Prior Priority Legislation

MHAC Position: Support

Author: Irwin

Date: 06/22/2025

The existing law prohibits the use of public funds for athletic programs under a school district or its organizations if they do not offer equal opportunities to both sexes for participation and access to facilities. It also prohibits discrimination based on gender by city, county, or special district-managed community youth athletic programs and in the allocation of parks and recreational resources. Additionally, individuals have the right to file a civil lawsuit for violations of these prohibitions seeking equitable and financial relief. The proposed bill extends these anti-discrimination prohibitions to include school districts, charter schools, and county offices of education. It aims to ensure no sex or genderdiscrimination in managing programs or allocating resources for community youth athletics or school recreation. The bill introduces new responsibilities for local agencies, implicating a state-mandated program. If state-mandated costs are identified, they must be reimbursed according to established procedures in the California Constitution.

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MHAC Position: Watch

Author: Waldron

Date: 04/12/2024

This bill would require the California Health and Human Services Agency to convene a workgroup to study and make recommendations on the establishment of a framework governing psychedelic-assisted therapy, as defined. The bill would require that workgroup to send a report to the Legislature containing those recommendations on or before January 1, 2026. The bill would, contingent upon the Legislature enacting a framework governing psychedelic-assisted therapy,  authorize the lawful use of hallucinogenic or psychedelic substances for psychedelic-assisted therapy.

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MHAC Position: Support, MHAC Sponsored

Author: Bauer-Kahan

Date: 09/29/2022

Status: Passed

Mental health 988 Crisis Line: The National Suicide Hotline Designation Act designates the 3-digit telephone number “988” as the universal number within the United States for the purpose of the national suicide prevention and mental health crisis hotline system operating through the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. This bill would require California 988 centers, by July 16, 2022, to provide a person experiencing a behavioral health crisis access to a trained counselor by call, and by January 1, 2027, provide access to a trained counselor by call, text, and chat. The bill would require mobile crisis teams, as defined, to respond to any individual in need of immediate suicidal or behavioral health crisis intervention in a timely manner in all jurisdictions, and would require any call made to 911 pertaining to a clearly articulated suicidal or behavioral health crisis to be transferred to a 988 center. The bill would require 988 centers to provide follow-up services to individuals accessing 988 consistent with guidance and policies established by the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline and within specified timelines. This bill will also establish a monthly fee on mobile phone and landline bills, similar to a fee charged for 911, to fund the 988 system.

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Related Documents

• Bill Fact Sheet

MHAC Position: Support

Author: Harabedian

Date: 06/18/2025

The existing Knox-Keene Health Care Service Plan Act of 1975 mandates the licensing and regulation of health care service plans by the Department of Managed Health Care and makes intentional violations criminal offenses. Health insurers are regulated by the Department of Insurance. Current law requires that health plans and insurance policies issued, amended, or renewed from January 1, 2021, cover medically necessary treatments for mental health and substance use disorders similarly to other medical conditions. The new bill mandates that large group health care plans or insurance policies from January 1, 2026, reimburse eligible enrollees for up to 12 visits with a behavioral health provider if they live in a county declared a local or state emergency due to wildfires and have experienced related trauma or loss. These benefits cannot be subject to utilization review. Health plans and insurers must notify affected enrollees of these new provisions. Violations by health care service plans would be considered crimes, leading to a state-mandated local program. The bill states no reimbursement is needed for this act and declares it an urgency statute to take effect immediately.

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MHAC Position: Support

Author: Avila Farias

Date: 06/22/2025

Existing law mandates the Commission on Teacher Credentialing to set standards for issuing and renewing teaching credentials. To obtain a preliminary multiple subject, single subject, or education specialist teaching credential, educators must complete a professional preparation program accredited by the Committee on Accreditation. This program includes health education with topics like nutrition, CPR, and the effects of alcohol, narcotics, and tobacco use. The proposed bill adds that this health education must also cover a basic understanding of youth mental health.

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MHAC Position: Support

Author: Zbur

Date: 06/22/2025

The current law allows adults to petition for a name change to align with their gender identity and requires a court process for objections to be filed within six weeks. For minors, if both living parents do not sign the petition, it must be served to the non-signing parent within 30 days. The new bill, effective July 1, 2026, removes the option to object to an adult’s name change for gender identity alignment and mandates that the court grant such petitions swiftly without a hearing. For minors, if all parents sign the petition, the court will also grant the name change without a hearing. If not all parents sign, any nonconsenting parent must be served notice within four weeks. Hearings are only set if objections showing good cause are filed. Additionally, the bill removes the existing requirement for petitioners to file judgments for new birth or marriage certificates within 30 days.

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MHAC Position: Support

Author: Addis

Date: 06/22/2025

Existing law has established a fund to support programs for transgender, gender nonconforming, and intersex (TGI) individuals, focusing on trans-inclusive health care. Grants are available to organizations serving these communities. This proposed bill aims to rename the fund to include "Two-Spirit" in its name, expanding its purpose and grant eligibility. It plans to support workforce development, social integration for 2TGI immigrants and asylees, and programs for transitional-age 2TGI youth. Organizationsserving tribal populations can apply for grants if they partner with a 2TGI-serving organization. Additionally, the bill updates the definition of "health care" to encompass mental health services and provides definitions for "Two-Spirit" and "transitional-age 2TGI youth." Legislative findings related to these updates will also be included.

