SECTION 193.
There is hereby established a special commission on behavioral health promotion and upstream prevention to investigate evidence-based practices, programs and systems to prevent behavioral health disorders and promote behavioral health across the commonwealth. The commission shall: (1) consider recommendations from state and federal reports, guides and action plans to promote behavioral health; (2) identify sustainable, cost-beneficial and evidence-based privately or publicly funded programs or practices, implemented inside or outside of the commonwealth, which are designed to promote behavioral health, prevent disorders, and support early detection and intervention of behavioral health disorders; (3) assess approaches to improve the commonwealth's system of behavioral health promotion and prevention, including, but not limited to: (i) programs and practices that could be implemented over the next decade to promote behavioral health, (ii) the creation of a single state behavioral health agency, and (iii) ways to increase collaboration at the state and local levels between community coalitions and public health, mental health, healthcare, education, social services and public safety organizations; (4) assess innovative approaches for funding promotion and prevention programs; (5) recommend strategies, including legislative action, to shift healthcare spending over the long term from acute and inpatient behavioral health care to promotion and upstream prevention, without diminishing treatment or recovery services for those in need; (6) recommend evidence-based, primary and secondary-level programs or practices that are community, family or school-based, including whole school approaches, that reduce risk factors and increase protective factors for behavioral health disorders and foster social and emotional health; and (7) recommend measurable statewide behavioral health goals consistent with the goals identified in clauses (1) to (6), inclusive, for preventing behavioral health disorders over the next decade.
The commission shall consist of 24 members or their designees: 2 members of the house of representatives, 1 of whom shall be appointed by the speaker of the house and shall serve as co-chair, and 1 of whom shall be appointed by the minority leader of the house of representatives; 2 members of the senate, 1 of whom shall be appointed by the senate president and shall serve as co-chair, and 1 of whom shall be appointed by the minority leader of the senate; the chief justice of Massachusetts trial court; the commissioner of mental health; the commissioner of public health; the commissioner of elementary and secondary education; the commissioner of the division of insurance; the secretary of public safety and security; the executive director of the health policy commission; the executive director of the center for health information and analysis; the executive director of the Massachusetts community health information profile; the executive director of the mental health legal advisors committee; the executive director of the Massachusetts public health association; the executive director of the Massachusetts organization for addiction recovery; the president of the Massachusetts association for behavioral health; the president of the Massachusetts chapter of the national association for social workers; and 6 members who shall be appointed by the governor, 1 of whom shall be a representative from the health insurance industry, 1 of whom shall be an expert in mental and behavioral health promotion, 1 of whom shall be an expert in school-based public health, 1 of whom shall be an expert in community-based public health, 1 of whom shall be an expert in planning and environmental health, and 1 of whom shall be a representative from the social and emotional learning alliance for Massachusetts.
The commission may hold public meetings and fact-finding hearings as it considers necessary; provided, however, that the commission shall conduct at least 3 public hearings to receive testimony from members of the public. The commission shall file the report of its investigation and study with the clerks for the house of representatives and the senate, no later than 24 months after the date of the first meeting of the commission; provided, however, that the commission may, at the discretion of the chairs, make a draft report available to the public for comment before filing the final version.