to the Committee on Education Finance.

SF 50 (Senators Cwodzinski, Mann, Port, Frentz, and Coleman) Requires a school district or charter school to provide student access to menstrual products free of charge in restrooms for students in grades 4 through 12. Referred to the Committee on Education Finance. NAMI Minnesota supports this bill.

SF 55 (Senator Champion) Creates the Office of Juvenile Restorative Justice at the Department of Human Services. This office will work to develop restorative justice programs in all counties. Local steering committees would be established. Referred to the Committee on Judiciary and Public Safety.

SF 56 (Senators Hoffman, Abeler, Maye Quade, Morrison, and Boldon) Appropriates $96 million in FY24 and $10.6 million in FY25 to the Department of Education to fund new student support personnel in districts. This includes school social workers, counselors, nurses, CD counselors, psychologists. Referred to the Committee on Education Finance.

SF 65 (Senators Draheim, Cwodzinski, Coleman, Hoffman, and Farnsworth) Provides $1 million to add eight school safety specialists at the MN School Safety Center. Referred to the Committee on Judiciary and Public Safety.

SF 69 (Senators Mann, Morrison, Kunesh, Cwodzinski, and Fateh) Prohibits suspending students in kindergarten through grade 3 and provides funding to train school staff on non-exclusionary disciplinary practices. Referred to Committee on Education Finance. NAMI Minnesota strongly supports this bill.

SF 73 (Senators Port, Oumou Verbeten, Putnam, and Murphy) Legalizes cannabis. Referred to the Committee on Judiciary and Public Safety.

SF 86 (Senators Koran and Coleman) Requires school boards to report to the Dept of Education any fights between students that are witnessed by a school district employee. Referred to the Committee on Education Policy.

SF 96 (Senator Putnam) Bonding funding for shelters. Referred to the Committee on Capital Investment.

SF 98 (Senators Mohamed, Port, Mann, McEwen, and Gustafson) People who are about to evicted from public housing have the right to an attorney if they cannot afford one. Referred to the Committee on Housing and Homelessness Prevention.

HF2 (Richardson; Hortman; Frazier; Noor; Hassan; Her; Stephenson; Cha; Reyer; Greenman; Kotyza-Witthuhn; Elkins; Hussein; Coulter; Bierman; Hemmingsen-Jaeger; Lillie; Sencer-Mura; Hollins; Pinto; Brand; Curran; Lee, K.; Rehm; Clardy; Pursell; Koegel and Moller) Creates paid family and medical leave including for taking time off from work for a health issues, including a mental illness or to care for someone with a health issues, including a mental illness. Referred to Workfoce Development Finance and Policy.

H.F. 8/S.F 56 (Berg; Jordan; Reyer; Klevorn; Moller; Frazier; Her; Lillie; Huot; Hill; Frederick; Wolgamott; Hollins; Pryor; Hassan; Hicks; Clardy; Freiberg; Feist; Agbaje; Stephenson; Keeler; Hanson J.; Curran; Gomez; Youakim; Koegel; Rehm; Kozlowski; Pursell; Hornstein; Elkins; Vang; Olson L., and Lee K.) Appropriates $96 million in FY24 and $10.6 million in FY25 to the Department of Education to fund new student support personnel in districts. This includes school social workers, counselors, nurses, CD counselors, psychologists. Referred to Committee on Education Finance and Policy.

HF 11 (Howard; Olson, L.; Agbaje; Gomez; Hollins; Edelson; Youakim; Klevorn; Jordan; Hassan; Stephenson; Becker-Finn; Noor; Hanson, J.; Frazier; Greenman; Coulter; Kraft; Elkins; Her; Reyer; Kozlowski; Pursell; Clardy; Lee, K.; Sencer-Mura; Vang; Cha; Pinto and Kotyza-Witthuhn) Establishes a state rent assistance program for low-income, cost-burdened households.Referred to the Committee on Housing Finance and Policy.

HF 14 (Pinto; Moller; Hortman; Long; Frazier; Kotyza-Witthuhn; Edelson; Youakim; Greenman; Pryor; Becker-Finn; Elkins; Coulter; Her; Hill; Hornstein; Hussein; Stephenson; Olson, L.; Rehm; Kozlowski; Feist; Clardy; Lee, K.; Bierman; Kraft; Sencer-Mura; Cha and Reyer) Doesn't allow pistols or semi-automatic military assault weapons to be transferred to someone who is a danger to themselves or others, in addition to people already disqualified to own a gun - for example people who have been committed - and allows law enforcement to revoke a permit if someone no longer is permitted to hold a permit. Limits who can transfer these types of guns. Referred to the Committee on Public Safety Finance and Policy.

HF 15 (Frazier; Moller; Klevorn; Hassan; Becker-Finn; Pinto; Berg; Elkins; Pryor; Hill; Hussein; Lee, F.; Bahner; Greenman; Stephenson; Noor; Hanson, J.; Her; Finke; Howard; Hornstein; Bierman; Jordan; Feist; Freiberg; Coulter; Pursell; Smith; Lee, K.; Hollins; Olson, L., and Clardy). This is the "red flag" bill that allows law enforcement and family members to petition a court to prohibit people from possessing firearms if they pose a significant danger to themselves or others by possessing a firearm; Referred to the Committee on Public Safety Finance and Policy. NAMI Minnesota generally supports red flag laws but wants suicide and violence to be treated separately.

HF 16 (Hollins; Keeler; Stephenson; Hanson, J.; Becker-Finn; Reyer; Pérez-Vega; Curran; Finke; Jordan; Kozlowski; Youakim; Fischer; Lillie; Her; Moller; Pursell; Kraft; Clardy; Coulter; Smith; Hemmingsen-Jaeger; Lee, K.; Freiberg; Hill; Carroll; Olson, L.; Vang; Brand; Bierman; Sencer-Mura; Rehm and Frederick) Bans conversion therapy with children or vulnerable adults. Prohibits medical assistance coverage for conversion therapy. Referred to the Committee on Human Services Policy. NAMI Minnesota supports this bill.

