STUDENT MENTAL HEALTH GRANT PROGRAM                            S.B. 1012 (S-1):

                                                                                         SUMMARY OF BILL

                                                                         REPORTED FROM COMMITTEE

Senate Bill 1012 (Substitute S-1 as reported)

Sponsor:  Senator Curtis S. VanderWall

Committee:  Health Policy and Human Services

CONTENT

The bill would create a new act to do the following:

-- Require the Department of Education to create and administer a student mental health apprenticeship retention and training ("SMART") internship grant program.

-- Require the Department to administer grant funding through the grant program to designated recipients through agreements that met certain criteria.

-- Prescribe how grant funding would have to be distributed to designated recipients.

-- Allow the Department to make, for extenuating circumstances, a debt or expense repayment to a designated recipient before or during each year of service that the designated recipient would have to complete or was completing for the purposes of qualifying for funding.

-- Require certain evaluations to be submitted to the Department.

-- Require the Department to promulgate any rules necessary for the implementation of the bill.

-- Require the Department to report the status and outcomes of the grant program to certain entities and individuals, including the Department, the Governor, and the Legislature.

                                                           Legislative Analyst:  Stephen P. Jackson

FISCAL IMPACT

The bill would have a negative fiscal impact on the State and no fiscal impact on local units of government. The Department would experience administrative costs to administer the SMART internship grant program, issue school psychologist certifications, and award internship grants. The program would require one-time costs to create the program and to approve graduate-level programs, as well as ongoing costs for staffing and administration of the program. It is currently unknown how many universities would have approved graduate-level mental health professional programs and how many individuals would be enrolled into the internship program and be eligible to receive grants. Overall costs likely would be greater than current appropriations.

Date Completed:  5-16-22                                Fiscal Analyst:  Cory Savino, PhD

This analysis was prepared by nonpartisan Senate staff for use by the Senate in its deliberations and does not constitute an official statement of legislative intent.