H_PBH_2022A 04/19/2022 01:30:22 PM Committee Summary

Representative Snyder and Representative Sandridge, co-prime bill sponsors, presented House Bill 22-1158 concerning the establishment of a center at the Colorado Springs campus of the University of Colorado to provide accessible community services related to substance use. The bill The bill requires the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs to establish the CARE Center by December 1, 2022, to provide accessible substance use prevention and treatment services to the community, train counselors, and collect research data. 

 

Representative Sandridge requested that the bill be postponed indefinitely.  Representative Snyder further commented on the bill.  Committee members commented on the bill.

Representative McLachlan made remarks about Senate Bill 22-079, concerning required dementia traning for direct-care staff of specified facilities that provide services to clients living with dementia, which the committee heard testimony on at its March 15, 2022, meeting.

Representative Young and Representative McLachlan responded to questions from the bill.

Representative McLachlan and Representative Young made concluding remarks on the bill. Committee members commented on the bill.

Representative McLachlan and Representative Catlin, co-prime bill sponsors, presented Senate Bill 22-148, concerning the creation of a grant program to provide a grant to a Colorado land-based tribe to support infrastructure improvements to tribal behavioral health facilities that serve indigenous individuals. The bill creates the Colorado Land-based Tribe Behavioral Health Services Grant Program in the Department of Human Services to fund the renovation or construction of a behavioral health facility. The bill sponsors responded to questions from the committee.

Chairman Melvin Baker, representing self, testified in support of the bill.

Dr. Rene Gonzalez, representing the Office of Behavioral Health in the Colorado Department of Human Services, testified in support of the bill.

Dr. Will Finn, representing self, testified in support of the bill.

Dr. Gonzalez resumed his testimony in support of the bill.

Representative McLachlan and Representative Catlin made concluding remarks on the bill. Committee members commented on the bill.

Representative Titone and Representative Baisley, co-prime bill sponsors, presented House Bill 22-1360, concerning authorizing the Colorado Department of Human Services (CDHS) to retain a percentage of the federal child support incentive payment the state receives. Under current law, CDHS is required to pass through 100 percent of federal child support incentive payments received by the state to county departments of human or social services. Under the bill, beginning in federal fiscal year 2024, CDHS may retain federal incentives received by the state above a certain base amount. The base amount is equal to the average annual federal incentive payments received by the state in federal fiscal years 2018 through 2022. The State Board of Human Services is required to promulgate rules specifying performance measures and implementing a process for county and state joint approval of the use of the incentive money retained by the state. Additionally, beginning July 1, 2025 and each year thereafter, the bill requires CDHS to report on projects funded by the federal incentive funds retained by the state to the Joint Technology Committee of the General Assembly.

 

Representative Baisley provided a handout to the committee (Attachment A). The bill sponsors responded to questions from the committee. Representative Titone discussed amendment L.002 and L.003 (Attachments B and C).

 

Kyley Burress, representing Colorado Counties Inc., testified in opposition to the bill.

Larry Desbien, representing CDHS, testified in support of the bill.

Lynnae Flora, representing the Jefferson County Department of Human Services, testified in support of the bill.

Jay Morein, representing the Denver Department of Human Services, testified in support of the bill.

The panelists responded to questions from the committee.

Written testimony was provided to the committee (Attachment D).

Representative Titone explained amendment L.002.

titone L.003

Representative Baisley and Representative Titone made concluding remarks on the bill.