HF3469

Purpose

• Extend how long certain funding for Direct Care and Treatment (DCT) programs is available and establish new or expanded activities related to mental health services in state facilities and county jail settings, including a two-year pilot program focused on involuntary medications and injectable psychotropic medications.

Main Provisions

• Free Communication Services for Patients and Clients

  • 1,368,000 allocated in fiscal year 2025 as a one-time appropriation.
  • Purpose: funding for free communication services for patients and clients under article 6 section 1.
  • Availability: funds may be used until June 30, 2026, despite normal statutory lapse rules.

• Direct Care and Treatment Capacity – Miller Building

  • 1,796,000 allocated in fiscal year 2025 as a one-time appropriation.
  • Purpose: to design a replacement facility for the Miller Building on the Anoka Metro Regional Treatment Center campus.
  • Availability: funds may be used until June 30, 2027, despite normal lapse rules.

• Direct Care and Treatment County Correctional Facility Support Pilot Program

  • 2,387,000 allocated in fiscal year 2025 as a one-time appropriation.
  • Purpose: establish a two-year pilot program in counties to support correctional facilities with:
  • education and support on protocols and best practices for involuntary medications used in mental health treatment,
  • technical assistance to expand access to injectable psychotropic medications in county correctional facilities,
  • a survey of counties and contracted medical providers on their capacity to provide injectable psychotropic medications (including involuntary administration) and barriers to providing these services.
  • Availability: funds may be used until June 30, 2026 or 2027 (two possible end dates due to drafting); one-time appropriation.

• Advisory Committee for Direct Care and Treatment

  • 482,000 allocated in fiscal year 2025 as a one-time appropriation.
  • Purpose: administration of the advisory committee for the operation of Direct Care and Treatment.
  • Availability: funds may be used until June 30, 2027, despite normal lapse rules.

• Base Level Adjustment

  • General fund base increased by 31,000 in fiscal year 2026.
  • No increase in fiscal year 2027.

Notable Provisions and Legal Changes

• The bill amends an earlier appropriation (Laws 2024, chapter 125, article 8, section 2, subdivision 20) to extend the availability of several appropriations and to create/extend programs described above.
• All listed appropriations are described as one-time (non-recurrent) and include language to bypass certain standard statutory lapse rules, extending their availability beyond typical time limits.
• The changes mostly affect funding timing and program authorization rather than creating broad new policy changes for the entire DCT system.

Implications and Focus Areas

• Increased funding and time extensions aim to support:
  • patient access to free communication services,
  • planning for a replacement facility at the Miller Building,
  • improving how involuntary medications and injectable meds are used and administered in county facilities,
  • oversight and administration of Direct Care and Treatment activities via the advisory committee.
• The pilot program seeks to address capacity, protocols, and barriers related to involuntary and injectable psychiatric medications in county correctional settings.

Potential Considerations

• Oversight and safeguards around involuntary and injectable medications in county facilities will likely be important, given the focus on protocols, staff training, and capacity surveys.
• The design and construction planning for a new facility (Miller Building) suggests long-term planning for DCT infrastructure, not immediate service changes.
• As these are largely onetime appropriations with extended availability, ongoing funding beyond the specified periods would depend on future legislative action.

Relevant Terms

• Direct Care and Treatment (DCT)
• Free Communication Services
• Miller Building
• Anoka Metro Regional Treatment Center
• Direct Care and Treatment County Correctional Facility Support Pilot Program
• Involuntary medications
• Injectable psychotropic medications
• Advisory Committee for Direct Care and Treatment
• Onetime appropriation
• Availability until June 30, 2026
• Availability until June 30, 2027
• General fund base adjustment
• Notwithstanding Minnesota Statutes section 16A.28 subdivision 3