Council on Law Enforcement Education and Training; establishing the Mental Health Response Pilot Program and Revolving Fund. Effective date.
Summary
SB217 directs the Council on Law Enforcement Education and Training (CLEET) to create a five-year Mental Health Response Pilot Program. The program is intended to certify licensed mental health professionals so they can assist law enforcement officers in responding to people experiencing mental health crises. The bill sets out a distribution framework for placing these certified professionals with selected law enforcement agencies and county sheriffs’ offices based on population size.
Under the bill, CLEET must also adopt rules to administer the program. The measure creates a dedicated Mental Health Response Pilot Program Revolving Fund in the State Treasury to receive appropriations, donations, grants, and other funding sources, and authorizes CLEET to spend those monies for the pilot program. The act is scheduled to take effect November 1, 2025.
Impact
The bill would add new statutory provisions to Title 70 governing CLEET’s authority and responsibilities, including a new pilot program section and a new revolving fund section. It would not directly change criminal penalties or mental health treatment laws, but it would create a state-funded mechanism for integrating licensed mental health professionals into law enforcement response efforts in selected jurisdictions. Affected parties include CLEET, participating law enforcement agencies, county sheriffs’ offices, and licensed mental health professionals who seek CLEET certification.
Sentiment
Based on the bill text and the absence of recorded committee debate or votes in the provided materials, the overall sentiment appears supportive and policy-oriented, with the bill framed as a public safety and crisis-response initiative. The measure’s structure suggests an effort to address mental health incidents through specialized assistance rather than through a punitive approach. No opposing views are documented in the available context.
Contention
The main potential points of contention are likely to be funding, implementation, and scope. Because the bill creates a revolving fund and authorizes expenditures, lawmakers or stakeholders could question the cost, the source and sufficiency of funding, and whether the pilot program should be statewide or limited to selected agencies. There may also be debate over how CLEET certifies mental health professionals, how they would be deployed alongside police, and whether the pilot’s placement formula fairly serves urban and rural jurisdictions.