2021 Senate Bill 637 ↩

House Roll Call 605: Passed

To authorize a state government “community crisis response grant program” that would give state grants to local governments related to 9-1-1 call response processes, with the amount in part determined by the extent they meets criteria determined by a social-welfare organization selected by the state health and welfare department. The intention would be for “calls to existing 9-1-1 dispatch centers and other existing crisis lines…are responded to by one or more community crisis responder clinicians or community crisis responder peers,” with “law enforcement for the purposes of stabilization, de-escalation, harm reduction, screening and assessment, and connection to mental health, substance use disorder, social, health, or other services and supports as needed.” Reportedly there are 51 organizations that would be the ultimate recipients of the money. The bill does not specify a source for the funds, which would flow through an existing "jail diversion fund," but it does reference provisions in recent federal “stimulus” spending bills.