AN ACT RELATING TO STATE AFFAIRS AND GOVERNMENT -- CHILDREN'S MOBILE RESPONSE AND STABILIZATION SERVICES (Establishes a statewide mobile response and stabilization services program to provide rapid crisis response and short-term stabilization for children and youth in their natural environments.)

S3066

2026 -- S 3066
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LC006098
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STATE OF RHODE ISLAND
IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY
JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2026
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A N A C T
RELATING TO STATE AFFAIRS AND GOVERNMENT -- CHILDREN'S MOBILE
RESPONSE AND STABILIZATION SERVICES

Introduced By:
Senators Lawson, Murray, Ciccone, Tikoian, and LaMountain

Date Introduced:
March 12, 2026

Referred To:
Senate Health & Human Services
It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows:
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SECTION 1. Legislative Findings and Purpose.
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(a) The General Assembly finds that:
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(1) Children and youth experiencing behavioral health crises require timely, community-
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based interventions to prevent unnecessary emergency department utilization, inpatient
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hospitalization, out-of-home placement, and involvement with law enforcement;
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(2) Children's Mobile Response and Stabilization Services (MRSS) are a Substance Abuse
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and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) best practice, trauma-informed
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intervention that provides rapid crisis response and short-term stabilization for children and youth
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in their natural environments;
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(3) A statewide Children's MRSS system funded through a braided combination of
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commercial insurance, Medicaid and state general revenue promotes equitable access to services
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regardless of insurance status;
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(4) Rhode Island has an interest in ensuring continuity of care, fiscal sustainability, and the
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participation of experienced community-based providers in delivering children's behavioral health
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crisis services.
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(b) The purpose of this act is to establish Children's Mobile Response and Stabilization
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Services as a standalone statewide behavioral health service in Rhode Island, funded through a
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coordinated Medicaid and state funding model, and administered in a manner that ensures access

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for all children and youth.
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SECTION 2. Title 42 of the General Laws entitled "STATE AFFAIRS AND
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GOVERNMENT" is hereby amended by adding thereto the following chapter:
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CHAPTER 72.13
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CHILDREN'S MOBILE RESPONSE AND STABILIZATION SERVICES
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42-72.13-1. Definitions.
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As used in this chapter:
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(1) "Braided funding" means the coordinated use of Medicaid funds, commercial insurance
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and state general revenue to finance services through a unified payment structure.
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(2) "Department" means the department of children, youth and families (DCYF).
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(3) "Designated MRSS provider" means a community-based provider certified or
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contracted by the department to deliver MRSS.
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(4) "Medicaid agency" means the Medicaid program administered within the executive
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office of health and human services (EOHHS).
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(5) "Mobile response and stabilization services" or "MRSS" means community-based
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behavioral health crisis services for children and youth under the age of twenty-one (21), including:
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(i) Rapid mobile crisis response;
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(ii) Crisis assessment and de-escalation;
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(iii) Short-term stabilization and follow-up services; and
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(iv) Care coordination with families, schools, healthcare providers, and community-based
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organizations.
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(6) "Natural environment" means homes, schools, childcare settings, and other community
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locations in which children and youth typically live, learn, or receive care.
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42-72.13-2. Establishment of a statewide MRSS program.
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(a) The department, in coordination with the Medicaid agency, shall establish and
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administer a statewide mobile response and stabilization services program, and shall ensure
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alignment with the Children's Behavioral Health Consent Decree that was ordered in United States
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v. State of Rhode Island, C.A. No. 24-cv-00531.
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(b) The department shall establish standards for MRSS service fidelity.
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(c) MRSS shall be available statewide, twenty-four (24) hours per day, seven (7) days per
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week, to all children and youth regardless of insurance status or Medicaid eligibility.
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(d) No prior authorization, referral, or clinical intake determination shall be required for
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initiation of MRSS.

