With 72 counties practicing mental health medicine differently in each county, the state Assembly passed 13 bills to provide more mental health care access for rural counties, address funding for county programs, create child psychiatry programs in addition to other provisions.

The 13 bills came from recommendations from the mental health task force, which consists of 11 members from both sides of the aisle.

“This has been a bipartisan effort from the beginning; I’m glad we came together to try to make a difference in the lives of Wisconsin residents,” Speaker Robin Vos said in a statement Tuesday. “By working with mental health experts and citizens whose families have been impacted [by] mental illness, we have found ways to help our friends and neighbors.”

The bills will be seen by the Senate, and would require Gov. Scott Walker’s signature to become law if passed by the senate.

The 13 bills include:

• AB 360 would allow counties to approve requests for emergency detentions, rather than only allowing law enforcement officers to detain those for the purpose of treatment.
• AB 435 would eliminate the petition requirement for certain circumstances, including certain minors.
• AB 450 would require the Department of Health Services to provide funding for law enforcement and correctional officers to receive mental health crisis team training.
• AB 452 would require DHS to facilitate a child psychiatry consultation program to assist physicians in providing mental health care to children.
• AB 453 would allow the disclosure of patient health records in certain circumstances.
• AB 454 would give grants to Wis. physicians for practicing mental health care in rural areas.
• AB 455 would require DHS to award grants to peer-run mental health facilities, for a total of $250,000.
• AB 456 would require DHS to create a procedure for counties to report which mental health services they provide.
• AB 457 would allow counties to receive treatment and diversion program funding for offenders with mental illnesses who may be serving time or be charged with offenses related to mental illness or substance abuse problems.
• AB 458 would change the medical assistance program to allow for reimbursement for certain mental health services including day treatment services, drug abuse services and psychiatric services.
• AB 459 would require DHS to create five regional centers for individual placement and support for employees with mental illnesses. DHS would be able to contract with existing centers, but each county must be served by one of the regional centers.
• AB 460 would require DHS to create and fund mobile crisis teams to serve people with mental illnesses in rural areas.