Receive presentation and consider a position on AB 1928 (McCarty). (No general fund impact) (Rinde/Tengolics)

Receive presentation and consider a position on AB 1928 (McCarty).

In 2021, on a 3-1-1 vote, the Board adopted a support in principle position on AB 1542 (McCarty) which would have allowed Yolo County to establish a pilot program for the purposes of establishing a secured drug treatment facility where felony offenders could be sentenced and treated for substance use disorders rather than serving a jail or prison sentence. Ultimately, the bill was vetoed by the Governor, citing concerns over coerced treatment. 

In 2022, Assemblymember McCarty introduced substantially similar legislation, AB 1928, which would expand the pilot to include San Joaquin, Contra Costa, and Santa Clara (in addition to Yolo) and also provide opioid settlement funds to backstop treatment costs in the event costs were not Medi-Cal reimbursable. Given the Board's prior position on the substantially similar AB 1542, staff referred this bill to the Legislative Subcommittee for consideration while noting that the Health and Human Services Agency was not of the opinion that alternative sentencing options provided by the bill were necessary due to the recent implementation of the Crisis Now program, a 24/7 crisis & access line, mobile crisis team, and crisis receiving/sobering center.  The Subcommittee unanimously supported the bill and staff drafted and sent a letter of support (Att. A).

Subsequently, a Board member requested this bill be reconsidered by the full Board, as allowed by the Board Governance Manual, due to the two bills not being identical, the recent approval of the Crisis Now program in September, 2021 (Att. C), and the Governor's recent Care Court proposal which would allow for court-ordered care for individuals suffering from mental illness and/or substance use disorders (Att. B). This item provides an opportunity for the Board to hear from staff and reconsider the position.

Legislative Subcommittee, Health and Human Services Agency