§ 20-47-302 - Task force. - Arkansas Statutes

20-47-302. Task force.

(a) Residential care facilities and the State of Arkansas face special problems when caring for the mentally ill. The chairs of the House Interim Committees on Public Health, Welfare, and Labor and the Senate Interim Committee on Public Health, Welfare, and Labor shall establish a task force with equal representation from residential care facilities, community mental health centers, advocates for the mentally ill, and the Division of Mental Health and the Division of Medical Services. The task force shall also include at least one (1) member each from the Senate and House Committees on Public Health, Welfare, and Labor.

(b) The task force shall present a proposal at the 2001 legislative session for establishment and maintenance of a residential program designed to address the unique needs of the mentally ill. The task force's recommendations shall include adequate safeguards for residents, reimbursement for residential care facilities, and financing opportunities that will encourage and enable residential care facilities to build smaller, more home-like settings for the care of the mentally ill.