The act establishes the office of the statewide behavioral health court liaison (office) as an independent agency within the judicial department to administer the statewide behavioral health court liaison program, which is known as the bridges program (program). The head of the office is the director. The office provides program services. The act establishes the bridges program commission (commission) to support the office. The commission appoints the director of the office, provides guidance to the office, provides fiscal oversight of the office's general operating budget, participates in program services funding decisions, and assists with the office's duties concerning program training and public outreach. The act clarifies the scope, requirements, and duties of the program, including requiring the program to inform county attorneys of available behavioral health services and connect participants to, and support engagement with, relevant services. The act clarifies the duties of the program's court liaisons, including: Addressing system gaps and barriers and promoting positive outcomes for program participants; Keeping judges, district attorneys, county attorneys, and defense attorneys informed about available community-based behavioral health services; and Providing consultation and training to criminal and juvenile justice personnel regarding behavioral health and community treatment options and program best practices. The office is required to annually report to the joint budget committee about the office's work and administration of the program. The act appropriates $5,181,020 from the general fund to the judicial department for use by the office and $100,453 from the general fund to the judicial department for legal services, which is reappropriated to the department of law to provide legal services to the judicial department. The act reduces the appropriation in the 2023 long bill to the judicial department for the program by $2,802,491. APPROVED by Governor April 27, 2023 EFFECTIVE April 27, 2023 NOTE: Certain sections of the act are contingent on whether or not Senate Bill 23-228 becomes law. Senate Bill 23-228 was signed by the governor April 20, 2023. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
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The act creates the office of school safety (office) within the office of the executive director in the department of public safety. The office oversees the school safety resource center (center), which assists schools in preventing, preparing for, responding to, and recovering from emergencies and crisis situations by offering training and other supportive services. Among other duties, the center is responsible for providing information and resources related to school safety, school emergency response planning and training, and interoperable communications to the division of fire prevention and control in the department of public safety for distribution to school districts and schools. The act clarifies that this responsibility does not permit the provision of firearms to schools districts or schools. The director of the office is required to appoint the director of the center and appoint a grants manager to assist schools in obtaining funding related to school safety. The act also creates the crisis response unit within the office to assist schools in responding to a crisis or emergency and creates a youth violence prevention grant program within the office. Currently, the school access for emergency response grant program (SAFER) is administered by the division of homeland security and emergency management in the department of public safety. The act moves the administration of SAFER to the office. The act specifies that eligible entities may use money received from the school security disbursement program to implement school resource officer programs and co-responder programs. For the 2023-24 state fiscal year, $25,798,091 is appropriated to the department of public safety for use by the office. This appropriation consists of $20,401,600 from the general fund, $5,000,000 from the school access for emergency response grant program cash fund, $250,000 from the marijuana tax cash fund, and $146,491 from the school safety resource center cash fund. To implement the act, the office may use this appropriation as follows: $5,524,916, which consists of $274,916 from the general fund, $5,000,000 from the school access for emergency response grant program cash fund, and $250,000 from the marijuana tax cash fund, for administrative services, which amount is based on an assumption that the office will require an additional 1.8 FTE; $1,825,744, which consists of $1,679,253 from the general fund and $146,491 from the school safety resource center cash fund for the center, which amount is based on an assumption that the office will require an additional 11.2 FTE; $1,144,023 from the general fund for the crisis response unit, which amount is based on an assumption that the office will require an additional 3.7 FTE; $303,408 from the general fund for threat assessment, which amount is based on an assumption that the office will require an additional 0.5 FTE; $16,000,000 from the general fund for the school security disbursement program; and $1,000,000 from the general fund for the youth violence prevention program. For the 2023-24 state fiscal year, $313,951 is appropriated to the department of public safety for use by the office of the executive director of the department of public safety. This appropriation is from the general fund. To implement the act, the office of the executive director may use this appropriation as follows: $108,422 for personal services, which amount is based on an assumption that the office of the executive director will require an additional 0.9 FTE; $80,761 for health, life, and dental; $1,141 for short-term disability; $35,571 for amortization equalization disbursement; $35,571 for supplemental amortization equalization disbursement; $9,135 for operating expenses; $10,800 for vehicle lease payments; and $32,550 for leased space. APPROVED by Governor April 27, 2023 EFFECTIVE April 27, 2023 (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act allows money from the small communities water and wastewater grant fund to be used to match money provided by the federal government through the federal "Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act" for certain clean water projects. APPROVED by Governor April 25, 2023 EFFECTIVE April 25, 2023 (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act terminates the state's prepayment of insurance premiums for state employee coverage under the paid family and medical leave insurance program based on the state's advance payment of $57 million to the family and medical leave insurance fund from the revenue loss restoration cash fund in May 2022. The act terminates such prepayment at the end of fiscal year 2023-24 and requires the state treasurer to transfer $35 million back to the revenue loss restoration cash fund on or as soon as possible after the date on which the balance of the family and medical leave insurance fund reaches $100 million. The act further requires that, on or as soon as possible after the date the state controller publishes the comprehensive annual financial report of the state for fiscal year 2023-24, the state treasurer shall transfer any actual additional unexpended amount of the state's $57 million advance payment from the family and medical leave insurance fund to the revenue loss restoration cash fund. The act makes a conforming amendment to the statute in which the revenue loss restoration cash fund is created. APPROVED by Governor April 24, 2023 EFFECTIVE April 24, 2023 (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act: Removes a $50 fee for dairy plant employees who sample or test milk, cream, or any other dairy product; Increases the licensing fee a dairy plant is required to pay by 30%; and Creates a new fee of one cent for every 100 pounds of milk, to be paid by a dairy plant that receives 20,000 pounds or more of milk each day. The department of public health and environment is required to cap the amount a dairy plant must pay in total for the licensing fee and volume of production fee at $150,000 in a year. APPROVED by Governor April 25, 2023 EFFECTIVE July 1, 2023 (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act removes the requirement that medicaid recipients pay a copayment for pharmacy and outpatient services. $1,886,150 is appropriated to the department of health care policy and financing (department), consisting of $1,439,499 from the general fund and $446,651 from the healthcare affordability and sustainability fee cash fund, for medical and long-term care services for medicaid-eligible individuals. It is anticipated that the department will receive $5,459,357 in federal funds to implement this act. APPROVED by Governor April 20, 2023 EFFECTIVE April 20, 2023 (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
