The bill establishes a Behavioral Health Grant Program and a corresponding fund to support community-based programs aimed at the prevention, treatment, and screening of behavioral health issues. The program will be administered by the local government division of the Department of Finance and Administration, which will award grants to municipalities and counties based on recommendations from the behavioral health services division of the health care authority. The bill outlines specific criteria for grant eligibility, including the requirement for counties and municipalities to submit adopted behavioral health plans and prioritizes evidence-based approaches to addressing behavioral health issues.

Funding for the Behavioral Health Grant Program will come from distributions of the liquor and cannabis excise taxes. Specifically, the bill mandates that 2% of the net receipts from the liquor excise tax and 5% from the cannabis excise tax be allocated to the newly created Behavioral Health Grant Program Fund. Additionally, a portion of the liquor excise tax will be directed to the health care authority to enhance Medicaid reimbursement for community-based behavioral health services. The bill is set to take effect on July 1, 2025.

Statutes affected:
introduced version: 7-1-6.40, 7-1-6.68