By Tara Gamboa-Eastman
This year, the Steinberg Institute sponsored six bills, opposed three, and supported forty-two in our legislative efforts. We successfully opposed a package of bills that threatened the implementation of Proposition 1 and made substantial progress in educating legislators about substance use treatment. All three bills we opposed were defeated. Despite a challenging budget year, 23 of the 42 bills we supported were signed by the Governor. Most of those that did not progress were halted in the Appropriations Committee due to budget constraints.
We’re excited to share that our sponsored bill, AB 1907 (Pellerin), was signed into law. The bill seeks to enhance the Child Welfare Indicators Project, established by AB 636 (Steinberg) in 2001, by incorporating the use of essential behavioral health data. By including tools like the Child and Adolescent Needs and Strengths (CANS) assessment and other behavioral health metrics, the bill will enable the state and counties to make more informed investments in behavioral health services for youth involved in the child welfare system. This aligns with our Vision 2030 goal of reducing systems involvement for individuals with behavioral health conditions. In particular, it addresses the disproportionate number of foster youth who face homelessness and interaction with the juvenile justice system.
As we look ahead to the next session, we will be continuing our work to achieve Vision 2030, which seeks to break the cycle of hospitalization, homelessness, and incarceration for individuals living with serious mental illnesses and substance use disorders. We’ll be looking to cut red tape preventing people from receiving life-saving mental health care, ensure people receive compassionate crisis care, and make sure our existing state resources are well-funded. Stay tuned for our 2025 legislative package reveal early next year!