The 2024 Indiana Legislative Session is Underway!

Dear Advocates,

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 bills heard in committee this week.

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

Bills heard in the House:

Senate Bill 10: COMMUNITY CARES INITIATIVE GRANT PILOT PROGRAM (Baldwin, S) - This bill aims to establish a grant program to support mobile crisis teams and mobile integrated health care programs in Indiana, with provisions for funding, administration, and reporting.

House Committee recommends passage, as amended Yeas: 13; Nays: 0

Senate Bill 139: PSILOCYBIN TREATMENT PROGRAM (Charbonneau, E) - This bill establishes a framework for conducting therapeutic psilocybin research in Indiana, creating a fund to support such research conducted by eligible institutions and outlining the process for administering the fund and reporting study results.

House Committee recommends passage, as amended Yeas: 12; Nays: 1

Senate Bill 233: CERTIFIED COMMUNITY BEHAVIORAL HEALTH CLINICS (Crider, M) - This bill lays out procedures for integrating community mental health centers into Medicaid reimbursement programs for behavioral health services, contingent on whether Indiana is selected for a specific federal demonstration program. It provides timelines and requirements for participation and Medicaid reimbursement eligibility.

House Committee recommends passage Yeas: 12; Nays: 0

Senate Bill 169: CHILD CARING INSTITUTIONS AND GROUP HOMES (Walker, G) -This bill has provisions that ensure that group homes adhere to standardized qualifications for staff, maintain comprehensive health records for children under their care, and follow prescribed guidelines for administering medications, thereby enhancing the quality and accountability of care provided within group home settings. It mandates that group homes must provide psychotropic medications to children only as prescribed by licensed professionals and under specific conditions. The bill also requires group homes to maintain health records for each child, including information on medical examinations, treatments, observations, and incidents.

House Committee recommends passage Yeas: 12; Nays: 0

Bills heard in the Senate:

House Bill 1070: MENTAL HEALTH GRANTS (Cash, B) - This bill expands the eligibility criteria for receiving grants for mental health care and services administered by the Division of Mental Health and Addiction. It allows for-profit community mental health organizations to receive these grants if nonprofit organizations do not qualify, with the exception of situations where federal law mandates otherwise. The committee's amendment clarifies and streamlines the language of the bill.

Senate Committee recommends passage, Yeas: 10; Nays: 0

House Bill 1205: MENTAL HEALTH STANDARDS AND REPORTING (Meltzer, J) - the bill aims to enhance the organization, oversight, and reporting mechanisms within the Division of Mental Health and Addiction and the operations of community mental health centers in Indiana.This bill also aims to establish regulatory oversight and quality standards for RCOs involved in behavioral health recovery. By requiring certification through approved entities and compliance with established standards, the bill seeks to ensure that RCOs maintain a certain level of quality and effectiveness in their services to support individuals in behavioral health recovery. Read more on our testimony below.

Senate Committee recommends passage, Yeas: 9; Nays: 0

House Bill 1216: MEDICAL SERVICES FOR CERTAIN DETAINEES (Steuerwald, G) - the bill aims to streamline procedures for detaining individuals for mental health evaluation and treatment, ensure reimbursement for services provided during detention, and establish guidelines for determining the medical necessity of such services based on clinical care standards.

Senate Committee recommends passage, as amended Yeas: 10; Nays: 0

Left: Charmin, Rodriguez, Meltzer, Garcia Wilburn

Stephanie Anderson and Heather Rodriguez, representing Mental Health America of Indiana, testified in support of house bill 1205 during the committee hearings this week. Anderson highlighted the importance of including recovery community organizations (RCOs) in the bill, emphasizing their crucial role in combating the opioid crisis. She expressed optimism that the bill would enhance standards, unlock funding opportunities, and positively impact individuals on their recovery journey. Anderson also noted that the bill builds on the foundation laid by 2023 SB 1.

Rodriguez echoed Anderson's support for the bill and emphasized the peer-driven nature of RCOs, which provide non-clinical services and offer various skill-building and recreational activities. She highlighted the implementation of a model by Faces and Voices of Recovery, a national organization, in Indiana since 2018. Rodriguez stressed the importance of state certification for RCOs to ensure alignment with national criteria, thereby strengthening recovery support and structure statewide. She emphasized that RCOs serve as crucial access points to all recovery services within the community and expressed hope for expanded funding opportunities with the bill's passage.