House File 2555 - IntroducedA Bill ForAn Act 1relating to the formation of mental health and
2disability services regions.
3BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:
1   Section 1.  MENTAL HEALTH AND DISABILITY SERVICES —
2REGIONALIZATION AUTHORIZATION.
   31.  Upon receiving a request from any county within the
4county social services mental health and disability services
5region to be removed from the region, the director of human
6services may authorize the county to join with other counties
7requesting to be removed from the county social services mental
8health and disability services region in the formation of a
9proposed new mental health and disability services region.
   102.  County formation of a proposed new mental health and
11disability services region pursuant to this section is subject
12to all of the following:
   13a.  The aggregate population of all counties forming
14the region is at least 50,000 and includes at least one
15incorporated city with a population of more than 24,000. For
16purposes of this subparagraph, “population” means the same as
17defined in section 331.388, subsection 4, Code 2020.
   18b.  Notwithstanding section 331.389, subsection 4, on or
19before February 1, 2021, the counties forming the region have
20complied with section 331.389, subsection 3, and all of the
21following additional requirements:
   22(1)  The board of supervisors of each county forming the
23region has voted to approve a chapter 28E agreement.
   24(2)  The duly authorized representatives of all the counties
25forming the region have signed a chapter 28E agreement that is
26in compliance with section 331.392 and 441 IAC 25.14.
   27(3)  The county board of supervisors’ or supervisors’
28designee members and other members of the region’s governing
29board are appointed in accordance with section 331.390.
   30(4)  Executive staff for the region’s regional administrator
31are identified or engaged.
   32(5)  The regional service management plan is developed in
33accordance with section 331.393 and 441 IAC 25.18 and 441 IAC
3425.21 and is submitted to the department.
   35(6)  The initial regional service management plan shall
-1-1identify the service provider network for the region, identify
2the information technology and data management capacity to be
3employed to support regional functions, and establish business
4functions, accounting procedures, and other administrative
5processes.
   6c.  Each county forming the region shall submit the
7compliance information required in paragraph “b” to the
8director of human services on or before February 1, 2021.
9Within forty-five days of receipt of such information, the
10director of human services shall determine if the region is in
11full compliance and shall approve the region if the region has
12met all of the requirements of this section.
   13d.  The director of human services shall work with a county
14making a request under this section that has not agreed or
15is unable to join the proposed new region to resolve issues
16preventing the county from joining the proposed new region.
   17e.  By February 1, 2021, the director of human services
18shall assign a county making a request under this section that
19has not reached an agreement to be part of the proposed new
20region to an existing region or to another new proposed region,
21consistent with this section.
   223.  If approved by the department, the region shall commence
23full operations no later than July 1, 2021.
24EXPLANATION
25The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with
26the explanation’s substance by the members of the general assembly.
   27This bill relates to the formation of mental health and
28disability services regions.
   29The bill provides that upon receiving a request from any
30county within a county social services mental health and
31disability services region to be removed from the region, the
32director of the department of human services may authorize the
33county to join with other counties requesting to be removed
34from the county social services mental health and disability
35services region in the formation of a proposed new mental
-2-1health and disability services region, subject to certain
2requirements including that the aggregate population of all
3counties forming the region is at least 50,000 and includes
4at least one incorporated city with a population of more than
524,000 and the counties forming the region must have complied
6with additional criteria as specified in the bill, including
7the counties comprising the region are contiguous, the region
8must contain at least three counties, the region has the
9capacity to provide core services and required functions, the
10region must be qualified to provide psychiatric services, and
11the region has a hospital with an inpatient psychiatric unit
12or state mental health institute in the region or within close
13proximity.
   14The bill provides that each county forming the region
15shall submit the compliance information to the director of
16the department of human services on or before February 1,
172021. Within 45 days of receipt of such information, the
18director shall determine if the region is in full compliance
19and shall approve the region if the region has met all of the
20requirements of the bill.
   21The bill directs the director of the department of human
22services to work with a county making a request that has not
23agreed or is unable to join the proposed new region to resolve
24issues preventing the county from joining the proposed new
25region. By February 1, 2021, the director shall assign a
26county making a request under the bill that has not reached an
27agreement to be part of the proposed new region to an existing
28region or to another new proposed region. If approved by the
29department of human services, the region shall commence full
30operations no later than July 1, 2021.
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