Human Services - Mental Health - Digest of Bills

Digest of Bills - 2004

HUMAN SERVICES - MENTAL HEALTH

S.B. 04-25 Mental health institute - Pueblo - ability to contract. Authorizes the Colorado mental health institute at Pueblo to contract with any governing board of a state-supported institution of higher education for services from a physician or other health care practitioner.

APPROVED by Governor March 23, 2004
EFFECTIVE March 23, 2004

S.B. 04-65 Child mental health treatment act - extension of repeal - creation of fund - appropriation. Continues monitoring and reporting requirements related to the "Child Mental Health Treatment Act" ("act"). Extends the repeal of the act to July 1, 2009.

Creates the child mental health treatment act fund ("fund"). Authorizes any portion of mental health services that are provided to a child who is covered by the act, but the cost of which is not covered by private insurance, federal medicaid funding, or the family's share, to be paid for from moneys in the fund.

Requires either of the following appropriations to be made to the fund:

● If an amount is appropriated from tobacco settlement moneys received by the state to the Fitzsimons trust fund as of June 30, 2004, to pay lease-purchase agreements in fiscal year 2004-05, then requires the general assembly to appropriate to the fund the difference, if any, between the lesser of $8,000,000 or 8 % of the total amount of tobacco settlement moneys received by the state during the preceding fiscal year and the amount actually appropriated to the Fitzsimons trust fund but prohibits the amount appropriated to the fund from exceeding $1,600,000; or

● If the state receives tobacco settlement moneys, but an amount is not appropriated from said moneys to the Fitzsimons trust fund as of June 30, 2004, for fiscal year 2004-05, then at the end of the 2003-04 fiscal year, but prior to any transfer of moneys from the tobacco litigation settlement cash fund to the tobacco litigation settlement trust fund, requires the general assembly to appropriate $1,600,000, or so much thereof as may be available, to the fund from the amount remaining in the tobacco litigation settlement cash fund after the transfer of moneys to the general fund for continuous appropriation to the Tony Grampsas Youth Services Program ("program").

Specifies that, at the end of the 2003-04 fiscal year, if moneys have been appropriated to the fund for the 2004-05 fiscal year from the difference between the lesser of $8,000,000 or 8% of the total amount of tobacco settlement moneys received by the state during the preceding fiscal year and the amount actually appropriated to the Fitzsimons trust fund, then the amount transferred to the general fund and continuously appropriated for the program shall be increased by an amount equal to 50% of the amount appropriated to the fund; except that the total amount transferred to the general fund and continuously appropriated to the program shall not exceed $7,594,816.

For the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2004, appropriates $1,600,000 from the tobacco litigation settlement cash fund to the department of human services for implementation of the act. In addition, appropriates $800,000 from the tobacco litigation settlement cash fund to the department of public health and environment, for the program. Adjusts appropriations made in the annual general appropriation act for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2004, to the department of health care policy and financing and the department of human services.

Makes specified funding portions of the act contingent upon House Bill 04-1421 not passing.

APPROVED by Governor May 27, 2004
EFFECTIVE May 27, 2004
NOTE: House Bill 04-1421 was approved in part and vetoed in part by the Governor, June 4, 2004.

H.B. 04-1123 Colorado mental health institute at Fort Logan - review - report. Conditioned upon potential partners for a merger with the Colorado mental health institute at Fort Logan ("institute") being identified, requires the department of human services ("department") to conduct a review of an alternative option to the existing administration, organization, and operation of the institute. Requires the executive director of the department to appoint a steering committee to assist and provide input to the department in conducting the review. Specifies that the review shall consider opportunities for the institute to merge with another hospital in the Denver metropolitan area. Identifies specific issues for the review to address.

Specifies that nothing in the review shall negatively impact the role of the Colorado mental health institute at Pueblo in the statewide public mental health system. Specifies that during the review, the department and the steering committee shall consult with representatives of the department of health care policy and financing and representatives of any hospital in the metropolitan area with which the institute could effectively and efficiently merge. Sets forth a reporting requirement.

Section 2 of this act provides that the act shall take effect only if the department of human services provides written notification to the revisor of statutes that potential partners for a merger with the Colorado mental health institute at Fort Logan have been identified by the contractor hired by the executive branch to identify such partners.

APPROVED by Governor May 28, 2004
EFFECTIVE May 28, 2004
NOTE: As of publication date, notification by the department to the revisor of statutes had not been received.