Relates to establishing the New York state council on mental health emergency and crisis response to make recommendations on topics including but not limited to: identifying best practices for response to mental health crises; initiatives to increase training opportunities and participation of mental health professionals, and other qualified individuals as members of mobile crisis outreach teams; identify training needs and methods to improve diversion from hospitalization after response from a mobile crisis outreach team; identify the need for establishing mobile crisis outreach teams in each region of the state and accessing alternatives to hospitalization; public education and outreach on the benefit of mobile crisis outreach teams and how to access their services; and any other recommendation deemed appropriate by the council.
STATE OF NEW YORK
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6054
2025-2026 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE
March 5, 2025
___________
Introduced by Sens. PARKER, LIU -- read twice and ordered printed, and
when printed to be committed to the Committee on Mental Health
AN ACT to amend the mental hygiene law, in relation to establishing the
New York state council on mental health emergency and crisis response
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. The mental hygiene law is amended by adding a new section
2 7.42 to read as follows:
3 § 7.42 New York state council on mental health emergency and crisis
4 response.
5 (a) There is hereby created in the office, the New York state advisory
6 council on mental health emergency and crisis response. The council
7 shall consist of, at a minimum: the commissioner or their designee; the
8 commissioner of the department of corrections and community supervision
9 or their designee; an individual representing the state conference of
10 local mental hygiene directors as established under article forty-one of
11 this chapter; an individual representing the mental hygiene legal
12 service as established under article forty-seven of this chapter; and
13 thirty-two additional members of which twelve shall be appointed by the
14 governor, eight shall be appointed by the speaker of the assembly, eight
15 shall be appointed by the temporary speaker of the senate, and two each
16 shall be appointed by the minority leader of the assembly and senate.
17 Each appointed representative shall be representative of the following
18 and shall represent each geographic area of the state. Members shall be
19 knowledgeable in various aspects of mobile crisis mental health services
20 and shall include, but not be limited to: (i) representatives of mobile
21 crisis outreach teams; (ii) statewide organizations representing mental
22 health providers; (iii) statewide advocacy groups representing individ-
23 uals with a psychiatric condition; (iv) representatives of hospitals
24 including but not limited to hospitals operating a comprehensive psychi-
25 atric emergency program; (v) physicians and other health and mental
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD10605-01-5
S. 6054 2
1 health professionals with experience in the delivery of mental health
2 crisis services; and (vi) first responders and law enforcement.
3 (b) The council shall make recommendations to the commissioner on
4 topics including but not limited to: (i) identifying best practices for
5 response to mental health crises; (ii) initiatives to increase training
6 opportunities and participation of mental health professionals, and
7 other qualified individuals as members of mobile crisis outreach teams;
8 (iii) identify training needs and methods to improve diversion from
9 hospitalization after response from a mobile crisis outreach team; (iv)
10 identify the need for establishing mobile crisis outreach teams in each
11 region of the state and accessing alternatives to hospitalization; (v)
12 public education and outreach on the benefit of mobile crisis outreach
13 teams and how to access their services; and (vi) any other recommenda-
14 tion deemed appropriate by the council.
15 (c) The term of office of each member shall be two years. Vacancies
16 shall be filled by appointment for the remainder of an unexpired term.
17 The members shall continue in office until the expiration of their terms
18 and until their successors are appointed and have qualified. No member
19 shall be appointed to the state council for more than four consecutive
20 terms.
21 (d) The council shall meet as frequently as its business may require.
22 The presence of a majority of the members shall constitute a quorum. The
23 members of the council shall receive no compensation for their services
24 as members.
25 (e) The commissioner, upon request of the council, shall designate an
26 officer or employee of the office to act as secretary of the council,
27 and shall assign from time to time such other employees as the council
28 may require.
29 (f) The council shall develop and submit a report to the governor, the
30 speaker of the assembly, and the temporary president of the senate no
31 later than December thirty-first, two thousand twenty-five and annually
32 thereafter, pertaining to the recommendations required by this section,
33 and recommendations to effectively implement any initiative identified
34 by the council and other recommendations deemed appropriate by the
35 commissioner.
36 § 2. This act shall take effect on the ninetieth day after it shall
37 have become a law. Effective immediately, the addition, amendment
38 and/or repeal of any rule or regulation necessary for the implementation
39 of this act on its effective date are authorized to be made and
40 completed on or before such effective date.
