HF4464 (Legislative Session 94 (2025-2026))
Behavioral health administration policy bill; changes made to requirements for licensing and funding for mental health and substance use disorder services.
Related bill: SF4726
AI Generated Summary
Purpose
This bill aims to reform how mental health and substance use disorder services are provided, licensed, and funded. It focuses on expanding and clarifying emergency services, creating and strengthening roles for peer recovery supporters, and adding tobacco education for clients. It also makes targeted changes to several Minnesota statutes and repeals a couple of existing provisions.
Main Provisions
Emergency services for emotional crises and mental illness
- County boards must ensure enough emergency services are available or contracted within the county for adults, children, and families in crisis.
- Clients cannot be charged for emergency services.
- Emergency service providers must not delay or deny services based on who pays and must meet applicable qualifications.
- Services must include assessment, crisis intervention, and appropriate disposition.
- The goal is to promote safety and emotional stability, prevent further deterioration, help clients obtain ongoing care, and avoid more restrictive placements when possible.
- Services should include psychoeducation and referrals to family members, service providers, and other relevant parties on the client’s behalf.
- If the county offers engagement services under another statute, emergency providers must refer eligible clients to those engagement services.
Peer recovery support services
- The bill defines peer recovery support services and ties them to specified sections describing how they should be delivered.
- These services must be provided by a person who meets established qualifications and requirements in related sections.
Qualifications and supervision for recovery peers
- Recovery peers must meet defined qualifications and provide services within a defined scope of practice.
- They operate under the supervision of an alcohol and drug counselor.
Tobacco education for clients
- Licensed treatment providers must give tobacco and nicotine educational material to a client on the day services begin.
- The educational material must be approved by the commissioner and cover:
- Risks of tobacco and nicotine use
- Types of tobacco and nicotine products, including differences between commercial tobacco and traditional or sacred tobacco
- Treatment options, including medications for tobacco use disorder
- Benefits of receiving treatment for tobacco use while undergoing treatment for another substance
Repeals and cross-references
- The bill repeals specific subsections of an existing statute (256B.0759, subdivisions 2 and 5).
- It adds and clarifies cross-references among related statutes to align emergency services, peer recovery supports, and tobacco education with existing licensing and funding frameworks.
Significant Changes to Existing Law
- Expanded emergency service responsibilities for counties, including free access for clients and a stronger emphasis on timely assessment, crisis intervention, and linkage to ongoing care.
- Formal recognition and integration of peer recovery supporters into the behavioral health system, with explicit qualification and supervision requirements.
- New requirement that tobacco education be provided as a standard part of service initiation, with standardized content that includes sacred vs. commercial tobacco, risks, and treatment options.
- Repeal of certain older provisions to remove outdated language or overlapping requirements.
Implications for Stakeholders
- For clients: Increased access to timely emergency care at no cost, plus clearer pathways to ongoing treatment and support through peer staff and tobacco education.
- For providers: New and clarified requirements for emergency services, peer recovery workers, and client education; supervision arrangements for recovery peers; compliance with tobacco education content.
- For counties and the state: Expanded obligations to fund and coordinate emergency services and to ensure availability of engagement and peer-based services.
Relevant terms - emergency services - assessment - crisis intervention - disposition - safety and emotional stability - ongoing care - engagement services - county boards - psychoeducation - referrals - engagement services (253B.041 context) - peer recovery support services - recovery peers - qualifications (245I.04) - supervision (alcohol and drug counselor) - tobacco educational material - tobacco use disorder - sacred tobacco - traditional tobacco - commercial tobacco - license holder - commissioner - cross-references to 256B.0624 and 254B.052 - repeal of 256B.0759 subdivisions 2 and 5
Bill text versions
- Introduction PDF PDF file
Actions
| Date | Chamber | Where | Type | Name | Committee Name |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March 18, 2026 | House | Action | Introduction and first reading, referred to | Human Services Finance and Policy |
Citations
[
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"analysis": {
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"Definition of Peer recovery support services added to Subd.17."
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"removed": [],
"summary": "Amends 245F.02 Subd.17 to establish the definition of peer recovery support services.",
"modified": [
"Subd.17 amended to implement the defined peer recovery support services and associated cross-references."
]
},
"citation": "245F.02",
"subdivision": "Subd.17"
},
{
"analysis": {
"added": [
"Cross-references to qualifications in 245I.04 Subd.18 and 245I.04 Subd.19.",
"Supervision by an alcohol and drug counselor is required."
],
"removed": [],
"summary": "Amends 245F.15 Subd.7 to specify qualifications and supervision for recovery peers.",
"modified": [
"Subd.7 updated to require specified qualifications and supervision."
]
},
"citation": "245F.15",
"subdivision": "Subd.7"
},
{
"analysis": {
"added": [
"Subd.4 requires tobacco and nicotine educational material to be provided to clients at the day of service initiation."
],
"removed": [],
"summary": "Adds Subd.4 to 245G.04 establishing tobacco educational material requirements.",
"modified": [
"Amends Subd.4 to require educational materials approved by the commissioner, covering risks, product types, treatment options, and benefits of treatment."
]
},
"citation": "245G.04",
"subdivision": "Subd.4"
},
{
"analysis": {
"added": [
"New Subd.8 introduced in 245G.11."
