Dear Advocates,

We invite you to follow along as we navigate this year's new and exciting legislative session. If you are interested in learning more about our policy agenda, please be sure to review our 2023 Public Policy Statements HERE.

Mental Health America of Indiana advocates for effective legislation that will improve the behavioral health sector in Indiana. Below are behavioral health bills heard in committee this week.

House Bills:

House Bill 1013:

INDIANA DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH (Snow, C) - Changes references from the state department of health to the Indiana department of health. Provides directions for publication of affected provisions. Makes technical corrections. (The introduced version of this bill was prepared by the code revision commission.)

House Committee recommends passage Yeas: 12; Nays: 0

House Bill 1091:

CONTINUOUS ELIGIBILITY UNDER MEDICAID AND CHIP (Vermilion, A) - Changes the requirements for submitting eligibility information for an individual who is: (1) less than 19 years of age; and (2) a recipient of either the Medicaid program or the children's health insurance program (CHIP) (programs). (Current law concerning the submission of eligibility information in the programs applies to individuals less than three years of age.)

House Committee recommends passage Yeas: 12; Nays: 0

House Bill 1208:

OPIOID SETTLEMENT (Karickhoff, M) - Specifies that the distribution of funds from an opioid litigation settlement is subject to a bankruptcy court order or settlement. Provides that an annual distribution of less than $5,000 payable to a city or town pursuant to an opioid litigation settlement agreement must be paid instead to the county. (Under current law, the threshold is $1,000.) Specifies that amounts owed to the state for attorney's fees and costs incurred in connection with opioid litigation must be deducted from the opioid settlement distribution payable to the state. Permits a city, county, or town that receives an opioid litigation settlement payment to transfer all or part of the payment to another city, county, or town to be used for the benefit of both communities. Permits a city, county, or town that receives an opioid litigation distribution to sell the right to receive the distribution. Excludes from the agency settlement fund any amount owed for outside counsel attorney's fees, costs, or expenses.

Bill Held in Committee

House Ways and Means Budget Hearings:

DOC Budget Presentation

Family and Social Services Administration Budget Presentation

Budget and Medicaid Forecast

Department of Health Budget Presentation

Department of Child Services Budget Presentation

Senate Bills:

Senate Bill 179:

HOME DETENTION (Koch, E) - Provides that a court may not order a person convicted of a: (1) Level 1 felony; or (2) crime subject to certain enhancement; to a community corrections program. Allows a court to place a person in a community corrections program as an alternative to commitment to the county jail or department of correction. Repeals a requirement that a court suspend the sentence for a person placed in a community corrections program. Specifies that a person sentenced to work release in a community corrections program receives one day of accrued time for each day the person is confined on work release. (Current law only specifies that a person on home detention earns accrued time.) Provides that the violation of a home detention placement term constitutes the crime of escape under certain circumstances. Makes technical changes.

Committee Status:

Senate Committee recommends passage, as amended Yeas: 7; Nays: 0

Senate Bill 214:

STANDING ORDER FOR OVERDOSE INTERVENTION DRUGS (Walker, K) - Provides that a statewide standing order for the dispensing of an overdose intervention drug must allow for choice in the: (1) purchasing; (2) dispensing; and (3) distributing; of any formulation or dosage of a naloxone product that is approved by the federal Food and Drug Administration.

Committee Status:

Senate Committee recommends passage Yeas: 12; Nays: 0

Hoosier Idol 2023

The Battle of the Caucuses

Join us on Wednesday, April 5th, from 6 - 9 PM at the Indiana Roof Ballroom for of Hoosier Idol 2023!

Starring members of the Indiana General Assembly, legislators will compete to be crowned Hoosier Idol 2023!

Tickets are on SALE now!

Price of Table: $1,000

Price of Individual Tickets: $125

If you would like to sponsor this event, please email our Director of Communications and Marketing, Kelby Gaw, directly at kgaw@mhai.net

All funds raised from this event will be used to help protect and promote the lives of individual's effected by mental health and addiction. To learn more about the event and to register, click HERE.

Please be sure to sign up for our IN.session Newsletter and VoterVoice Action Alerts to stay up to date on important mental health related legislation.

If you would like to review all of the bills Mental Health America of Indiana is following, click HERE for our Action Track report!