GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA

SESSION 1993

S	1 

SENATE BILL 283

Short Title:  GPAC/New Downsized MH Institutions Plan.   	(Public)
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Sponsors: Senator Martin of Guilford.
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Referred to:  Government Performance Audit.
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February 19, 1993

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT TO IMPLEMENT A RECOMMENDATION OF THE GOVERNMENT PERFORMANCE AUDIT COMMITTEE TO REQUIRE A PLAN TO REPLACE THE STATE'S MENTAL HEALTH HOSPITALS WITH DOWNSIZED, MORE EFFICIENT HOSPITALS.
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:
Section 1.  The Department of Human Resources shall develop a 10-year plan to construct four new and efficient mental health hospitals to accommodate the downsizing in the mental health institutions.  This plan shall include consideration of the following:
(1)	After phasing down inpatient mental health services, construction on a 200-bed hospital in the east;
(2)	As more clients are treated in the community-based programs, closing hospitals;
(3)	With funds saved from downsizing and eliminating State hospitals, building smaller more modern hospitals in years 2, 5, 7, and 9 of the ten-year plan; and
(4)	At the end of the 10 years, hiring a private nonprofit entity to operate the four newly constructed mental health hospitals.
This plan shall be submitted to the General Assembly by September 2, 1993.
Sec. 2.  There is appropriated from the General Fund to the Department of Human Resources, the sum of three million seven hundred thousand dollars ($3,700,000) for the 1993-94 fiscal year and the sum of three million seven hundred thousand dollars ($3,700,000) for the 1994-95 fiscal year, to implement this act.
Sec. 3.  It is the intent of the General Assembly to appropriate additional funds to the Department of Human Resources, in subsequent fiscal years, to implement this act, according to the following schedule:

Fiscal Year	  Amount
1995-96	$3,700,000
1996-97	$10,400,000
1997-98	$17,100,000
1998-99	$23,700,000
1999-00	$17,100,000
2000-01	$23,800,000
2001-02	$17,000,000.
Sec. 4.  The base budget of the Department of Human Resources is reduced by twelve million two hundred thousand dollars ($12,200,000) in the 1993-94 fiscal year and by twenty-four million four hundred thousand dollars ($24,400,000) for the 1994-95 fiscal year due to the savings resulting from the implementation of this act.
Sec. 5.  It is the intent of the General Assembly to reduce the base budget of the Department of Human Resources in subsequent fiscal years due to the implementation of this act, according to the following schedule:

Fiscal year	  Amount
1995-96	$12,100,000
1996-97	$24,300,000
1997-98	$12,200,000
1998-99	$24,400,000
1999-00	$12,100,000
2000-01	$24,300,000
2001-02	$12,200,000.
Sec. 6.  This act becomes effective July 1, 1993.