Sec. 17a-485b. Community Mental Health Strategy Board. Duties. Report. Staff.
Sec. 17a-485b. Community Mental Health Strategy Board. Duties. Report.
Staff. (a) There is established a Community Mental Health Strategy Board. The voting
members of the board shall be appointed as follows: (1) Two members by the Governor;
(2) two members by the president pro tempore of the Senate; (3) two members by the
speaker of the House of Representatives; (4) one member by the majority leader of the
Senate; (5) one member by the majority leader of the House of Representatives; (6) two
members by the minority leader of the Senate; (7) two members by the minority leader
of the House of Representatives; (8) the Commissioner of Children and Families; and
(9) the Commissioner of Mental Health and Addiction Services, who shall serve as
chairperson. The Secretary of the Office of Policy and Management, the Chief Court
Administrator and the Commissioners of Economic and Community Development, Education, Correction, Public Health and Social Services, or their designees, shall serve
as nonvoting ex-officio members of the board. Board members shall serve without compensation but shall be reimbursed for their necessary expenses. All initial appointments
to the board shall be made not later than September 1, 2001. The Commissioner of
Mental Health and Addiction Services shall convene the first meeting of the board not
later than September 15, 2001.
(b) The board, by majority vote of the voting members, shall, not less than annually,
approve commitments and disbursements that the Commissioner of Mental Health and
Addiction Services may make from the Community Mental Health Strategic Investment
Fund established under section 17a-485 for the purposes of sections 17a-485 to 17a-485c, inclusive, and section 4 of public act 01-8 of the June special session* that are
consistent with the community mental health strategic plan adopted under subsection
(a) of section 17a-485a. The board may (1) designate the appropriate state agencies
or the Connecticut Housing Finance Authority to receive such disbursements and to
implement the provisions of sections 17a-485 to 17a-485c, inclusive, and section 4 of
public act 01-8 of the June special session*, or (2) in conjunction with one or more state
agencies or the Connecticut Housing Finance Authority, issue requests for proposals
and request the Commissioner of Mental Health and Addiction Services to enter into
contracts to make disbursements and implement the provisions of sections 17a-485 to
17a-485c, inclusive, and section 4 of public act 01-8 of the June special session*. The
board shall designate the assignment of funds not otherwise assigned to the subaccounts
established under section 17a-485 as the board deems appropriate.
(c) The board shall, not later than February 1, 2002, and annually thereafter, report
to the Governor and the General Assembly, in accordance with the provisions of section
11-4a. The report shall include a description of all disbursements made from the account
established under section 17a-485 during the prior fiscal year and an evaluation of the
impact of each program or service receiving such disbursements with respect to its
outcome and effectiveness in expanding access to quality, appropriate community-based
mental health care.
(d) Within the limits of available appropriations, the Department of Mental Health
and Addiction Services shall provide for such staff and other administrative support as
may be required by the board for the purposes of sections 17a-485 to 17a-485c, inclusive,
subsection (h) of section 8-395, subsection (c) of section 54-56g, subsection (g) of
section 54-56i, section 54-56k and sections 4, 7, 11 and 12 of public act 01-8 of the
June special session*.
(June Sp. Sess. P.A. 01-8, S. 3, 13.)
*Note: Sections 4, 7, 11 and 12 of public act 01-8 of the June special session are special in nature and therefore have
not been codified but remain in full force and effect according to their terms.
History: June Sp. Sess. P.A. 01-8 effective July 1, 2001.