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(e) Services pursuant to this chapter shall be delivered in the child's natural environment
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whenever clinically appropriate.
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42-72.13-3. Service delivery standards.
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(a) Response time. Designated MRSS providers shall provide in-person mobile response
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within sixty (60) minutes of initial contact, unless clinically contraindicated.
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(b) Service components. MRSS shall include, at a minimum:
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(1) Crisis assessment and de-escalation;
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(2) Family engagement and support;
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(3) Short-term stabilization services of sufficient duration to support safe resolution of the
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crisis; and
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(4) Transition planning and linkage to ongoing behavioral health, educational, and
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community supports.
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(c) Designated provider MRSS teams shall consist of a minimum of two (2) staff, including
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at least one licensed behavioral health clinician qualified to conduct clinical assessments and one
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additional team member, which may include a peer support specialist, family partner, or other
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trained paraprofessional. Providers shall ensure access to clinical supervision and psychiatric
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consultation on a twenty-four (24) hour basis.
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(d) Workforce composition. Designated MRSS provider teams shall include licensed
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clinicians and may include peer support specialists, family navigators, and other trained staff with
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demonstrated expertise in children's behavioral health.
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(e) Cultural and linguistic competency. MRSS designated providers shall deliver services
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in a culturally and linguistically responsive manner and shall ensure accessibility for individuals
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with disabilities.
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(f) Coordination with crisis lines. MRSS shall operate in coordination with, but remain
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clinically and operationally distinct from, the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline (988) and other
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telephonic triage or referral lines, including Kids' Link RI. Referrals to designate MRSS providers
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shall originate from 988, Kids' Link RI, 911, schools, child welfare agencies, healthcare providers,
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law enforcement, families, or self-referral; provided, however, that designated MRSS providers
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shall retain clinical discretion regarding deployment, response modality, and timing. Nothing in
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this section shall be construed to require designated MRSS providers to operate or staff a call center,
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crisis hotline, or telephonic triage service.
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(g) Coordination with certified community behavioral health clinics (CCBHC). Designated
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MRSS providers shall coordinate with CCBHCs and other behavioral health providers for purposes
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of referral, care transitions, information-sharing, and continuity of care when clinically appropriate

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and with appropriate consent. Coordination shall not require MRSS to be operated by, embedded
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within, subcontracted to, or financially dependent upon a CCBHC, nor shall it limit the department's
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authority to certify or contract directly with community-based designated MRSS providers. MRSS
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shall remain a distinct mobile crisis response and stabilization service with independent clinical
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decision-making authority.
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(h) Child and family competency requirement. MRSS shall be delivered by designated
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MRSS providers with demonstrated expertise in child and adolescent behavioral health and family
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systems. Designated MRSS providers shall ensure that licensed clinical staff assigned to MRSS
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possess training and experience specific to children, youth and families, including child
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development, trauma-informed care, family engagement, and coordination with child-serving
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systems. Providers that primarily serve adult populations shall not deliver MRSS unless they
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demonstrate child-specific capacity, staffing, and supervision as required by this chapter.
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42-72.13-4. Funding and reimbursement.
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(a) MRSS shall be funded through a braided funding model consisting of:
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(1) Medicaid reimbursement for services provided to Medicaid-eligible children and youth
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and shall be actuarially sound and reflect the full cost of delivering twenty-four (24) hour MRSS
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service; and
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(2) State general revenue appropriated to the department for services provided to children
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and youth who are not Medicaid-eligible.
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(b) The department and the Medicaid agency shall ensure that providers receive a single,
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unified payment for MRSS services, without requiring separate billing streams based on insurance
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status.
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(c) Families shall not be charged fees, co-payments, or cost sharing for MRSS.
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(d) State funds appropriated pursuant to this section may be used to draw down available
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federal matching funds to the maximum extent permitted by law.
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(e) In the event of state budget reductions, MRSS shall be classified as an essential child
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behavioral health service. No reduction in MRSS funding shall occur without a public impact
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analysis and thirty (30) day notice to the general assembly, with explanation of how statutory
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response time and coverage standards will be maintained.
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(f) The department, in consultation with the state Medicaid agency, shall annually certify
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to the general assembly the total funding level necessary to maintain compliance with this chapter
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and the consent decree. The certification shall specify: the portion supported by Medicaid and the
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portion requiring state general revenue.
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(g) Appropriation and minimum state funding requirement.

