Mental health services.

(1) The Mental Health Services Act (MHSA) , an initiative measure enacted by the voters as Proposition 63 at the November 2, 2004, statewide general election, imposes a 1% tax on that portion of a taxpayer's taxable income that exceeds $1,000,000 and requires that the revenue from that tax be deposited in the Mental Health Services Fund to fund various county mental health programs. The MHSA authorizes the Legislature to amend its provisions by a 23 vote, provided that the amendment is consistent with and furthers the intent of the act. This bill would establish the No Place Like Home Program, to be administered by the Department of Housing and Community Development. The bill would require the department to award $2,000,000,000 through a competitive program among counties to finance capital costs, including, but not limited to, acquisition, design, construction, rehabilitation, or preservation, and to capitalize operating reserves, of permanent supportive housing for the target population, as specified. The bill would further require the department to allocate $1,800,000,000 to a competitive program, as specified, and would require that applicants meet specified requirements to be eligible to apply for funding and would require the department to evaluate applications using specified criteria. The bill would require the department to award moneys in four rounds, as provided. The bill would require the department to allocate $200,000,000 among all counties within this state in amounts based on a calculation of the number of homeless persons residing in each county or in $500,000 amounts, whichever is greater for each county. The bill would establish, and continuously appropriate, the No Place Like Home Fund for these purposes. The bill would also appropriate $6,200,000 from the Mental Health Services Fund to the department to provide technical and application preparation assistance to counties. The bill would require counties to annually report to the department on activities funded under these provisions, as provided. This bill would establish the No Place Like Home Program Advisory Committee, as specified, and require the committee to assist and advise the department in the implementation of the program, review and make recommendations on the department's guidelines, review the department's progress in distributing moneys pursuant to the program, and provide advice and guidance on statewide homelessness issues. The bill would also require the department to submit a report on the program to the Legislature by December 31 of each year, as specified, and, upon an appropriation for that purpose, to contract with a public or private research university in this state to evaluate the program, as provided. (2) The MHSA, among other things, requires county health programs to develop plans for innovative programs, to be funded as provided, and requires that the innovative program have specified purposes, including increasing access to services. Existing law requires that the projects included in the innovative program portion of a county health plan meet specified requirements, including increasing access to underserved groups and increasing access to services. This bill would specify that the services required to be provided through these programs, among other things, may include the provision of permanent supportive housing. (3) The MHSA, among other things, establishes the Mental Health Services Oversight and Accountability Commission to oversee the administration of various parts of the act. Existing law requires the commission to consist of 16 voting members, including, among others, persons with mental illness, family members of persons with mental illness, a physician, a mental health professional, a county sheriff, a superintendent of a school district, a representative of a labor organization, a representative of an employer, as specified, and a representative of a health care services plan or insurer. This bill would require one of the persons described above to have a background in auditing. Existing law requires each county mental health program to prepare and submit a 3-year program and expenditure plan and annual updates to the commission, as specified. Existing law requires the plans to include reports on the achievement of performance outcomes for services, as specified. This bill would require the 3-year program and expenditure plan to also be submitted to the State Department of Health Care Services. The bill would require the department to post on its website the three-year program and expenditure plan submitted by every county and a summary of the performance outcomes submitted by counties, as specified. (4) The MHSA, among other things, requires the State Department of Health Care Services to implement various parts of the act through the annual county mental health services performance contract, as specified. Existing law, when a county mental health program is not in compliance with its performance contract, authorizes the department to request a plan of correction with a specific timeline to achieve improvements. This bill would require the department to conduct program reviews of performance contracts to determine compliance and would require each county performance contract to be reviewed at least once every 3 years. The bill would also require the department to post on its website any plans of correction requested and the related findings. (5) The MHSA, among other things, requires the State Department of Health Care Services, in consultation with the Mental Health Services Oversight and Accountability Commission and the County Behavioral Health Directors Association of California, to develop and administer instructions for the Annual Mental Health Services Act and Expenditure Report. Existing law requires the report to be submitted electronically to the department and the commission. This bill would require the instructions to include a requirement that the county certify the accuracy of the report described above. The bill would require the department and commission to post each county's report on its website, as specified. The bill would also require the department, in consultation with the commission and the County Behavioral Health Directors Association of California, to revise the instructions described above, as specified. The bill, if a county does not submit the report described above by the required deadline, would authorize the department to withhold MHSA funds until the reports are submitted. (6) This bill would declare that its provisions further the intent of the MHSA. (7) This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as a bill providing for appropriations related to the Budget Bill.