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MHAC Position: Support

Author: Bonta

Date: 06/22/2025

This legal text outlines the procedures and requirements for student expulsions and readmissions in school districts, as updated by a recent bill. Under existing law, school district boards can expel a student for certain actions and must create a rehabilitation plan which can include tutoring or counseling. The expulsion remains until the board approves readmission, which hinges on the student meeting rehabilitation plan conditions and not being a danger to others. The bill introduces new requirements for rehabilitation plans, mandating periodic reviews, assessments 45 days before the expulsion term ends, and tailoring plans to address the behavior that led to expulsion. It also specifies that the boardshould help students access resources needed for rehabilitation and stipulates that financial or logistical barriers should not prevent readmission. The board must readmit the student unless they fail to meet the plan's conditions or pose new safety concerns. Additionally, the expulsion term can be extended under specific conditions. Furthermore, the bill requires county educational plans for expelled students to include potential special education services, diverse educational programs, a clear readmission process, and support for integration upon return. School districts must maintain and report new datarelated to expulsions, including average expulsion durations. If the bill incurs any state-mandated costs, the state will reimburse local agencies as determined by the Commission on State Mandates.

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MHAC Position: Watch

Author: Irwin

Date: 04/12/2024

This bill would revise the definition of “psychiatric emergency medical condition” to make that definition applicable regardless of whether the patient is voluntary, or is involuntarily detained for evaluation and treatment. treatment, under prescribed circumstances. The bill would make conforming changes to provisions requiring facilities to provide that treatment. The bill would require the Medi-Cal program to cover emergency services and care necessary to treat an emergency medical condition, as defined, including all professional physical, mental, and substance use treatment services, including screening examinations necessary to determine the presence or absence of an emergency medical condition and, if an emergency medical condition exists, for all services medically necessary to stabilize the beneficiary. The bill would require coverage, including by a Medi-Cal managed care plan, for emergency services necessary to relieve or eliminate a psychiatric emergency medical condition, regardless of duration, or whether the beneficiary is voluntary, or involuntarily detained for evaluation and treatment, including emergency room professional services. services, as specified.

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MHAC Position: Support

Author: Quirk-Silva

Date: 06/18/2025

Existing law permits counties to form multidisciplinary teams aimed at quickly connecting homeless individuals to housing and services, allowing involved agencies to share confidential information to ensure continuity of care. The bill extends this to allow counties to establish behavioral health teams specifically for justice-involved individuals with mental illnesses. These teams can connect such individuals to supportive services while they are in jail and after release. It authorizes the sharing of confidential information under specific protocols to ensure coordinated care. The bill would also allow these teams to include additional qualified members for specific cases, requiring all team members to adhere tostrict privacy obligations and to keep information secure to protect privacy and confidentiality rights.

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MHAC Position: Support

Author: Bains

Date: 06/18/2025

The Knox-Keene Health Care Service Plan Act of 1975 mandates the licensing and regulation of health care service plans by the Department of Managed Health Care. The law requires plans to cover medically necessary treatments for mental health and substance use disorders similarly to other medical conditions, effective January 1, 2021. This bill stipulates that from May 1, 2022, the health care plans must fully reimburse out-of-pocket behavioral health care expenses and mental health prescriptions obtained from non-plan providers until the Department certifies the completion of a corrective action work plan. The bill outlines a specific process for reimbursement and imposes penalties, including additional interest and fines, for non-compliance. The plans must also report monthly to the Department. Violations would be criminalized, creating a new local program. The bill acknowledges the need for a special statute and specifies that no state reimbursement is required for local agencies or schools regarding these mandates.

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MHAC Position: Support

Author: Jackson

Date: 04/12/2024

This bill would require a physician and surgeon, a general acute care hospital, a health care service plan, and a health insurer to provide to each legal guardian of a patient, enrollee, or insured, 10 to 18 years of age, a written or electronic notice regarding the benefits of a behavioral health and wellness screening. The bill would require the providers to provide the notice at least once every 2 years in the preferred method of the legal guardian. Because a violation of the bill’s requirements relative to health care service plans and health facilities would be crimes, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. This bill would require a Medi-Cal managed care plan to include the above-described notice requirement in their outreach and education plan.

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MHAC Position: Watch

Author: Quirk-Silva

Date: 04/12/2024

This bill would authorize counties to also establish mental health multidisciplinary personnel team, as defined, with the goal of facilitating the expedited identification, assessment, and linkage of justice-involved persons diagnosed with a mental illness to supportive services within that county while incarcerated and upon release from county jail and to allow provider agencies and members of the personnel team to share confidential information, as specified, for the purpose of coordinating supportive services to ensure continuity of care. The bill would require the sharing of information permitted under these provisions to be governed by protocols developed in each county, as specified, and would require each county to provide a copy of its protocols to the State Department of Social Services. This bill would authorize the mental health multidisciplinary personnel team to designate qualified persons to be a member of the team for a particular case and would require every member who receives information or records regarding justice-involved persons, as defined, in their capacity as a member of the team to be under the same privacy and confidentiality obligations and subject to the same confidentiality penalties as the person disclosing or providing the information or records. The bill would also require the information or records to be maintained in a manner that ensures the maximum protection of privacy and confidentiality rights.

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MHAC Position: Watch

Author: Bryan

Date: 02/07/2022

Status: Died

Reentry housing and workforce development program: Upon appropriation, this bill would require the Department of Housing and Community Development to create the Reentry Housing and Workforce Development Program, and would require the department to take specified actions to provide grants to applicants for innovative or evidence-based housing, housing-based services, and employment interventions to allow people with recent histories of incarceration to exit homelessness and remain stably housed.

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MHAC Position: Support

Author: Reyes

Date: 04/12/2024

This bill would prohibit a medical service plan and a health insurer from subjecting a naloxone product or another opioid antagonist approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration, or a buprenorphine product or long-acting injectable naltrexone for detoxification or maintenance treatment of a substance use disorder, to prior authorization or step therapy. Because a willful violation of these provisions by a health care service plan would be a crime, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program.

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