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(1) For the fiscal year ending June 30, 2027, there is hereby appropriated nine hundred
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thousand dollars ($900,000) in general revenue to the executive office of health and human services
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to support mobile response and stabilization services for uninsured and underinsured children and
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youth and to cover services and costs not otherwise reimbursed by Medicaid or commercial
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insurance.
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(2) Beginning in fiscal year 2028, and annually thereafter, the department, in coordination
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with the Medicaid agency, shall include in its annual budget request and the governor shall include
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in the budget submitted pursuant to § 35-3-7, a general revenue appropriation sufficient to ensure
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statewide access to mobile response and stabilization services for uninsured and underinsured
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children and youth consistent with the requirements of this chapter and the Children's Behavioral
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Health Consent Decree.
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(3) For the fiscal year ending June 30, 2028, and for each fiscal year thereafter, the general
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revenue appropriation for mobile response and stabilization services pursuant to this section shall
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not be less than one million dollars ($1,000,000), unless modified by act of the general assembly.
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42-72.13-5. Medicaid coverage.
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(a) The Medicaid agency shall designate MRSS as a covered Medicaid service for eligible
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children and youth under age twenty-one (21), including coverage pursuant to the early and periodic
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screening, diagnostic, and treatment (EPSDT) benefit.
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(b) The Medicaid agency shall submit any necessary state plan amendments or waiver
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applications to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to implement this section.
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(c) Managed care entities contracted with the Medicaid agency shall include MRSS in their
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covered service arrays and provider networks.
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(d) MRSS shall not be subject to prior authorization, visit caps, geographic restrictions, or
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utilization management practices that delay or impede crisis response or stabilization services.
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42-72.13-6. Provider designation and contracting.
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(a) The department shall certify and contract with community-based designated MRSS
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providers to deliver MRSS.
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(b) In designating MRSS providers, the department shall prioritize:
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(1) MRSS providers with demonstrated experience in children's behavioral health crisis
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services;
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(2) Existing community-based providers currently delivering mobile crisis or stabilization
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services; and
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(3) Geographic coverage sufficient to ensure statewide access.
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(c) Designated MRSS provider contracts shall establish reimbursement rates, performance

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standards, reporting requirements, and care coordination expectations.
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42-72.13-7. Oversight and reporting.
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(a) The department shall collect data on MRSS utilization, response times, outcomes, and
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cost avoidance.
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(b) No later than January 1 of each year, the department shall submit a report to the
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governor and the general assembly detailing:
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(1) Program utilization and geographic coverage;
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(2) Funding sources and expenditures;
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(3) Outcomes related to emergency department and inpatient diversion; and
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(4) Recommendations for statutory or budgetary changes.
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42-72.13-8. Rulemaking authority.
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(a) The department shall promulgate rules and regulations necessary to implement this
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chapter. The rules and regulations shall establish a statewide MRSS mutual aid framework to ensure
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coverage during periods of high demand, workforce shortages, or regional capacity constraints.
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(b) The department rules and regulations shall include the following:
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(1) "Family-defined crisis" means a situation identified by a child or youth, their parent,
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caregiver, or another individual responsible for the welfare of the child or youth as causing
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emotional, behavioral, or relational distress that exceeds the family's ability to manage safely
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without support.
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(2) "Screen-in standard" means an access standard under which all requests for MRSS are
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presumed eligible for response unless clinical judgment determines that the situation presents a
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level of imminent risk that requires emergency services beyond the scope of MRSS.
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(3) "Stabilization services" means time-limited, post-crisis supports provided following the
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initial mobile response to assist the child or youth and their family in maintaining safety,
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strengthening coping strategies, and connecting to ongoing services and natural supports.
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(4) "Crisis episode" means the period of care beginning with the initial request for MRSS
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and continuing through crisis response, stabilization, and transition or discharge.
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(5) "Mutual aid" means a coordinated, temporary arrangement among designated MRSS
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providers to ensure statewide coverage during periods of high demand, workforce shortages, or
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localized capacity constraints.
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(c) Designated MRSS providers shall participate in coordinated coverage protocols to
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prevent service gaps and ensure statewide response time requirements are met. Participation in
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mutual aid shall not be used to supplant existing designated MRSS providers or reallocate base
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funding.

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42-72.13-9. Severability.
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If any provision of this act is held invalid, such invalidity shall not affect other provisions
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of the act which can be given effect without the invalid provision.
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SECTION 3. This act shall take effect upon passage.
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EXPLANATION
BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL
OF
A N A C T
RELATING TO STATE AFFAIRS AND GOVERNMENT -- CHILDREN'S MOBILE
RESPONSE AND STABILIZATION SERVICES
***
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This act would establish a statewide mobile response and stabilization services program to
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provide rapid crisis response and short-term stabilization for children and youth in their natural
3
environments.
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This act would take effect upon passage.
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