SF0165 • 2023

Mental health telehealth pilot program.

AN ACT relating to education; authorizing the department of education to contract with a telehealth counseling provider to offer services to public school students; requiring reporting; requiring confidentiality; providing an appropriation; and providing for an effective date.

Education Healthcare

Inactive

Wyoming marks this bill as inactive, which usually means it is no longer moving in the current session.

Sponsor: Senator Brennan
Last action: 2023-02-07
Official status: inactive
Effective date: 3/1/2023

Plain English Breakdown

The bill's status is marked as inactive, which means it did not move forward in the current session.

Mental Health Telehealth Pilot Program

The bill authorizes the Wyoming Department of Education to contract with a telehealth counseling provider for mental health services for public school students, requires confidentiality and reporting, and allocates funding.

What This Bill Does

Authorizes the Department of Education to contract with a telehealth counseling provider to offer services to K-12 public school students.
Requires that student names using these services remain confidential and not be shared with schools or the department.
Allocates $250,000 from the general fund for the program until June 30, 2027, or when funds run out.
Requires a report on the program's implementation and usage by June 1, 2025.

Who It Names or Affects

Public school students in Wyoming from kindergarten through twelfth grade
The Department of Education and telehealth counseling providers

Terms To Know

Telehealth: Healthcare services provided remotely, usually over the internet or phone.
Pilot Program: A small-scale test of a new program to see if it works well before expanding it.

Limits and Unknowns

The bill does not specify what happens after the pilot program ends or how long it will last beyond June 30, 2027.
It is unclear which telehealth provider will be chosen for this program.

Bill History

2023-02-07 Senate
S:Died in Committee Returned Bill Pursuant to SR 5-4
2023-02-06 Senate
S No report prior to CoW Cutoff
2023-01-24 Senate
S Introduced and Referred to S04 - Education
2023-01-24 Senate
S Received for Introduction
2023-01-23 LSO
Bill Number Assigned

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

23LSO-0665
2023
STATE OF WYOMING
23LSO-0665
Numbered
2.0

SENATE FILE NO. SF0165

Mental health telehealth pilot program.

Sponsored by: Senator(s) Brennan, Baldwin, Ellis and Rothfuss and Representative(s) Brown

A BILL

for

AN ACT relating to education; authorizing the department of education to contract with a telehealth counseling provider to offer services to public school students; requiring reporting; requiring confidentiality; providing an appropriation; and providing for an effective date.

Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Wyoming:

Section 1
.

(a)

The mental health telehealth pilot program is hereby created. The department of education, in consultation with the department of health, shall select and contract with a telehealth counseling provider to offer telehealth counseling services to public school students within the state. The telehealth counseling services shall be available to all Wyoming public school students in grades kindergarten through twelve (12), shall be provided at no cost to the students and shall be offered beginning January 1, 2024 and ending when the funds appropriated in section 2 of this act are exhausted. The names of students who utilize the telehealth counseling services shall remain confidential and shall not be revealed to the department of education or to the public schools that the students attend.

(b)

On or before June 1, 2025, the department of education shall report to the joint labor, health and social services interim committee and the joint education interim committee on the implementation and utilization of the telehealth counseling services provided pursuant to this act.

Section 2
.

There is appropriated two hundred fifty thousand dollars ($250,000.00) from the general fund to the department of education for purposes of providing telehealth counseling services to public school students in accordance with this act for the period beginning July 1, 2023 and ending when the appropriated funds are exhausted or June 30, 2027, whichever date is earlier. This appropriation shall not be transferred or expended for any other purpose and any unexpended, unobligated funds remaining from this appropriation on June 30, 2027 shall revert as provided by law.

Section 3.

This act is effective July 1, 2023
.

(END)

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SF0165