Latest news with #SenateBill292
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
New joint program between PermiaCare and local law enforcement agencies
May 28—May is Mental Health Awareness Month. Mental Health Awareness Month was established in 1949 to by Mental Health America to highlight the importance of mental well-being, educate the public, reduce stigma and promote support for those affected by mental health conditions. In this regard, PermiaCare has announced a new collaborative program that will begin soon in the Permian Basin. PermiaCare has teamed up with the Midland County Sheriff's Office and the Odessa Police Department to secure funding for a co-responder program for the communities of Midland and Odessa. The Texas Health and Human Services Mental Health Grant for Justice Involved Individuals with Behavioral Health Conditions (Senate Bill 292) will provide funding for a co-responder model of criminal justice diversion, pairing up law enforcement and behavioral health specialists to intervene and respond to behavioral health-related calls. These teams utilize the combined expertise of the law enforcement officer and the behavioral health specialists to de-escalate situations and help link individuals with behavioral health issues to appropriate services, a news release said. On scene, the team works not only to de-escalate the situation, but also provide behavioral health screening and assessment, call disposition planning and referral or linkage to needed services. The planning at the end of the encounter depends on several unique factors, and outcomes can range from leaving the individual with necessary resources, transporting the individual to a hospital or walk-in clinic, and providing support and resources for family members and others on-scene. Teams also follow up with individuals after they leave the initial encounter. The City of Midland and Ector County currently operate crisis response systems for individuals with behavioral health conditions that are typical for the State of Texas utilizing TCOLE trained mental health deputies, police officers, and PermiaCare crisis workers responding independently. Sometimes these responses are separate and other times they are collaborative, with everyone involved. While this is highly effective and remains a positive and necessary aspect of a good crisis response system, adding co-response can lighten the burden for all, improve efficiency, improve communication, and unify the mission, the release said. Across Texas, co-responder teams are increasing rapidly because they reduce arrests, use of force, and receive positive feedback from law enforcement and mental health professionals. Co-response increases collaboration and communication between law enforcement and mental health professionals, which helps build better relationships between the agencies to increase referrals and identify gaps in coverage. The teams understand each other better and act with a unified mission and purpose. By providing individuals in crisis with access to mental health treatment and support, co-responder programs can help reduce the risk of harm to both the individual and the community which creates a safer and more resilient community overall. Improved mental health support decreases the cost of incarceration, decreases the use of costly emergency departments, and prevents unnecessary mental health related hospitalizations and transport. How is the co-responder program funded? PermiaCare is a conduit for state and federal grant funding to support a wide array of social service needs, which includes programs to support individuals with mental illness, intellectual disabilities, and substance use disorder. Utilizing our connection to State funding, PermiaCare applied for a Texas Health and Human Service Needs and Capacity Assessment entitled, "The Mental Health Grant for Justice Involved Individuals" or Senate Bill 292. This category of grant requires local support through cash or in-kind match at a rate of 50%. The Odessa Police Department, Midland County Sheriff's Office, and PermiaCare receive a full program of staff for 33 cents on the dollar, with the State of Texas covering the other 67 cents. A review of the County Jail Diversion options in 2018 identified approximately 19% of the census of a Jail were estimated to have mental health conditions and charges that met the parameters for diversion. The 2022 PermiaCare Community Needs Assessment identified Crisis Intervention Services as the largest mental health services gap in the community. The co-responder program will provide a great asset for the local community and assist with managing the flow of crisis to the new Permian Basin Behavioral Health Center (PBBHC) to ensure its capacity is focused on the most appropriate populations. PermiaCare anticipates the co-responder team will support approximately 450 justice involved individuals with mental health concerns per year. PermiaCare expects the program to begin operations June 1, 2025. Despite progress in mental health initiatives, more than 30 million people in the U.S. still lack access to comprehensive, high-quality care. These statistics highlight the ongoing need for Mental Health Awareness Month and the importance of bringing attention to this disparity: — 1 in 5 U.S. adults experience mental illness each year. — 1 in 20 U.S. adults experience serious mental illness each year. — 1 in 6 U.S. youth have a mental health condition, but only half receive treatment. — 50% of all lifetime mental illness begins by age 14, and 75% by age 24. — In 2023, 20% of all high school students seriously considered suicide.
