Legislation to Expand Behavioral Health Care Access and Workforce Capacity Advances
Two Joint Budget Committee bills would increase access to behavioral health treatment for Colorado youth and veterans
DENVER, CO – Legislation sponsored by Joint Budget Committee (JBC) Chair Jeff Bridges, D-Arapahoe County, and JBC member Judy Amabile, D-Boulder, to invest in Colorado’s health care workforce and behavioral health services passed an initial Senate vote today.
“These bills leverage existing resources to expand our state’s investment in behavioral health treatment for youth and veterans, while building long-term capacity to meet emerging behavioral health needs,” said Bridges. “By passing Proposition KK, Colorado voters made it clear that expanding access to mental and behavioral health care is a priority. These bills honor that commitment by creating both immediate and long-lasting solutions.”
“As a parent of someone with a serious mental illness, I understand how critical early access to mental and behavioral health care is for Colorado’s youth,” said Amabile. “Comprehensive treatment at an early age helps set our kids on a path to lifelong success and can prevent immeasurable pain and financial hardship in their future. These bills ensure consistent funding and increased capacity to serve youth, veterans, and other Coloradans in need.”
SB25-292 would establish a new Workforce Capacity Center, or “Center of Excellence,” to provide specialized health care training on evidenced-based systems of care for children and youth, modeled after a similar program in Ohio. The center would be placed within a state university and would provide technical assistance, training, evaluation, and continuous quality improvement to build and sustain capacity to meet the needs of Colorado youth. The bill would create job opportunities, train Colorado’s emerging health care workforce, and fill existing gaps in necessary services.
Colorado voters approved Proposition KK last November, which created a firearms and ammunition excise tax to fund mental and behavioral health services. SB25-295 would implement the voter-approved measure by transferring $8 million of new, sustainable funding received from Proposition KK to the behavioral and mental health excise tax cash fund to be used to provide necessary mental and behavioral health treatment. Five million would go toward veterans mental health services and three million would support crisis services for children and youth.
Both bills will soon be considered on the Senate floor for final passage. Track their progress: SB25-292, SB25-295.