College Mental Health Services Program.

Existing law, the Mental Health Services Act, an initiative statute enacted by the voters as Proposition 63 at the November 2, 2004, statewide general election, funds a system of county mental health plans for the provision of mental health services, as specified. Existing law establishes the continuously appropriated Mental Health Services Fund. Existing law requires the Controller, prior to distributing the balance of the funds to the counties, as specified, to reserve up to 5% of the total annual revenues of the fund for the costs for the State Department of Health Care Services, the California Behavioral Health Planning Council, the Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development, the Mental Health Services Oversight and Accountability Commission, the State Department of Public Health, and any other state agency to implement all duties pursuant to the programs set forth in the act. This bill would amend Proposition 63 by appropriating $40,000,000 annually from the administrative account of the Mental Health Services Fund to the Board of Regents of the University of California, the Board of Trustees of the California State University, and the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges, as specified, to implement the College Mental Health Services Program. The bill would require the governing boards, as defined, to create a grant program for public community college, college, and university campuses for the purpose of establishing or improving access to mental health services on those campuses, as specified. The bill would require campuses that have been awarded grants under these provisions to report annually on the use of those grant funds and to post that information on their internet websites. The bill would also require each governing body to submit a report to the Legislature evaluating the impact of the program, as specified. The bill would require that evaluation to be conducted by a public or private research university or institute in this state and would require the Department of Finance to assist the governing bodies in issuing a request for proposal for that contract.