SF4726

Purpose

• This bill would reform policies for Minnesota’s behavioral health system by changing licensing and funding for mental health and substance use disorder (SUD) services. It would update several statutes to clarify and expand services, especially around emergency care, peer recovery support, and tobacco education within treatment programs.

Main Provisions

• Emergency mental health services (Sec. 1)

  • Counties must provide or contract enough emergency services for adults, children, and families in emotional crisis or experiencing mental illness.
  • Clients must not be charged for these emergency services.
  • Providers cannot delay or deny services based on how the client will pay; services must include assessment, crisis intervention, and appropriate case disposition.
  • Goals include safety, emotional stability, preventing further deterioration, helping clients obtain ongoing care, and offering support and referrals to family members, other service providers, and relevant third parties.
  • If a county also offers engagement services under another law (section 253B.041), emergency providers must refer clients to those engagement services when criteria are met.

• Peer recovery support services (Definitions and qualifications) (Secs. 2–4)

  • The bill defines and clarifies “peer recovery support services” and ties them to existing rules and program sections.
  • Peer recovery workers (recovery peers) must be qualified according to specified rules and provide services under appropriate supervision (specifically, supervision by an alcohol and drug counselor).
  • The qualifications and scope of practice are aligned with other sections (245I.04) to ensure peers meet recognized standards.

• Tobacco education in licensing (Sec. 5)

  • Licensed 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/nicotine use
  • Different types of tobacco products (including differentiating commercial tobacco from traditional or sacred tobacco)
  • Treatment options, including medications for tobacco use disorder
  • Benefits of getting tobacco/nicotine treatment while also receiving treatment for another substance

• Administrative and statutory updates

  • The bill would amend and add several Minnesota Statutes (including sections in 245F, 245G, 245I, 254B, 256B, and related 2024–2025 supplement provisions) to implement these changes.
  • It also repeals part of the existing law (256B.0759 subdivisions 2 and 5) as part of the reform.

Significant Changes to Existing Law

• Expands and clarifies the role and requirements of emergency services within counties, with a stronger emphasis on timely access and connections to ongoing care.
• Establishes and standardizes the use of peer recovery support services, including eligibility, qualifications, supervision, and integration with licensed professionals.
• Adds a formal tobacco education requirement for license holders, embedding tobacco use disorder treatment information into behavioral health care delivery.
• Updates multiple statutory sections to reflect these changes and refines the licensing and funding framework for mental health and SUD services.
• Repeals a specific older provision (256B.0759) as part of streamlining or updating regulatory requirements.

Implementation and Oversight

• Local government (county boards) will be responsible for providing emergency services or contracting for them.
• Licensed providers must implement the tobacco education material and ensure staff and peers meet the new qualification and supervision standards.
• The commissioner will approve the tobacco education material and oversee the integration with existing treatment services.
• The changes affect several agencies and statutes, indicating a broad reform of how emergency care, peer support, and tobacco education are administered within Minnesota’s behavioral health system.

Relevant Terms - emergency services, emotional crisis, mental illness, county boards, engagement services, crisis intervention, crisis disposition, safety, emotional stability, ongoing care, referrals, family members, service providers, payor, 253B.041, referral, peer recovery support services, Peer recovery, recovery peers, alcohol and drug counselor, supervision, scope of practice, 245F.02, 245F.08, 245G.04, 245I.04, 254B.052, 256B.0624, 256B.0625, 256B.0759, 256B.0943, 256B.0946, 256B.0947, tobacco educational material, tobacco and nicotine, risks of tobacco, traditional tobacco, sacred tobacco, commercial tobacco, tobacco use disorder, medication for tobacco use disorder, commissioner, licensing, funding, Behavioral Health Administration.