STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
9722
IN SENATE
April 2, 2026
___________
Introduced by Sen. CLEARE -- 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, the state finance law and the
general municipal law, in relation to establishing a crisis inter-
vention team program; and providing for the repeal of certain
provisions upon expiration thereof
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 three new
2 sections 7.51, 7.53 and 7.55 to read as follows:
3 § 7.51 Crisis intervention demonstration program.
4 (a) The commissioner shall establish a crisis intervention demon-
5 stration program in any city having a population of one million or more
6 for the purpose of assisting law enforcement officers in responding to
7 crisis situations involving persons with mental illness and/or substance
8 abuse problems.
9 (b) The commissioner shall establish within the office the position of
10 crisis intervention team training program coordinator who will serve at
11 the pleasure of the commissioner and who shall work with the New York
12 police department and any other law enforcement agency in the state that
13 requests assistance to coordinate the provision of crisis intervention
14 team training to its first responders as a part of a specialized
15 response team or as part of the training for first responders.
16 (c) The crisis intervention team training program coordinator shall:
17 (i) work with communities to develop partnerships, coordinate activ-
18 ities and promote cooperation and collaboration between the office,
19 office of addiction services and supports, law enforcement agencies,
20 disability service providers and people with psychiatric or other disa-
21 bilities and their families to provide crisis intervention team train-
22 ing;
23 (ii) provide coordination activities and funding support for crisis
24 intervention team training;
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD06018-02-5
S. 9722 2
1 (iii) provide support, training and community coordination to ensure
2 that mental health service providers in the community provide alterna-
3 tives to incarceration;
4 (iv) through federal and private grants, gifts or contributions,
5 provide funding to support training and community coordination costs as
6 necessary. All moneys shall be deposited in the crisis intervention team
7 training fund established by section ninety-nine-m of the state finance
8 law;
9 (v) in consultation with the crisis intervention advisory committee
10 established by this article, distribute crisis intervention team train-
11 ing fund moneys as needed for support, training and community coordi-
12 nation costs; and
13 (vi) submit a report to the governor, temporary president of the
14 senate, speaker of the assembly and the crisis intervention advisory
15 committee on or before November fifteenth of each year that contains the
16 following:
17 (A) a review of all law enforcement agencies that have provided crisis
18 intervention team training to their officers and the number of officers
19 that have completed the training;
20 (B) a list of communities in this state that have implemented the
21 crisis intervention team training program through training and coordi-
22 nation, including the length of implementation and current status of the
23 program;
24 (C) recommendations for improvement in the community based partner-
25 ships that support crisis intervention team responses;
26 (D) recommendations for improvement in the law enforcement and public
27 safety agencies that provide crisis intervention team responses; and
28 (E) a review of all funding resources that the crisis intervention
29 team training program coordinator has applied for to increase available
30 funding, including the status of all funding requests and the total of
31 moneys received.
32 § 7.53 Crisis intervention team training program advisory committee.
33 (a) There is hereby established a crisis intervention demonstration
34 program advisory committee.
35 (b) The committee shall consist of:
36 (1) the commissioner, who shall serve as chairperson of the committee
37 and who is a nonvoting member;
38 (2) the crisis intervention team training program coordinator, who is
39 a nonvoting member;
40 (3) one member appointed by the commissioner who is a consumer of
41 mental health services;
42 (4) one member appointed by the commissioner who is an immediate fami-
43 ly member of a consumer of mental health services;
44 (5) one member appointed by the commissioner who represents a state-
45 wide advocacy agency that serves persons with mental disabilities and
46 their families;
47 (6) one member appointed by the commissioner who is a psychiatrist or
48 psychologist licensed in the state;
49 (7) one member appointed by the commissioner of addiction services and
50 supports;
51 (8) one member appointed by the commissioner of addiction services and
52 supports who represents a statewide behavior advocacy group, agency or
53 association;
54 (9) one member appointed by the commissioner of the office for people
55 with developmental disabilities who is either a family member or guardi-
56 an of a person with a developmental disability;
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1 (10) one member appointed by the commissioner of the office for people
2 with developmental disabilities who is a person with a developmental
3 disability;
4 (11) one member recommended by the New York city peace officer benevo-
5 lent association who is a certified peace officer;
6 (12) one member appointed by the commissioner of the division of crim-
7 inal justice services who is a law enforcement officer; and
8 (13) one member appointed by the New York police department who
9 represents law enforcement.
