The 2024 Indiana Legislative Session is Underway!

Dear Advocates,

As the Indiana Legislative Session began on January 8th, 2024, we invite you to follow along as we navigate this year's legislative session. If you are interested in learning more about our policy agenda, please be sure to review our Public Policy Statements HERE.

At Mental Health America of Indiana, our mission is to deliver impactful legislation to our valued stakeholders and advocates, ultimately driving transformation within Indiana's behavioral health sector. Below, you will find essential details on how you can actively support our advocacy efforts at the Indiana Statehouse this year!

A few behavioral health bills have been heard in committee this week, you can learn more below.

Bills heard in the House:

House Bill 1067: IDD TASK FORCE AND PROGRAM OVERSIGHT BOARDS (Clere, E) - This bill aims to improve services and support for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities in Indiana by modifying the composition of certain state boards, establishing a subcommittee to address specific issues related to Medicaid and employment barriers, setting a new expiration date for the IDD Task Force, and ensuring regular updates on the implementation of the task force's recommendations.

House Bill 1327: HEALTH AND INSURANCE MATTERS (Schaibley, D)  - This bill aims to enhance transparency and oversight in the healthcare and insurance sectors in Indiana. It requires various entities to report their ownership information, grants contract holders audit rights, establishes ownership of claims data, and imposes penalties for non-compliance with audit-related requirements.

House Bill 1414: MANAGED CARE ORGANIZATION REIMBURSEMENT (Karickhoff, M)- This bill seeks to provide greater transparency and oversight of contracts between managed care organizations and the state regarding Medicaid services. It also encourages value-based health care reimbursement agreements between managed care organizations and Medicaid providers while protecting the rights of providers and ensuring equal opportunities for participation in Medicaid programs.

Bills heard in the Senate:

Senate Bill 169: CHILD CARING INSTITUTIONS AND GROUP HOMES (Walker, G) - Focuses on health records and medications. It requires comprehensive health examinations for children upon admission, annual dental examinations, and thorough records of medical and dental history and treatment for each child. Addresses health records and medications, emphasizing the importance of immunizations, documentation, and the administration of psychotropic medications based on a licensed professional's prescription. It also requires regular reports on psychotropic medication usage.

Senate Bill 290: CRIMINAL JUSTICE DATA (Freeman, A) - Requires the Indiana criminal justice institute and the department of correction to collect and distribute certain criminal justice data.