State 988 system.

Bill now amends Sections 53123.2 and 53123.4 of the Government Code and Sections 41135 and 41136 of the Revenue and Taxation Code, in addition to Section 53123.3. This expands the bill from a single-agency advisory group provision into a comprehensive reorganization of 988 system governance across multiple agencies.

The California Health and Human Services Agency is given primary responsibility for statewide governance and implementation of the 988 system and must maintain a 988 System Governance Board with representatives from at least seven state agencies to provide cross-agency coordination and oversight.

The State Department of Health Care Services is assigned new responsibilities including oversight of 988 center operations, mobile crisis integration, administration of the 988 fund, development of statewide operational and funding methodologies, and establishment of standards for least restrictive responses to behavioral health crises. This represents a major shift of operational authority away from the Office of Emergency Services.

The Office of Emergency Services must procure, implement, and designate a single statewide interoperability platform by December 31, 2029, capable of facilitating real-time communication and warm handoffs between 988 centers and 911 public safety answering points.

The Emergency Medical Services Authority must develop and adopt mandatory statewide protocols governing transfer of calls from 911 to 988 centers, including criteria for transfers, warm handoff procedures, least restrictive response standards, and coordination between 988 centers, EMS providers, mobile crisis teams, and public safety agencies.

The requirement for the Office of Emergency Services to appoint a 988 system director is deleted.

Medi-Cal mobile crisis service providers must maintain the capability to receive and respond to referrals, dispatch requests, or warm handoffs from 988 centers in real time by December 31, 2029, to the extent not prohibited by federal law.

Annual public updates on 988 implementation must now additionally include progress toward 988/911 interoperability, progress toward 988/mobile crisis integration, implementation status of the statewide platform, statewide answer rates for calls/texts/chats, and information on use of least restrictive responses to behavioral health crises.

The State Department of Health Care Services must develop a statewide three-year expenditure methodology for the 988 fund by June 30, 2027, to be first used for the 2028-29 budget year. The methodology must account for call volume, dispatch volume, staffing, vacancy rates, training, technology needs, geographic equity including rural access, surge capacity, federal standards, and existing reimbursement sources.

Disbursement of 988 surcharge revenue is redirected from the Office of Emergency Services to the State Department of Health Care Services. The annual expenditure and outcomes reporting requirement and the State Treasurer's annual report are also shifted to the State Department of Health Care Services.

The State 988 Technical Advisory Board meeting requirement is extended from December 31, 2028 to December 31, 2029. After that date, the Office of Emergency Services may disband or reconvene the board (previously only disband was authorized).

The state 988 advisory group under CHHSA must meet at least quarterly until December 31, 2029. The agency may disband or reconvene the group after January 1, 2030 (the Assembly version had no end date and only allowed disbanding).

The bill text was reformatted from a legislative document layout (with line numbers, page headers/footers, and amendment history blocks) into a web page structure with navigation menus, quick search fields, bill information panels, and version tracking links. The substantive legal provisions of Sections 53123.2, 53123.3, 53123.4 of the Government Code and Sections 41135 and 41136 of the Revenue and Taxation Code remain unchanged.

All amendments to Section 4098.2 of the Welfare and Institutions Code were deleted. This section authorized the State Department of Health Care Services to establish a suicide prevention, education, and gatekeeper training program contingent on budget appropriation.

The advisory group meeting requirement was changed from an indefinite 'at least once per quarter' (in the prior amendment) to 'at least once per quarter until December 31, 2029,' setting a fixed five-year sunset date.

A disbandment provision was added back: the California Health and Human Services Agency may disband the advisory group at its discretion, but not before January 1, 2030. The prior amendment had deleted this provision entirely, making the group permanent.

The fiscal committee designation changed from 'no' to 'yes,' indicating the bill now carries a fiscal impact that requires fiscal committee review.

A new Section 1 was added amending Government Code Section 53123.3, expanding the bill's scope from a technical fix to suicide prevention programs into a comprehensive overhaul of the State 988 Advisory Group's mandate and permanence.

The advisory group's meeting requirement changed from 'at least once per quarter until December 31, 2024' to 'at least once per quarter' on an indefinite basis, removing the sunset date.

The provision authorizing the California Health and Human Services Agency to disband the advisory group at its discretion (but not before January 1, 2025) was deleted, making the group permanent.

Fourteen new categories of recommendations were added that the advisory group must address, including: federal SAMHSA compliance, state governance structure, 24/7 phone/text/chat access standards, warm handoff procedures from 911 and 988, alternatives to law enforcement response for behavioral health crises, quantifiable goals tied to suicide rates, outcome measures and benchmarks, a comprehensive infrastructure assessment, 988 surcharge budget procedures, and funding strategies including federal Medicaid reimbursement and coordination with the Department of Insurance.

A new reporting requirement was added requiring the California Health and Human Services Agency to post updates on its public website at least annually regarding 988 implementation until December 31, 2029.

The fiscal committee vote changed from 'no' to 'yes,' indicating the amendment was identified as creating a state-mandated local program or fiscal impact.

In Section 4098.2(c), the word 'States' was removed from the reference to the Surgeon General's public health model, correcting what appears to be a drafting error.