House Bill No. 7263 aims to expand the membership of the Transforming Children's Behavioral Health Policy and Planning Committee by adding three new members. Specifically, the bill introduces two providers of substance abuse treatment services for young adults, who will be jointly appointed by the three chairpersons of the committee. Additionally, the bill includes the Behavioral Health Advocate or their designee as a member of the committee. This change is intended to enhance the committee's capacity to address children's behavioral health issues by incorporating diverse perspectives and expertise.
The bill also makes several modifications to the existing membership structure of the committee. Notably, it removes the requirement for a child or youth advocate to be appointed by the chairpersons of the committee and replaces it with the new appointments mentioned above. Furthermore, the bill deletes the Healthcare Advocate from the list of members while adding the Behavioral Health Advocate. These changes are set to take effect on October 1, 2025, and the bill is projected to have no fiscal impact on the state or municipalities, as the members of the committee are not compensated for their service.