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HB 3440

MENTAL HLTH-KIDS-BEACON

104th Regular Session Introduced by Lindsey LaPointe and 1 co-sponsor

Strengthens youth access to community behavioral health, reducing unnecessary DCFS custody by prioritizing family supports and BEACON referrals.

House Floor Amendment No. 2 Rule 19(c) / Re-referred to Rules Committee
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Bill Summary · HB 3440

HB 3440 — MENTAL HLTH‑KIDS‑BEACON

Status (selected): Introduced Feb 26, 2025; House Floor Amendment No. 2 filed Apr 7, 2025; re‑referred to Rules Committee Apr 11, 2025. Primary sponsor: Rep. Lindsey LaPointe; cosponsor Rep. Michelle Mussman. Companion: SB 118.

Purpose / Intent

The bill seeks to strengthen pathways to community behavioral‑health supports for youth, reduce unnecessary removal of children from their parents when intensive publicly funded services are (or are becoming) available, expand awareness and use of BEACON (a centralized portal for youth behavioral‑health resources), and advance school‑based mental health screening. It targets cases where a youth was “left” at a psychiatric hospital beyond medical necessity (sometimes called psychiatric “lockout”) to ensure family supports are considered before or instead of Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) custody.

Key provisions

  • BEACON training and outreach

    • Department of Human Services (DHS), coordinating with a statewide hospital association, must establish a voluntary recorded training for hospital social workers, clinicians, and administrative staff about BEACON — how to access it, how cases proceed there, and state/community programs available through BEACON.
    • Psychiatric hospitals must contact the youth (or parent/guardian/caregiver) about the BEACON portal prior to referring the youth to DCFS because the youth was left beyond medical necessity (replaces prior referral notice language mentioning Family Support Programs).

  • Juvenile Court Act amendments (House Amendment No. 2)

    • If a youth placed with DCFS was the subject of a pending or active Family Support Program application at the time a DCFS petition was filed, the youth may continue to be considered eligible for those publicly funded community or residential services if all other criteria are met.
    • When necessary services become available, the court must hold a hearing within 14 days after notification to all parties to determine:
    • For youth in temporary DCFS custody: whether urgent/immediate necessity exists to continue custody and whether custody should be vacated.
    • For youth in DCFS guardianship: whether the parent is fit/willing/able and whether returning custody is in the child’s best interest.
    • The court must consider best interest, availability of services, parental involvement, least‑restrictive placement, relationship between child and parent, and other relevant factors.
    • If the court returns the youth to the parent with Family Support Program services, relevant State agencies (including DHFS) must provide the services; if the youth remains in DCFS custody, Family Support Services are declined and eligibility ends.
    • Exemptions: the section does not apply where abuse/neglect (other than psychiatric lockout) is alleged, where adjudication has already determined abuse/neglect (unless the primary basis was psychiatric lockout), or where an indicated finding names the respondent as perpetrator (within 5 years).

  • School mental‑health screening and reporting

    • State Board of Education (in consultation with relevant teams/stakeholders) must produce resource materials, model policies, guidance for phased implementation and privacy/confidentiality considerations.
    • Mental health screenings must be offered annually to students K–12 beginning with the 2027–2028 school year (with procedural opt‑out/extension mechanisms to be defined).

  • Medicaid / screening prior to inpatient admission

    • Department of Healthcare and Family Services (DHFS) must require screening/assessment (including outpatient alternatives) prior to any Medicaid‑funded psychiatric inpatient admission and establish payment methods/standards for those assessments and alternative supports.

Who is affected

  • Youth who are left at psychiatric hospitals beyond medical necessity and their families/guardians.
  • Hospitals (social workers, clinicians, administrative staff) — training and outreach requirements.
  • DCFS, DHS, DHFS — responsibilities for eligibility continuation, service provision, and interagency coordination.
  • School districts and State Board of Education — development of screening resources and annual screening implementation.
  • Potentially Medicaid program administration (screening/assessment payment rules).

Procedural / timeline notes

  • Major deadlines in the bill include school‑reporting and implementation milestones (resource/reporting requirements culminating in materials and screenings to start 2027–28).
  • Juvenile Court hearing timeline: courts must hold hearings within 14 days after notification when services become available.
  • Current legislative status: pending in Rules Committee after House Floor Amendment No. 2 (filed Apr 7, 2025); previously passed out of the Mental Health & Addiction Committee as amended (Mar 20, 2025).

Potential impacts (summary)

  • May reduce foster/agency custody placements by enabling return to parents with funded supports when appropriate.
  • Increases use and visibility of BEACON as a centralized referral resource.
  • Imposes training/notification and coordination obligations on hospitals and state agencies; may require administrative and IT investments (BEACON intake, Medicaid screening processes, school screening systems).
  • Requires systems to ensure confidentiality and timely linkage from hospital to community services and courts.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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