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"removed": [],
"summary": "Adds Subd.8 to 245G.11.",
"modified": []
},
"citation": "245G.11",
"subdivision": "Subd.8"
},
{
"analysis": {
"added": [
"Subd.18 added as part of cross-referenced qualifications for recovery peers."
],
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"summary": "Adds Subd.18 to 245I.04.",
"modified": []
},
"citation": "245I.04",
"subdivision": "Subd.18"
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{
"analysis": {
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"Subd.19 added to define scope of practice referenced in other sections."
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"summary": "Adds Subd.19 to 245I.04.",
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},
"citation": "245I.04",
"subdivision": "Subd.19"
},
{
"analysis": {
"added": [
"New Subd.4 added to 245I.08."
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},
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"subdivision": "Subd.4"
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{
"analysis": {
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"New Subd.6 added to 245I.10."
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"summary": "Adds Subd.6 to 245I.10.",
"modified": []
},
"citation": "245I.10",
"subdivision": "Subd.6"
},
{
"analysis": {
"added": [],
"removed": [],
"summary": "Amends 254B.052 Subd.1.",
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"Subd.1 amended as part of cross-references related to peer recovery services."
]
},
"citation": "254B.052",
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},
{
"analysis": {
"added": [],
"removed": [],
"summary": "Amends 256B.0624 Subd.6b.",
"modified": []
},
"citation": "256B.0624",
"subdivision": "Subd.6b"
},
{
"analysis": {
"added": [],
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"summary": "Amends 256B.0624 Subd.7.",
"modified": []
},
"citation": "256B.0624",
"subdivision": "Subd.7"
},
{
"analysis": {
"added": [],
"removed": [],
"summary": "Amends 256B.0625 Subd.47.",
"modified": []
},
"citation": "256B.0625",
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},
{
"analysis": {
"added": [],
"removed": [],
"summary": "Amends 256B.0759 Subd.3.",
"modified": []
},
"citation": "256B.0759",
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{
"analysis": {
"added": [],
"removed": [],
"summary": "Amends 256B.0943 Subd.6.",
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},
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{
"analysis": {
"added": [],
"removed": [],
"summary": "Amends 256B.0946 Subd.4.",
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},
"citation": "256B.0946",
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{
"analysis": {
"added": [],
"removed": [],
"summary": "Amends 256B.0947 Subd.5.",
"modified": []
},
"citation": "256B.0947",
"subdivision": "Subd.5"
},
{
"analysis": {
"added": [],
"removed": [],
"summary": "Amends 245.469 Subd.1 regarding availability of emergency services.",
"modified": []
},
"citation": "245.469",
"subdivision": "Subd.1"
},
{
"analysis": {
"added": [
"Cross-references to 245G.07 Subd.2a and 254B.052."
],
"removed": [],
"summary": "Amends 245F.08 Subd.3 related to peer recovery services.",
"modified": [
"Subd.3 updated to align with new peer recovery service requirements."
]
},
"citation": "245F.08",
"subdivision": "Subd.3"
},
{
"analysis": {
"added": [
"New Subd.7 introduced in 245G.11."
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"summary": "Adds Subd.7 to 245G.11.",
"modified": []
},
"citation": "245G.11",
"subdivision": "Subd.7"
},
{
"analysis": {
"added": [
"Subd.17 added to define additional qualifications or scope as referenced elsewhere."
],
"removed": [],
"summary": "Adds Subd.17 to 245I.04.",
"modified": []
},
"citation": "245I.04",
"subdivision": "Subd.17"
},
{
"analysis": {
"added": [],
"removed": [],
"summary": "Amends 254A.03 Subd.3.",
"modified": []
},
"citation": "254A.03",
"subdivision": "Subd.3"
},
{
"analysis": {
"added": [],
"removed": [],
"summary": "Amends 254B.0505 Subd.8.",
"modified": []
},
"citation": "254B.0505",
"subdivision": "Subd.8"
},
{
"analysis": {
"added": [],
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"summary": "Amends 254B.052 Subd.6.",
"modified": []
},
"citation": "254B.052",
"subdivision": "Subd.6"
},
{
"analysis": {
"added": [],
"removed": [],
"summary": "Amends 256B.0759 Subd.4.",
"modified": []
},
"citation": "256B.0759",
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{
"analysis": {
"added": [],
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"summary": "Amends 256B.0943 Subd.1.",
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},
"citation": "256B.0943",
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{
"analysis": {
"added": [],
"removed": [],
"summary": "Amends 256B.0947 Subd.3a.",
"modified": []
},
"citation": "256B.0947",
"subdivision": "Subd.3a"
},
{
"analysis": {
"added": [],
"removed": [],
"summary": "Amends 256L.03 Subd.5.",
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},
"citation": "256L.03",
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},
{
"analysis": {
"added": [],
"removed": [
"Subd.2 repealed."
],
"summary": "Repeals 256B.0759 Subd.2.",
"modified": []
},
"citation": "256B.0759",
"subdivision": "Subd.2"
},
{
"analysis": {
"added": [],
"removed": [
"Subd.5 repealed."
],
"summary": "Repeals 256B.0759 Subd.5.",
"modified": []
},
"citation": "256B.0759",
"subdivision": "Subd.5"
}
]Progress through the legislative process
In Committee