An Act to create 20.435 (5) (bk) and 46.67 of the statutes; Relating to: grants to mental health clubhouses and making an appropriation. (FE)
SB305 would create a new state grant program for mental health clubhouses and appropriate $300,000 in General Purpose Revenue in each of fiscal years 2025-26 and 2026-27. The Department of Health Services would be directed to award grants to qualifying clubhouses, which the bill defines as nonresidential rehabilitation programs that provide support and services to people who have, or are awaiting, a mental illness diagnosis but do not directly provide treatment or medical care.
To qualify, a clubhouse would need to serve members who are diagnosed or awaiting diagnosis and under treatment, raise matching funds equal to the grant amount requested, operate on a voluntary basis, maintain a distinct physical space separate from a mental health center or institution, and allow members to participate in administration and other operational functions. The program would be capped at $300,000 statewide per fiscal year and $50,000 per clubhouse per fiscal year, and it would sunset after June 30, 2030.
The bill would create a new statutory section, 46.67, and add a corresponding appropriation line in the state budget for mental health clubhouse grants under DHS. It would authorize state grant funding for a limited class of community-based mental health support organizations, while imposing eligibility, matching-fund, and operational requirements. The bill would also amend the state appropriations schedule to fund the program and limit encumbrances after June 30, 2030, making the program temporary unless reauthorized.
Based on the available record, the bill appears to have been introduced with bipartisan cosponsorship and referred to the Senate Committee on Mental Health, Substance Abuse Prevention, Children and Families, suggesting general legislative interest in community mental health supports. However, there are no committee transcripts or recorded votes provided, and the bill ultimately failed to pass pursuant to Senate Joint Resolution 1. As a result, the public record here does not show detailed debate, but the outcome indicates the proposal did not secure final enactment.
The main policy questions likely concern whether state funds should support clubhouse programs, how strictly to define and regulate eligible clubhouses, and whether the matching-fund requirement could limit access for smaller or under-resourced organizations. The bill’s requirement that members be diagnosed or awaiting diagnosis and under treatment, along with the separate physical-space and voluntary-participation rules, may also have raised implementation or eligibility concerns. Because no transcripts are available, it is not possible to attribute specific objections or support to named legislators or stakeholders.