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*hb1485*
HOUSE BILL 1485
J1 6lr3022
By: Chair, Health Committee
Introduced and read first time: February 13, 2026
Assigned to: Health
Committee Report: Favorable
House action: Adopted
Read second time: March 1, 2026
CHAPTER ______
AN ACT concerning 1
Public Health – Crisis Response System – Resources for Family Members and 2
Trauma–Informed Care Training 3
(Tiarra’s Law) 4
FOR the purpose of requiring the Maryland Department of Health to develop a certain 5
pamphlet relating to State and national crisis support resources; requiring certain 6
health care providers and representatives of the Office of the Chief Medical 7
Examiner to give the pamphlet to an individual under certain circumstances ; 8
requiring the Department to conduct a review of certain trauma–informed care 9
training; and generally relating to the crisis response system. 10
BY repealing and reenacting, with amendments, 11
Article – Health – General 12
Section 10–1403 13
Annotated Code of Maryland 14
(2023 Replacement Volume and 2025 Supplement) 15
BY repealing and reenacting, without amendments, 16
Article – Public Safety 17
Section 14–3A–01(a) and (e) 18
Annotated Code of Maryland 19
(2022 Replacement Volume and 2025 Supplement) 20
Preamble 21
2 HOUSE BILL 1485
WHEREAS, On May 17, 2020, Tiarra Brown, a Maryland resident living with sickle 1
cell disease, died following an overdose after developing a dependence on prescription 2
opioids that had been prescribed to manage her chronic pain; and 3
WHEREAS, Following Ms. Brown’s death, stigma associated with substance use 4
contributed to the mistreatment of her family and friends, exacerbating their trauma 5
despite the medical circumstances underlying her condition; and 6
WHEREAS, Ms. Brown’s family was not provided meaningful information, guidance, 7
or survivor support resources by first responders or the Office of the Chief Medical 8
Examiner, and the only documentation provided to her mother was a receipt for Ms. 9
Brown’s body; and 10
WHEREAS, This series of events highlights the pervasive stigma associated with 11
drug overdose –related deaths and reveals deficiencies in first response practices, 12
information sharing, and survivor support services; and 13
WHEREAS, Studies show that people of color are disproportionately affected by 14
overdose deaths, underscoring longstanding racial inequities in public health systems and, 15
consequently, in emergency response practices; and 16
WHEREAS, Families’ encounters with first responders are often highly traumati c 17
because overdose incidents are frequently framed as criminal investigations; and 18
WHEREAS, A structured framework is needed to train first responders, emergency 19
medical service personnel, behavioral health providers, and core service agencies to 20
promote consistent, compassionate, and culturally responsive practices in their 21
engagement with family members; and 22
WHEREAS, In response to these circumstances, overdose and substance use 23
disorder community partners assessed these events and developed parameters intended to 24
prevent further systemic failures; now, therefore, 25
SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 26
That the Laws of Maryland read as follows: 27
Article – Health – General 28
10–1403. 29
(a) The Crisis Response System shall include: 30
(1) A State 9–8–8 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline in each jurisdiction or region 31
to: 32
(i) Provide a single point of entry to the Crisis Response System; 33
HOUSE BILL 1485 3
(ii) Coordinate with the national 9 –8–8 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline 1
to provide the full range of services provided by the national 9 –8–8 Suicide and Crisis 2
Lifeline, including: 3
1. Supportive counseling; 4
2. Suicide prevention; 5
3. Crisis intervention; 6
4. Referrals to additional resources; and 7
5. Direct dispatch or warm hand –offs to mobile crisis 8
response and stabilization services and other immediate services as needed; 9
(iii) Coordinate with the local core service agency or local behavioral 10
health authority, police, 3 –1–1, 2–1–1, or other local mental health hotlines, emer gency 11
medical service personnel, and behavioral health providers; and 12
(iv) Provide other programs that may include: 13
1. A clinical crisis telephone line for suicide prevention and 14
crisis intervention; 15
2. A hotline for behavioral health informa tion, referral, and 16
assistance; 17
3. Clinical crisis walk–in services, including: 18
A. Triage for initial assessment; 19
B. Crisis stabilization until additional services are available; 20
C. Linkage to treatment services and family and peer support 21
groups; and 22
D. Linkage to other health and human services programs; 23
4. Critical incident stress management teams, providing 24
disaster behavioral health services, critical incident stress management, and an on –call 25
system for these services; 26
5. Crisis residential beds to serve as an alternative to 27
hospitalization; 28
6. A community crisis bed and hospital bed registry, 29
including a daily tally of empty beds; 30
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7. Transportation coordination, ensuring transportation of 1
