CHAPTER 94
An Act to direct the Commissioner of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services and the Director of Criminal Justice Services to develop a comprehensive model for the use of alternative transportation providers to provide safe and efficient transportation of individuals involved in the emergency custody or involuntary admission process.
Approved February 20, 2017
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:
1. § 1. The Commissioner of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services (the Commissioner) and the Director of Criminal Justice Services (the Director) shall, in conjunction with the relevant stakeholders, including the Virginia Association of Community Services Boards, the National Alliance on Mental Illness - Virginia, the Department of Medical Assistance Services, the Office of Emergency Medical Services, Mental Health America of Virginia, VOCAL, Inc., the Virginia Hospital and Healthcare Association, the Virginia Association of Health Plans, the Office of the Executive Secretary of the Supreme Court of Virginia, the Virginia Association of Chiefs of Police, the Virginia Sheriffs' Association, the Virginia Association of Regional Jails, and the University of Virginia Institute of Law, Psychiatry, and Public Policy, develop a model for the use of alternative transportation providers to provide safe and efficient transportation of individuals involved in the emergency custody or involuntary admission process as an alternative to transportation by law enforcement.
The model shall include criteria for the certification of alternative transportation providers, including the development of a training curriculum required to achieve such certification, and shall identify the appropriate agency responsible for providing such training and such certification. Further, the Commissioner and the Director shall identify any barriers to the use of alternative transportation in the Commonwealth and detail the costs associated with the implementation of such a model, along with the cost savings and benefits associated with the successful implementation of such a model.
The model shall be completed by October 1, 2017, and reported to the Joint Subcommittee to Study Mental Health Services in the Commonwealth in the 21st Century, the House Committee for Courts of Justice, and the Senate Committee for Courts of Justice. The report on such model shall also be submitted as provided in the procedures of the Division of Legislative Automated Systems for the processing of legislative documents and reports no later than the first day of the 2018 Regular Session of the General Assembly and shall be posted on the General Assembly's website.