Current law allows approved facility schools (approved schools) to include day treatment centers, residential child care facilities, facilities licensed by the department of human services, or hospitals licensed by the department of public health and environment. The act creates the specialized day school as a type of approved school. The facility schools board (board) shall promulgate rules for a facility to become authorized to operate as a specialized day school. Current law requires the board to adopt accountability measures. The act requires the board to adopt accountability and accreditation measures for approved schools. Beginning December 1, 2026, the state board of education shall begin accrediting approved schools based on recommendations of the board. The act requires the board to create an accreditation outcome report for each approved school. The office of facility schools (office) must publish the reports annually. The act requires the department of education (department), department of human services, the department of health care policy and financing, and the department of public health and environment to collaborate and create an interagency resource guide to provide assistance to facilities that are pursuing licensing or authorization to operate as an approved school. The act requires the state agencies to identify and recommend legislation and changes to each department's respective rules and administrative processes to facilitate licensing, authorization, and approval processes for facilities seeking to operate as approved schools. The act creates the shared operational services grant program (grant program) to award grants to eligible applicants to contract for 2 years with an organization that coordinates shared operational services. An approved school in conjunction with one or more schools may apply to the grant program for a grant to procure shared operational services that support schools, such as food services, janitorial services, shared office spaces, billing, technical assistance on medicaid services, technology, security, transportation, or purchasing. An organization that provides or coordinates services for approved schools or an agency that oversees approved schools may also apply to the grant program. The act creates the technical assistance center (center) in the office to provide technical assistance support to school districts and related administrative units, with a priority to serve rural and remote school districts and related administrative units. Beginning in the 2023-24 budget year, the center is required to assess the needs of school districts and related administrative units. Beginning in the 2024-25 budget year, the center shall provide technical assistance support to school districts and related administrative units and prioritize service to rural and remote school districts. The act creates additional responsibilities for the facility school work group (work group). The work group shall monitor the implementation of changes to the facility school system and educational services for students with exceptionally severe or specialized needs. The act expands work group participation to include parents, guardians, and legal custodians of students with exceptionally severe or specialized needs and therapeutic facilities for students with exceptionally severe or specialized needs that are not approved schools. The act requires the office to contract with a qualified third-party evaluator (evaluator) to evaluate and report whether the work group recommendations resulted in more effective services and better access to those services for students with exceptionally severe and specialized needs. The act requires the department of health care policy and financing to recommend a plan to provide guidance to approved schools on the eligibility standards required to request and receive medicaid reimbursement funding for therapeutic services to the maximum extent feasible. The act creates a new baseline funding model for approved schools. The act requires reporting on the new baseline funding model for approved schools. For the 2023-24 state fiscal year, $18,780,654 is appropriated to the department from the state education fund to implement this act. APPROVED by Governor April 20, 2023 EFFECTIVE April 20, 2023 (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act requires the state treasurer to make 2 transfers to the state emergency reserve cash fund (fund) on June 30, 2023. First, the state treasurer is required to transfer $20 million from the general fund to the fund. Second, the state treasurer is required to transfer $10 million from the revenue loss restoration cash fund that originates from the general fund to the fund. APPROVED by Governor April 20, 2023 EFFECTIVE April 20, 2023 (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act creates the office of administrative services for independent agencies (office) in the judicial department to provide administrative support services to the office of the child protection ombudsman, the independent ethics commission, the office of public guardianship, and the commission on judicial discipline. The act requires the office to be governed by an administrative board that is responsible for hiring the director of the office, assisting the office director in establishing office policies regarding the delivery of support services, and providing human resources assistance to assist in the hiring of office employees. The act sets responsibilities for the office. The act requires the judicial department to provide the office with administrative support until July 1, 2024, and to provide office space for the office. Under current law, certain independent agencies operate through a memorandum of understanding with the judicial department. The act repeals the memorandum of understanding requirements to allow the office to provide those services to the office of the child protection ombudsman and the office of public guardianship. To implement the act, $746,909 is appropriated from the general fund to the judicial department for use by the office, and $100,453 is appropriated from the general fund to the judicial department for the purchase of legal services and is reappropriated to the department of law to provide legal services for the judicial department. Provisions of the act are contingent upon Senate Bill 23-064 being enacted and becoming law. APPROVED by Governor April 20, 2023 EFFECTIVE April 20, 2023 NOTE: Certain sections of the act are contingent on whether or not Senate Bill 23-064 becomes law. Senate Bill 23-064 was signed by the governor May 30, 2023. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act permits the department of law to use money appropriated to the department for litigation management to address unanticipated state legal needs. The department is prohibited from using that money for employee salary increases, promotions, reclassifications, or bonuses, or to offset personal services deficits in the department. APPROVED by Governor April 20, 2023 EFFECTIVE April 20, 2023 (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)