Grant to a hospital for expanding psychiatric bed capacity. (FE)

What it would have done

Summary by the Legislative Reference Bureau, the Legislature's nonpartisan drafting office. It's their wording, not ours.

This bill allows the Building Commission to award a grant to a hospital in Eau Claire County, as specified in the bill, in the amount of $15,000,000 for the purpose of expanding capacity by 22 psychiatric beds between the hospital in Eau Claire County and a hospital in Chippewa County. Under 2019 Wisconsin Act 9 , which was that session's biennial budget act, the Building Commission was authorized to award moneys for a center and allowed to authorize up to $15,000,000 in general fund supported borrowing for that purpose. Instead, this bill allows the Building Commission to award a grant in that amount and to authorize general fund supported borrowing, if necessary. If the grant awarded under this bill is not used for the purpose of expanding psychiatric bed capacity, the state retains an ownership interest in the hospital's expansion equal to the amount of the state's grant.

Emergency detention is a current law procedure for temporary involuntary commitment of individuals who are believed to be mentally ill, drug dependent, or developmentally disabled and who demonstrate a substantial probability of causing harm to themselves or others or an inability to satisfy certain basic needs due to a mental illness. The hospital that is awarded the grant under the bill must do all of the following: 1) give preference in admissions for the beds added under the bill to individuals who meet the criteria for emergency detention and who are from one of the counties specified in the bill; 2) identify measures it believes will serve the needs of residents with mental health needs, especially in reducing the burden on the Winnebago Mental Health Institute; 3) report annually to the legislature on the services provided with grant moneys; and 4) recognize that it is liable to repay the grant to the state if the hospital fails to maintain continued expanded services and expanded numbers of psychiatric beds. The bill specifies that the determination of whether the hospital is meeting its requirement to provide expanded services must be based on findings that at least half of the expanded psychiatric beds are available for individuals admitted for emergency detention and that the hospital enters agreements containing terms specified in the bill with at least two-thirds of the specified counties.

Who's behind it

23 lawmakers are its authors⁠. 22 are Republicans and 1 is a Democrat.

8 more lawmakers signed on in support⁠.

What it would cost

State agencies filed a cost estimate. Each opens as a PDF from the Legislature.

• Fiscal Estimate From DHS
• Fiscal Estimate From DOA