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STATE OF WYOMING
HOUSE BILL NO. HB0169
Mental health and vulnerable adult task force.
Sponsored by: Representative(s) Zwonitzer, Dn and Sommers and Senator(s) Baldwin and Nethercott
A BILL
for
1 AN ACT relating to the legislature; continuing the mental
2 health and vulnerable adult task force; specifying members
3 and duties of the task force; requiring reports; providing
4 a termination date for the task force; providing an
5 appropriation; and providing for an effective date.
6
7 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Wyoming:
8
9 Section 1.
10
11 (a) The mental health and vulnerable adult task force
12 created by management council in 2023 is hereby continued.
13 The task force shall consist of the following members:
14
15 (i) Members of the legislature, as follows:
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2 (A) Three (3) members of the Wyoming house
3 of representatives, appointed by the speaker of the house.
4 The speaker of the house shall designate from one (1) of
5 the members appointed under this subparagraph as co-
6 chairman of the task force;
7
8 (B) Three (3) members of the Wyoming
9 senate, appointed by the president of the senate. The
10 president of the senate shall designate from one (1) of the
11 members appointed under this subparagraph as co-chairman of
12 the task force.
13
14 (ii) Members of the Wyoming state government, as
15 follows:
16
17 (A) The director of the department of
18 health or the director's designee;
19
20 (B) The director of the department of
21 family services or the director's designee;
22
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1 (C) The director of the department of
2 corrections or the director's designee;
3
4 (D) The state superintendent of public
5 instruction or the superintendent's designee;
6
7 (E) A member of the judicial branch,
8 appointed by the chief justice of the supreme court. The
9 member appointed under this subparagraph shall be a
10 nonvoting, ex officio member of the task force.
11
12 (b) The task force shall:
13
14 (i) Study the state's role in providing mental
15 health services and services for vulnerable adults in the
16 state;
17
18 (ii) Study and consider methods for removing
19 barriers to interagency cooperation to better provide
20 efficient and economical mental health services and
21 services to vulnerable adults in the state;
22
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1 (iii) Study and consider methods for providing
2 uninterrupted mental health and vulnerable adult services
3 to persons if responsibility for services shifts from one
4 (1) agency to another agency;
5
6 (iv) Explore ways that state agencies can
7 leverage resources to provide mental health and vulnerable
8 adult services in complex situations;
9
10 (v) Study and develop programs to address unmet
11 needs in the state, including:
12
13 (A) Services for adolescents with high
14 behavioral needs;
15
16 (B) Services for vulnerable and at-risk
17 adults;
18
19 (C) The diversion of mentally ill persons
20 from the court system;
21
22 (D) The coordination of mental health
23 services to meet K-12 needs.
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2 (vi) Not later than October 1, 2024, report to
3 the governor, management council and any applicable
4 committee of the legislature on the work of the task force,
5 including any recommendations for legislation for
6 consideration by an appropriate committee.
7
8 (c) The task force shall be staffed by the
9 legislative service office.
10
11 (d) The legislative members of the task force shall
12 receive salary, per diem and travel expenses in the manner
13 and amount prescribed by W.S. 28-5-101. Task force members
14 who are government employees or officials shall be
15 considered to be acting within the scope of regular
16 employment when conducting the official business of the
17 task force and shall receive their regular pay without
18 additional compensation, except that those members shall
19 receive mileage and per diem as provided for other members
20 of the task force under this subsection if they are not
21 reimbursed by their employer.
22
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1 (e) The task force shall terminate on December 31,
2 2024.
3
4 Section 2. There is appropriated fifty-five thousand
5 dollars ($55,000.00) from the general fund to the
6 legislative service office for purposes of providing
7 salary, mileage and per diem to the legislative members of
8 the mental health and vulnerable adult task force appointed
9 under section 1(a)(i) of this act and for per diem and
10 mileage, if necessary, for members of the task force
11 serving under section 1(a)(ii) of this act. This
12 appropriation shall be for the period beginning with the
13 effective date of this act and ending June 30, 2025. This
14 appropriation shall not be transferred or expended for any
15 other purpose and any unexpended, unobligated funds
16 remaining from this appropriation shall revert as provided
17 by law on June 30, 2025.
18
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1 Section 3. This act is effective immediately upon
2 completion of all acts necessary for a bill to become law
3 as provided by Article 4, Section 8 of the Wyoming
4 Constitution.
5
6 (END)
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