SB 141 — AN ACT CONCERNING THE EXPANSION OF THE CRISIS INITIATIVE PILOT PROGRAM THROUGHOUT THE STATE.

Senate General Assembly RaisedFile Bill No.

14114 February Session, 2024 LCOSenate Bill No.

701141 ReferredSenate, toMarch 13, 2024 The Committee on PUBLICPublic SAFETYSafety ANDand SECURITYSecurity Introducedreported by:through SEN.

(PS)GASTON ANof ACTthe CONCERNING23rd THEDist., EXPANSIONChairperson OFof THEthe CRISISCommittee INITIATIVEon PILOTthe PROGRAMpart THROUGHOUTof THEthe STATE.Senate, that the bill ought to pass.

AN ACT CONCERNING THE EXPANSION OF THE CRISIS INITIATIVE PILOT PROGRAM THROUGHOUT THE STATE.

Section 1 from passage New section LCOPS 701Joint \\PRDFS1\SCOUSERS\FORZANOF\WS\2024SB-00141-R01Favorable ofSB141 2/ SB.docxFile Bill No.

14114 PS1 JointSB141 FavorableFile LCONo. 701 {\\PRDFS1\SCOUSERS\FORZANOF\WS\2024SB-00141- 2 of 2 R01-SB.docx }

14 The following Fiscal Impact Statement and Bill Analysis are prepared for the benefit of the members of the General Assembly, solely for purposes of information, summarization and explanation and do not represent the intent of the General Assembly or either chamber thereof for any purpose.

In general, fiscal impacts are based upon a variety of informational sources, including the analyst’s professional knowledge.

Whenever applicable, agency data is consulted as part of the analysis, however final products do not necessarily reflect an assessment from any specific department.

OFA Fiscal Note State Impact:

Agency Affected Fund-Effect FY 25 $ FY 26 $ Department of Emergency GF - Cost 540,000 - 2.3 See Below Services and Public Protection million Mental Health & Addiction GF - Cost At least At least Serv., Dept.

466,650 933,300 State Comptroller - Fringe GF - Cost 298,000 - At least Benefits1 648,800 385,000 Note:

GF=General Fund Municipal Impact:

None Explanation The bill, which expands the CRISIS Initiative pilot program throughout the state by January 1, 2025, is anticipated to result in a total state cost ranging from $1.3 million to $3.4 million in FY 25 and at least $1.3 million in FY 26.

The billresultsina cost to theDepartment ofEmergency Servicesand Public Protection (DESPP) of at least $540,000 and up to $2.3 million in FY 25, with a cost to the Office of the State Comptroller ranging from $100,000 to $450,000 for associated fringe benefits, depending on how many additional state troopers are trained in Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) training.

These costs may continue into FY 26 as new troopers require CIT training.

The fringe benefit costs for most state employees are budgeted centrally in accounts administered by the Comptroller.

The estimated active employee fringe benefit cost associated with most personnel changes is 41.25% of payroll in FY 25.

SB141 / File No.

14 2 SB141 File No.

14 Currently, there are about 20 CIT trained state troopers.

The cost to train an additional 187 troopers to achieve 25% of troopers trained, is 2 approximately $650,000, while the cost to train all remaining troopers is approximately $2.8 million (inclusive of training fees, overtime costs, andassociated fringe benefit ratesto cover officerswho attendtraining).

CIT training is a 40-hour course and costs $189 per trooper.

These costs are expected to be decreased through incorporating CIT training in the police academy curriculum.

The bill also results in a cost to the Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (DMHAS) of at least $466,650 in FY 25 and $933,300 in FY 26 (with associated fringe costs of $192,500 in FY 25 and $385,000 in FY 26) to support at least nine additional social workers.

Social workers will assist state police in deescalating situations involving individuals with mental illness and ensure access to follow-up services.

The Out Years The annualized ongoing fiscal impact identified above would continue into thefuture subject to inflation.

Theannualcost totrainstate police and cover overtime costs would be based on the number of additional troopers requiring CIT training in the future.

2According to the Connecticut Alliance to Benefit Law Enforcement (CABLE), the state's provider of CIT training, the goal of the CIT program is for each department to have at least 25% of its sworn patrol force trained and to have several CIT trained officers cover each shift.

SB141 / File No.

14 3 SB141 File No.

14 OLR Bill Analysis SB 141 AN ACT CONCERNING THE EXPANSION OF THE CRISIS INITIATIVE PILOT PROGRAM THROUGHOUT THE STATE.

SUMMARY This bill requires the State Police, in conjunction with the Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (DMHAS), to expand the Connection to Recovery through Intervention, Support and Initiating Services Initiative pilot program (i.e., CRISIS Initiative) throughout the state by January 1, 2025.

This expanded program must at least include thepilot program’scomponentsthat require state police officer training, coordination between state police officers and mental health professionals, and referrals to mental health services facilities.

EFFECTIVE DATE:

Upon passage BACKGROUND CRISIS Initiative Pilot Program The CRISIS Initiative pilot program has generally established procedures among specific State Police and DMHAS personnel for referring and handling incidents involving individuals with addiction disorders or mental health conditions as well as other crisis incidents.

The program began in 2017 with DMHAS assigning a full-time licensed clinician social worker to State Police Troop E, which generally covers southeast Connecticut and is based out of Montville.

The 2021 budget implementer expanded the program to Troop D, which generally covers northeast Connecticut and is based out of Killingly (PA 21-2, June Special Session, § 75).

COMMITTEE ACTION Public Safety and Security Committee Joint Favorable Yea 24 Nay 0 (03/01/2024) SB141 / File No.