Monday, May 11, 2009

Dispatch from Jones St: HB 672 Accountability for State Funding MH/DD/SAS

Today the House passed HB 672: Accountability for State Funding MH/DD/SA. 

Here is a brief summary of the legislation:
This legislation will require Local Management Entitiess that use single stream funding to on a bi-annual basis to receive to report on the allocation of service dollars and receive public comment during a regularly scheduled board of directors meeting.

This legislation also protects our states HUD group homes and apartments. The General Assembly appropriates state funding to group homes to be used in conjunction with federal HUD funding. After the biennial this funding can be moved. However, in some cases the removal of our state funding to these group homes and apartments can jeopardized our agreement with the federal matching money and the HUD contracts.

This legislation will require LMEs to seek approval for the reduction in funding from the Department of Health and Human Services prior to adjusting any funding associated with HUD group homes or apartments.

This bill also directs the Department of Health and Human Services to analyze the effectiveness of single stream funding in LMEs that have been working with single stream for a year or more. These findings will be reported to the Joint Legislative Oversight Committee on Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities, and Substance Abuse Services as well as the Health and Human Services Appropriations Subcommittee in the House and Senate.

This legislation will now go to the Senate.

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