SF 351 (LSB 2113XS (3) 91)

SENATE FILE 351

BY  TRONE GARRIOTT

A BILL FOR

An Act relating to mental health support for corrections officers, and making appropriations.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:

    Section 1.  NEW SECTION.  904.103A  Mental health support for corrections officers.
   1.  The department shall hire a mental health liaison staff member for each institution under its jurisdiction. One mental health liaison staff member may cover multiple institutions. The mental health liaison staff member shall be responsible for all of the following:
   a.  Coordinating efforts between the correctional facility and mental health providers in the local region to help corrections officers.
   b.  Coordinating with department leadership to ensure that the program is operating in accordance with this section.
   c.  Overseeing and coordinating the activities of the outreach team.
   2.  The department shall do all of the following:
   a.  Develop and administer a brief annual mental health screening survey composed of five to ten questions that seek to identify severe mental illnesses, including schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and major depression. The survey shall ask corrections officers about the symptoms of severe mental illness they may be experiencing or have experienced and any prior use of mental health-related medications or inpatient care. The survey shall identify the individual’s place of residence, and be administered by a trained staff member at the correctional facility to all corrections officers.
   b.  Develop any technology necessary for a correctional facility to provide the annual mental health screening survey.
   c.  Hire staff necessary for a correctional facility to provide the annual mental health screening survey.
   d.  Establish an outreach team to refer a corrections officer whose responses to the survey indicate severe mental illness to a local mental health care provider for further assessment and outreach, admission if necessary, and support for the officer in reestablishing ties with a mental health provider. An established outreach team shall be composed of mental health care professionals or clinicians from mental health care centers local to the correctional facility, staff from the correctional facility when applicable, and a mental health liaison staff member who shall oversee the outreach team. If a correctional officer has been determined to need a referral to a mental health care provider, the department shall immediately notify the outreach team.
   e.  Provide reasonable reimbursement for costs incurred by professionals of the outreach team.
   f.  Provide at least one mandatory, employer-funded, paid confidential counseling session annually for each staff member with a licensed mental health professional to ensure corrections officers have access to the support they need to reduce officer turnover, improve productivity, and foster a healthier work environment.
    Sec. 2.  DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS —— MENTAL HEALTH LIAISONS —— APPROPRIATION.  There is appropriated from the general fund of the state to the department of corrections for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2025, and ending June 30, 2026, the following amount, or so much thereof as is necessary, to be used for the purposes designated:
   For the hiring of a mental health liaison for each institution under the jurisdiction of the department, including salaries, support, maintenance, and miscellaneous purposes:
   ...................................................................... $    400,000
EXPLANATION
The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with
the explanation’s substance by the members of the general assembly.
   This bill relates to mental health support for corrections officers.
   The bill requires the department of corrections (department) to hire a mental health liaison staff member for each institution under its jurisdiction. One mental health liaison staff member may cover multiple institutions.
   The bill provides that the mental health liaison staff member shall be responsible for all of the following: coordinating efforts between the correctional facility and mental health providers in the local region to help corrections officers; coordinating with department leadership to ensure that the program is operating in accordance with the bill; and overseeing and coordinating the activities of the outreach team.
   The bill provides that the department shall develop and administer a brief annual mental health screening survey composed of 5 to 10 questions that seek to identify severe mental illnesses, including schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and major depression; develop any technology necessary for a correctional facility to provide the annual mental health screening survey; hire staff necessary for a correctional facility to provide the annual mental health screening survey; establish an outreach team to refer a corrections officer whose responses to the survey indicate severe mental illness to a local mental health care provider for further assessment; provide reasonable reimbursement for costs incurred by professionals of the outreach team; and provide at least one mandatory, employer-funded, paid confidential counseling session annually for each staff member with a licensed mental health professional to ensure corrections officers have access to the support they need to reduce officer turnover, improve productivity, and foster a healthier work environment.
   The bill provides that an outreach team shall be composed of mental health care professionals or clinicians from mental health care centers local to the correctional facility, staff from the correctional facility when applicable, and a mental health liaison staff member who shall oversee the outreach team. If a correctional officer has been determined to need a referral to a mental health care provider, the department shall immediately notify the outreach team.
   The bill appropriates $400,000 to the department to carry out the requirements of the bill.