patients to urgent appointments or to emergency psychiatric facilities; 2
8. Mobile crisis teams; 3
9. 23–hour holding beds; 4
10. Emergency psychiatric services; 5
11. Urgent care capacity; 6
12. Expanded capacity for assertive community treatment; 7
13. Crisis intervention teams with capacity to respond in each 8
jurisdiction 24 hours a day and 7 days a week; and 9
14. Individualized family intervention teams; 10
(2) Community awareness promotion and training programs; and 11
(3) An evaluation of outcomes of services: 12
(i) In each jurisdiction or region, including an evaluation of: 13
1. 9–8–8 call, text, and chat volume; 14
2. 9–8–8 local answer rate; 15
3. 9–8–8 call, text, and chat resolution data, including: 16
A. The proportion of crises resolved by phone; 17
B. The proportion of crises resolved through mobile crisis 18
team dispatch; and 19
C. The proportion of crises resolved by transfer to 9–1–1; 20
4. Mobile crisis team dispatch volume; 21
5. Mobile crisis team response time; 22
6. Mobile crisis team dispatch resolution data, including: 23
A. The proportion of crises resolved safely in the community; 24
and 25
HOUSE BILL 1485 5
B. The proportion of crises resolved through transfer to a 1
higher level of care; 2
7. Crisis stabilization center usage; and 3
8. Crisis stabilization center discharge data, including: 4
A. The proportion of crises resolved through a discharge to 5
home; and 6
B. The proportion of crises resolved through a discharge to a 7
higher level of care; 8
(ii) Through data obtained from consumers and family members who 9
have received services from the Crisis Response System collected through ongoing data 10
collection from 9 –8–8 call, text, and chat providers and other crisis providers that is 11
reported annually; and 12
(iii) Through annual crisis services data collection on the 13
involvement of law enforcement, involuntary status of clients, and diversion from higher 14
levels of care, including hospitals. 15
(b) The data derived from the evaluation of outcomes of services required under 16
subsection (a)(3) of this section shall be: 17
(1) Collected, analyzed, and publicly reported on or before December 1 each 18
year, beginning in 2026; 19
(2) Disaggregated by race, gender, age, and zip code; and 20
(3) Used to formulate policy recommendations with the goal of decreasing 21
criminal detention and improving crisis diversion programs and linkages to effective 22
community health services. 23
(c) The Crisis Response System services shall be implemented as determined by 24
the Administration in collaboration with the core service agency or local behavioral health 25
authority serving each jurisdiction and community members of each jurisdiction. 26
(D) (1) THE DEPARTMENT SHALL DEVELOP A PAMPHLET TO INFORM THE 27
PUBLIC ABOUT THE CRISIS RESPONSE SYSTEM, THE STATE AND NATIONAL 9–8–8 28
SUICIDE AND CRISIS LIFELINES, AND PROGRAMS PROVIDED BY THE STATE 9–8–8 29
SUICIDE AND CRISIS LIFELINE. 30
(2) (I) IN THIS PARAGRAPH , “HEALTH CARE PROVIDER” HAS THE 31
MEANING STATED IN § 14–3A–01 OF THE PUBLIC SAFETY ARTICLE. 32
6 HOUSE BILL 1485
(II) A HEALTH CARE PROVIDER OR REPRESENTATIVE OF TH E 1
OFFICE OF THE CHIEF MEDICAL EXAMINER SHALL PROVIDE THE PAMPHLET 2
DESCRIBED IN PARAGRAPH (1) OF THIS SUBSECTION TO AN INDIVIDUAL: 3
1. ON REQUEST; OR 4
2. WHEN REASONABLY APPRO PRIATE IN CONNECTION 5
WITH A DEATH, AN OVERDOSE, OR A BEHAVIORAL HEALTH CRISIS RESPONSE. 6
[(d)] (E) An advance directive for mental health services under § 5–602.1 of this 7
article shall apply to the delivery of services under this subtitle. 8
[(e)] (F) This subtitle may not be construed to affect petitions for emergency 9
evaluations under § 10–622 of this title. 10
Article – Public Safety 11
14–3A–01. 12
(a) In this subtitle the following words have the meanings indicated. 13
(e) “Health care provider” means: 14
(1) a health care faci lity as defined in § 19 –114(d)(1) of the Health – 15
General Article; 16
(2) a health care practitioner as defined in § 19 –114(e) of the Health – 17
General Article; and 18
(3) an individual licensed or certified as an emergency medical services 19
provider under § 13–516 of the Education Article. 20
SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That the Maryland Department of 21
Health shall: 22
(1) conduct a review of any trauma –informed care training , including 23
training regarding family engagement and post –incident support following overdose or 24
behavioral health crises , that is provided to health care providers , as defined in § 25
14–3A–01 of the Public Safety Article; and 26
(2) on or before December 1 , 2026, report to the General Assembly, in 27
accordance with § 2 –1257 of the State Government Article, on its findings and 28
recommendations resulting from the review for changes to the trauma–informed care 29
training required for health care providers. 30
HOUSE BILL 1485 7
SECTION 3. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect July 1
1, 2026. 2
Approved:
________________________________________________________________________________
Governor.
________________________________________________________________________________
Speaker of the House of Delegates.
________________________________________________________________________________
President of the Senate.