10 (c) The committee shall:
11 (1) meet at least two times in each full calendar year. The committee
12 shall meet at the request of its chairperson; and
13 (2) review the report required by section 7.51 of this article and
14 based on that report make recommendations to the office of mental
15 health, the office for people with developmental disabilities, the
16 office of addiction services and supports, the division of criminal
17 justice services, the New York police department, the governor, the
18 temporary president of the senate and the speaker of the assembly.
19 (d) Committee members shall not be compensated but are eligible for
20 reimbursement of reasonable expenses.
21 § 7.55 Crisis intervention team training fund grant program.
22 (a) The commissioner shall establish the crisis intervention team
23 training fund grant program which shall include, but not be limited to,
24 providing financial support when necessary and as available for training
25 and community coordination costs for the implementation of the New York
26 crisis intervention team training program to law enforcement agencies as
27 requested.
28 (b) Notwithstanding any law to the contrary, the fund shall consist of
29 up to one million dollars from the state general fund.
30 § 2. The state finance law is amended by adding a new section 99-m to
31 read as follows:
32 § 99-m. Crisis intervention team training fund. 1. There is hereby
33 established in the joint custody of the comptroller and the commissioner
34 of the office of mental health a fund to be known as the crisis inter-
35 vention team training fund.
36 2. The crisis intervention team training fund shall consist of all
37 moneys received from the federal government, private grants, gifts,
38 contributions and devises.
39 3. Any contractors that receive moneys pursuant to this section shall
40 submit quarterly reports to the commissioner of the department of mental
41 health regarding the use and effectiveness of the distributed moneys.
42 The commissioner of the department of mental health shall include a
43 summary of the fund analysis in the annual report required pursuant to
44 section 7.51 of the mental hygiene law.
45 § 3. The general municipal law is amended by adding a new section
46 209-ii to read as follows:
47 § 209-ii. Crisis intervention teams. 1. The commissioner of the New
48 York state division of criminal justice services, in consultation with
49 the commissioners of the office of mental health, office for people with
50 developmental disabilities and office of addiction services and
51 supports, shall, for all local police officers in law enforcement units
52 of a city having a population of one million or more and any other
53 enforcement agency that chooses to participate:
54 (a) establish criteria for the development of crisis intervention
55 teams; and
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1 (b) establish, and implement on an ongoing basis, a training program
2 for all current and new employees regarding the policies and procedures
3 established pursuant to this section. The curriculum shall include a
4 minimum of forty hours of mandatory training in mental health issues.
5 2. The goals of the crisis intervention team program shall be to:
6 (a) provide immediate response by specifically trained law enforcement
7 officers;
8 (b) reduce the amount of time police officers spend out of service
9 awaiting assessment and disposition;
10 (c) afford persons with mental illness and/or substance abuse problems
11 a sense of dignity in crisis situations;
12 (d) reduce the likelihood of physical confrontation;
13 (e) identify underserved populations with mental illness and/or
14 substance abuse problems and refer them to appropriate care;
15 (f) decrease the use of arrest and detention of persons experiencing
16 mental health and/or substance abuse crises by providing better access
17 to timely treatment;
18 (g) provide therapeutic locations or protocols for officers to bring
19 individuals in crisis for assessment that is not a law enforcement or
20 jail facility; and
21 (h) decrease injuries to law enforcement officers during crisis
22 events.
23 3. Other state agencies shall provide cooperation and assistance to
24 the program to assist in the effective performance of its duties.
25 § 4. Section 19.07 of the mental hygiene law is amended by adding a
26 new subdivision (o) to read as follows:
27 (o) The office of addiction services and supports shall, in collab-
28 oration with law enforcement and the office of mental health establish
29 criteria for the development of crisis intervention teams that shall
30 include assessment of the effectiveness of the plan for community
31 involvement, training and therapeutic response alternatives and a deter-
32 mination of whether law enforcement officers have effective agreements
33 with mental health care providers and all other community stakeholders.
34 § 5. Section 19.03 of the mental hygiene law, as amended by chapter
35 223 of the laws of 1992, is amended to read as follows:
36 § 19.03 Definitions. As used in this title:
37 1. "Office" means the office of [alcoholism and substance abuse
38 services] addiction services and supports.
39 2. "Commissioner" means the commissioner of the office of [alcoholism
40 and substance abuse services] addiction services and supports.
41 § 6. This act shall take effect immediately; provided, however, that
42 section 7.51 of the mental hygiene law, as added by section one of this
43 act, shall expire and be deemed repealed 5 years after this act shall
44 have become a law.
