BEHAVIORAL HEALTH
- Behavioral Health Talent Council Report 2026
- In the 2026 session, AOCMHP and our partners were successful in passing HB 4070, statutory recommendations of the HB 4092 workgroup, which sought to reduce administrative burden for the behavioral health system and update outdated language. An amendment clarified the requirements of crisis stabilization centers to ensure more reasonable workforce expectations. Another amendment was passed to set guardrails on telehealth services, addressing Medicaid reimbursement for unlicensed providers employed by out-of-state companies.
- Other legislation AOCMHP supported: We were glad to see the passage of SB 1546, which established guardrails for AI chatbots, including transparency requirements and safeguards for individuals expressing suicidal ideation. HB 4043, a courthouse bill, was the vehicle for one HB 2005 fix to change the community restoration noncompliance reporting timeline from ‘immediately’ to ‘within two judicial days’, a small change that ensures more workable timelines for CMHPs. HB 4069, safety planning for behavioral health workers, was passed with AOCMHP’s requested amendments to allow providers to use existing safety policies rather than create new plans. Lastly, HB 4083, the Governor’s Behavioral Health Talent Council bill, passed with some important first steps to help the public behavioral health system recruit and retain workforce. We look forward to additional legislation from the Behavioral Health Talent Council recommendations in upcoming sessions. See the full report here: (include link to pdf attached).