SB 101 Summary

• Establishes a county mental health transportation panel in each county to create alternatives to law enforcement for transporting individuals requiring involuntary psychiatric hospitalization or screening.

• Authorizes county boards of commissioners to contract with private security companies to hire security transport officers, subject to panel recommendation and specific insurance, training, and operational requirements including $2,000,000 liability coverage.

• Allows security transport officers to transport individuals under court order using the same force authority as peace officers and grants them immunity protections equivalent to governmental employees.

• Creates the mental health transportation fund within the state treasury to support implementation of the transportation panel provisions.

• Requires private security companies to maintain specialized training programs approved by the department, operate 24/7 dispatch systems, deploy two gender-appropriate officers per transport, and comply with recipient rights protections under HIPAA and state law.