Yahoo
29-01-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Traffic stop measure sparks passionate debate before Senate panel
Sen. Charles Sydnor III (D-Baltimore County) testifies Tuesday to the Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee on legislation to reclassify some traffic violations as secondary offenses. With him are Public Defender Natasha Dartigue and Tia Holmes, right, an appellate attorney at the Office of the Public Defender. (Photo by William J. Ford/Maryland Matters) Supporters of a bill that would reduce the reasons that police can pull a motorist over say that not only will it help reduce the racial disparity in traffic stops, but it will protect police officers as well. 'We're in the 21st century. Law enforcement is using all types of technologies,' said Sen. Charles Sydnor III (D-Baltimore County), the sponsor of the bill that would reclassify a number of primary traffic violations — for which police can pull a driver over — to secondary violations. 'All I'm saying is maybe we need to look at some of these technologies and figure out how we can redeploy our shrinking police staffs to deal with crime that really, really matters, rather than bogging them down with these types of offenses,' Sydnor said Tuesday in testimony to his colleagues on the Judicial Proceedings Committee. 'Making them secondary offenses. No one is getting rid of any laws that are already on the books. It's a reclassification.' But law enforcement officials and police officers said during two hours of sometimes heated debate on Senate Bill 292 that the measure would make their jobs harder. Lt. Erin Brandt with the Anne Arundel County Police Department pointed to vague language in the bill — 'A police officer shall document all reasons for a traffic stop or other stop on any citation or police report resulting from the stop,' for example — that she said will cause problems for officers. 'The ambiguous language of this may suggest to officers that they need to cite every single violation, instead of having a constructive conversation on traffic safety laws,' Brandt said. 'I urge you to vote against this.' Sydnor's bill, discussed for more than two hours Tuesday, would reclassify some primary offenses as secondary, including: Driving without a functioning headlight, brake lights or taillights; Driving without a mirror or with obstructed or damaged mirrors; Window tint; Excessive noise; and Failure to illuminate a license plate. A driver could still be cited for any of those violations, but only after being pulled over for another, primary violation. The bill notes that if a police officer fails to comply with the revised law, the officer could face administrative discipline and any evidence obtained may be inadmissible 'in any trial or other proceeding.' Another reason that supporters cite for the proposal is the current racial disparity in traffic stops. The Governor's Office of Crime Prevention and Policy's traffic safety dashboard showed that Blacks accounted for 43% of the nearly 428,300 vehicle traffic stops in the state in 2023, when they made up just 32% of the state's population. In comparison, whites made up 57% of the state population that year but accounted for 39% of all traffic stops. 'Victims of these racially motivated traffic stops find themselves in situations called 'Driving while Black.' The racial disparity is evident in traffic enforcement,' said Public Defender Natasha Dartigue, who testified in support of the measure. But Baltimore County State's Attorney Scott Shellenberger (D) said the proposal 'would be a danger to the public.' SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX 'Somebody look at me and tell me not having a headlight is not a public safety danger, particularly if it's a left headlight and you're making a turn into another street,' he said. 'That is a safety danger, and you're taking that away.' Attorney General Anthony Brown (D) submitted written testimony supporting the bill 'in concept.' But he also suggested some amendments to address the fact that the bill 'covers far too many safety-related offenses.' His letter said the bill should be amended to allow for a traffic stop if an officer observed two or more secondary violations. Another amendment would be to create a procedure that would let an officer report a secondary violation to the Motor Vehicle Administration, which could issue citations or repair orders through the mail, similar to a speed camera ticket. 'We applaud Senate Bill 292 for seeking to limit non-safety related traffic stops and reduce racial disparities in Maryland's criminal justice system,' Brown wrote. 'However, we urge the Committee to carefully consider the concerns outlined above as it deliberates this critical issue.' A House version of the bill, sponsored by Del. N. Scott Phillips (D-Baltimore County), is scheduled for a Feb. 12 hearing in the House Judiciary Committee.
CBS News
28-01-2025
- CBS News
Proposed bill would prevent police in Maryland from pulling drivers over for certain offenses
BALTIMORE -- A proposed bill in Maryland is getting some attention after the Harford County Sheriff's Office shared a social media video criticizing the measure. Senate Bill 292 would prevent police officers in the state from pulling drivers over for certain infractions like littering out of a car window, failing to use a turn signal, driving with a broken head- or taillight, and driving or parking in a bus lane. The offenses would become secondary actions, meaning officers could not use those offenses as the primary reason for a traffic stop. The bill would also define illegal U-turns and an expired registration as secondary offenses. If an officer failed to comply with the provisions of the bill, they could face disciplinary action and any evidence gathered during that traffic stop would be inadmissible in court. Officers would be required to document stops Under the proposed bill, officers in Maryland would be required to document and follow certain procedures for all traffic stops. When initiating a traffic stop, an officer would be required to show identification and provide their name, badge number and affiliated agency to the driver along with the reason for the stop. The officer would also have to document the reason for the stop. Failure to comply would again result in disciplinary action, but would not exclude evidence found during the stop. The bill would also allow citizens to record a police officer's actions as long as the citizen is acting legally and safely. The Maryland General Assembly is expected to discuss the bill during a hearing Tuesday. If passed, it would take effect in October 2025. Harford County Sheriff's Office criticizes proposed bill Legislative Alert: If you drive a motor vehicle on Maryland roadways, you will want to spend a few minutes and hear about a proposed law change that will have a hearing tomorrow in the Maryland Senate. Posted by Harford County Sheriff's Office on Monday, January 27, 2025 In a video shared on social media, Harford County Sheriff Jeffrey Gahler and other members of the department highlighted infractions that would become secondary offenses under the bill. "...This bill sponsor went the additional measure to make sure that it's pointed out that if a police officer mistakenly pulls someone over, that that officer is subject to administrative discipline," Sheriff Gahler said in the video. "You really cannot make this stuff up." Other bills in the 2025 legislative session There are plenty of other major bills to keep an eye on as the 2025 legislative session continues. The Maryland General Assembly has yet to vote on Governor Wes Moore's proposed 2026 budget that would tackle a $2.7 billion budget crisis. The proposed budget would bring major tax cuts for 66% of state residents and increase taxes for the highest earners. The budget would also raise the sports betting tax from 15% to 30%, the table game tax from 20% to 25% and the cannabis tax from 9% to 15%. The proposed budget would also cut $111 million in state funding from the University System of Maryland, and allocate $3.63 million to Maryland's Department of Transportation for projects across the state. State leaders are planning to introduce a bill that could gradually raise the state's minimum wage to $20. The legislation would create a constitutional amendment ballot question in November 2026.