H.F. 18/S.F 28 (Wolgamott; Jordan; Stephenson; Finke; Reyer; Lillie; Hanson, J.; Hansen, R.; Pryor; Becker-Finn; Hassan; Youakim; Edelson; Hicks; Noor; Rehm; Greenman; Coulter; Elkins; Frederick; Kraft; Her; Berg; Hill; Howard; Curran; Freiberg; Moller; Kozlowski; Pursell; Hollins; Huot; Bierman and Clardy) Appropriates money to pay for special education (called cross subsidy). Referred to the Committee on Education Finance. 

HF 19 (Olson, L.; Long; Hortman; Hassan; Xiong; Pryor; Tabke; Hornstein; Freiberg; Lillie; Frederick; Coulter; Jordan; Stephenson; Pursell; Clardy; Howard; Bahner; Elkins; Hill; Nelson, M.; Berg; Sencer-Mura; Finke; Vang; Cha; Hussein; Lee, K.; Brand; Moller and Hollins) Requires earned sick time - including for a mental illness. Need to ensure that mental health professionals are listed. Referred to the Committee on Labor and Industry Finance and Policy.

H.F. 21/S.F 20 (Vang; Youakim; Wolgamott; Clardy; Pryor; Olson, L.; Kraft; Hussein; Hassan; Feist; Berg; Stephenson; Hill; Her; Noor; Hanson, J.; Koegel; Greenman; Hornstein; Kozlowski; Jordan; Pursell; Elkins; Sencer-Mura; Moller; Norris; Nelson, M.; Cha; Reyer; Kotyza-Witthuhn; Lee, K.; Hollins and Bierman) Appropriates $90 million in FY24 and the same amount in FY25 for Full-Service Community Schools (addressing health and mental health, social services, etc.) Referred to the Committee on Education Finance. 

HF 25 (Frazier; Moller; Pinto; Hollins; Curran; Feist; Edelson; Elkins; Greenman; Hanson, J.; Becker-Finn; Her; Bierman; Hornstein; Hussein; Freiberg; Bahner; Pursell and Gomez) Sets up a fund to investigate violent crimes. Creates a $30 million grant program for crime and violence prevention funding things such as(1 ) victim services programs; (2) re-entry programs that provide support and reintegration services to recently incarcerated individuals; (3) homelessness assistance programs; (4) restorative justice programs; (5) programs that intervene in volatile situations to mediate disputes before they become violent; and (6) juvenile diversion programs. Also,  $15,000,000 each year is for grants to local law enforcement agencies and local

governments to maintain or expand crisis response teams in which social workers or mental health providers are sent as first responders when calls for service indicate that an individual is having a mental health crisis.

HF 28 (Frazier; Agbaje; Hassan; Vang; Lee, F.; Elkins; Klevorn; Bahner; Hill; Hussein; Feist; Greenman; Stephenson; Noor; Hanson, J.; Her; Youakim; Becker-Finn; Edelson; Finke; Moller; Howard; Bierman; Jordan; Hornstein; Brand; Smith; Freiberg; Gomez; Hollins; Lee, K.; Clardy and Pursell)  Restores the right to vote to individuals convicted of a felony once they are released from prison. Referred to the Committee on Elections Finance and Policy.

HF 32 (Noor) Increases rates for a variety of community services such as disability waiver services, elderly waiver services, customized living services, nursing facilities, community first services and supports, personal care assistance services, nonemergency medical transportation services and establishing a residential settings closure prevention grant program. Referred to Human Services Finance.

H.F. 44/S.F 50 (Feist, Kotyza-Witthuhn, Youakim, Agbaje, Hollins, Elkins, Fischer, Pinto, Berg, Freiberg, Klevorn, Moller, Gomez, Bahner, Liebling, Hassan and Pryor) Requires a school district or charter school to provide student access to menstrual products free of charge in restrooms for students in grades 4 through 12. Referred to the Committee on Education Policy.

HF 46 (Feist) Creates the Office of Juvenile Restorative Justice at the Department of Human Services. This office will work to develop restorative justice programs in all counties. Local steering committees would be established.  Referred to the Committee on Judiciary Finance and Civil Law.

HF 54 (Quam) Establishes a trust for foster children receiving Supplemental Security Income benefits; Referred to the Committee on Children and Families Finance and Policy.

H.F. 58/SF 69 (Richardson, Hassan, Clardy and Frazier) Prohibits suspending students in kindergarten through grade 3 and provides funding to train school staff on non-exclusionary disciplinary practices. Referred to Committee on Education Policy. NAMI Minnesota strongly supports this bill.

HF 90 (Becker-Finn; Frazier; Moller; Curran; Olson, L.; Hansen, R.; Hicks; Fischer; Edelson; Vang; Norris and Jordan) Increases funds for the public defenders office. Referred to the Committee on Judiciary Finance and Civil Law.

HF 100 (Stephenson; Hanson, J.; Hortman; Long; Gomez; Her; Koegel; Cha; Jordan; Greenman; Elkins; Feist; Frederick; Hollins; Howard; Olson, L.; Hemmingsen-Jaeger; Lillie and Noor) Legalizes cannabis.  Referred to the Committee on Commerce Finance and Policy.

We will be holding three legislative trainings in January so you can learn some of the history of the mental health system and effective ways to be engaged this session, share your story, and contact your legislator. Sign up below to attend in person or virtually:

Virtual 

Meetings are held on the second Tuesday of every month at 6 PM. To be added to the email list, email us at [email protected]