SEN. KOLKHORST FILES LEGISLATION PROMOTING COORDINATION OF MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES

  

State Senator Lois Kolkhorst has filed a pair of bills to promote Local Mental Health Authority (LMHA) cooperation with the criminal justice system.

Kolkhorst has filed SB 632 which she said, if passed, would help create better communication between peace officers and local community providers.

Specifically, the bill looks for better cooperation by directing all LMHAs to appoint a sheriff or sheriff’s representative to their local governing board as an ex officio nonvoting member.  The bill also requires that LMHAs consult local law enforcement when they develop their local service area plan.

Kolkhorst also filed SB 633, which would enable state health officials to work with rural LMHAs, to prioritize their mental health services.  While LMHAs currently create a local plan to serve the public, Kolkhorst said SB 633 would ensure that taxpayer dollars and community resources are spent in the most cost effective way at a regional level.

Kolkhorst said local law enforcement officers are finding themselves more and more at the center of mental health issues in Texas.  She said those with mental health issues are often “warehoused” in local jails, rather than getting proper treatment.

Kolkhorst said this session will likely be spent investing millions of dollars into community mental health services, so rural LMHAs need to be prepared and able to expand their capacity by working with other LMHAs in their regions.