The Behavioral Health Infrastructure Bond Act of 2023.

Existing law establishes the Multifamily Housing Program administered by the Department of Housing and Community Development. Existing law requires assistance for projects under the program to be provided in the form of deferred payment loans to pay for eligible costs of specified types of development, as provided. Existing law requires that specified funds appropriated to provide housing for individuals and families who are experiencing homelessness or who are at risk of homelessness and who are inherently impacted by or at increased risk for medical diseases or conditions due to the COVID-19 pandemic or other communicable diseases be disbursed in accordance with the Multifamily Housing Program for specified uses. The California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) requires a lead agency, as defined, to prepare, or cause to be prepared, and certify the completion of, an environmental impact report on a project that it proposes to carry out or approve that may have a significant effect on the environment or to adopt a negative declaration if it finds that the project will not have that effect. CEQA does not apply to the approval of ministerial projects. Existing law, until July 1, 2024, exempts from CEQA a project funded to provide housing for individuals and families who are experiencing homelessness, as described above, if certain requirements are satisfied, including if the project proponent obtains an enforceable commitment to use a skilled and trained workforce for any proposed rehabilitation, construction, or major alterations, as specified. This bill would provide that projects funded by the Behavioral Health Infrastructure Bond Act of 2024 that provide housing for individuals and families who are experiencing homelessness or who are at risk of homelessness and who are inherently impacted by or at increased risk for medical diseases or conditions due to the COVID-19 pandemic or other communicable diseases and are disbursed in accordance with the Multifamily Housing Program, or projects that are disbursed in accordance with the Behavioral Health Continuum Infrastructure Program, are a use by right and subject to the streamlined, ministerial review process. The bill would define use by right for these purposes to mean that the local government's review of the project does not require a conditional use permit, planned unit development permit, or other discretionary local government review or approval that would constitute a project subject to the approval process in CEQA. Because the bill would revise the approval process of specified projects, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. Existing law authorizes the State Department of Health Care Services to, subject to an appropriation, establish a Behavioral Health Continuum Infrastructure Program to award grants as specified for the construction, acquisition, and rehabilitation of behavioral health treatment resources, as described. Existing law repeals this program on January 1, 2027. This bill would continue that program indefinitely. Existing law, the Bronzan-McCorquodale Act, contains provisions governing the operation and financing of community mental health services in every county through locally administered and locally controlled community mental health programs. Existing law, the Mental Health Services Act (MHSA) , an initiative measure enacted by the voters as Proposition 63 in the November 2, 2004, statewide general election, establishes the Mental Health Services Fund to fund various county mental health programs. This bill would enact the Behavioral Health Infrastructure Bond Act of 2024 which, if approved by the voters, would authorize the issuance of bonds in the amount of $6,380,000,000 to finance loans or grants for the acquisition of capital assets for the conversion, rehabilitation, or new construction of permanent supportive housing for veterans and others who are homeless and meet specified criteria, and for grants for the Behavioral Health Continuum Infrastructure Program, as specified. The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason. The bill would provide for the submission of specified sections of this bill and SB 326 to the voters at the March 5, 2024, statewide primary election.