This bill amends section 71-812 of the Revised Statutes Supplement, 2025, to expand the use of the Behavioral Health Services Fund to include individuals with substance use disorder. The fund, which is administered by the division, is intended to support the development and provision of community-based behavioral health services. The bill specifies that funds can be used for housing-related assistance for very low-income adults with serious mental illness or substance use disorder, and allows for the distribution of excess funds to regional behavioral health authorities for housing acquisition or rehabilitation.

Additionally, the bill introduces new definitions and clarifications regarding the terms used in the context of behavioral health services. It replaces the term "a person" with "an individual" in the definition of an adult with serious mental illness, and it clarifies that substance use disorder is included in the scope of the fund's assistance. The bill also specifies that serious mental illness does not include certain diagnoses unless they coexist with a diagnosable serious mental illness. The original section 71-812 is repealed as part of this legislative update.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: 71-812