An act to add Chapter 10 (commencing with Section 8300) to Division 8 of Section 4755 to the Welfare and Institutions Code, relating to behavioral health. developmental services.
Summary
AB 308 would add a new chapter to the Welfare and Institutions Code authorizing county behavioral health directors, in counties that operate or contract for mobile crisis teams or mobile crisis units, to develop procedures for responding to emergency or crisis incidents involving people with intellectual or developmental disabilities, including autism, and people with behavioral health conditions. The bill is permissive rather than mandatory: counties may create these procedures, but if they do, the procedures must include de-escalation techniques tailored to the individual’s circumstances, guidance on the appropriate use of force if necessary, and best practices for transporting the person to a designated health or care facility.
The bill also allows county behavioral health directors to develop training for those procedures, and requires that any such training be developed in conjunction with law enforcement. In practical terms, the measure is aimed at standardizing and improving crisis response protocols for mobile crisis teams so they are better equipped to handle encounters involving vulnerable individuals in a safer, more coordinated way.
Impact
AB 308 would expand county-level authority in the behavioral health code by creating a specific statutory framework for mobile crisis team procedures and training. It does not mandate that every county adopt these procedures, but for counties that do, it establishes minimum subject areas the procedures must cover. The bill would affect county behavioral health departments, mobile crisis teams or units, and potentially law enforcement partners involved in crisis response training, while also touching services for individuals with developmental disabilities and behavioral health conditions.
Sentiment
The available voting history suggests strong bipartisan support and little visible opposition. The bill passed committee unanimously and later passed on the Assembly floor with no recorded no votes, indicating broad agreement with its goals. The absence of committee transcript objections also suggests the measure was viewed as a practical public-safety and behavioral-health coordination bill rather than a controversial policy change.
Contention
The main policy tension in AB 308 is not whether crisis response should be improved, but how much discretion counties should have and how crisis encounters should be managed. The bill gives county behavioral health directors authority to develop procedures and training, but it also requires those procedures to address the use of force and transportation decisions, which are sensitive issues in encounters involving people with disabilities or behavioral health conditions. Another point of interest is the requirement that training be developed with law enforcement, which may be seen as beneficial for coordination but could also raise concerns among disability advocates about police involvement in behavioral health crisis response.
Health occupations: health professionals; limited license for certain individuals engaging in the practice of applied behavior analysis; provide for. Amends secs. 16343a, 18253 & 18257 of 1978 PA 368 (MCL 333.16343a et seq.).
Health: licensing; behavioral health transportation licensing requirements; provide for. Amends 1974 PA 258 (MCL 330.1001 - 330.2106) by adding ch. 9B. TIE BAR WITH: SB 0927'26