SB3449 Summary: Community Emergency Services and Support Act

• Every local government providing emergency medical services for physical health must also provide emergency response services for mental or behavioral health emergencies with substantially equivalent response times and training.

• Emergency responders handling mental/behavioral health crises must receive training in de-escalation, community services, and respect for individual dignity, with a goal of diverting people from hospitalization or incarceration whenever possible.

• In jurisdictions with separate emergency response systems, mental/behavioral health responders are prohibited from assisting in involuntary commitments (beyond professional obligations), and law enforcement cannot accompany mental health responses unless equivalent threat to public safety exists as would trigger law enforcement response to physical health emergencies.

• The Illinois Department of Human Services Division of Mental Health must establish Emergency Response Equity Committees in each EMS Region to develop Regional Response Plans and Non-Violent Misdemeanor Plans within 6 months, with majority representation from individuals with lived experience of mental health, behavioral health, or developmental disabilities.

• 9-1-1 Authorities must maintain and publicly report monthly data on mental/behavioral health calls received versus dispatched services, broken down by police district, to identify service gaps.