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25LSO-0450
2025
STATE OF WYOMING
25LSO-0450
Introduced
2.0
HOUSE BILL NO. HB0180
K-12 mental health program-3.
Sponsored by: Representative(s) Larsen, L, Lawley and Sherwood and Senator(s) Barlow, Nethercott and Schuler
A BILL
for
AN ACT relating to education; creating a program relating to K-12 mental health as specified; providing appropriations; providing positions; requiring reports; repealing a provision; and providing for an effective date.
Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Wyoming:
Section 1.
W.S. 21
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13
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338 is created to read:
21
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13
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338.
Mental health program for K
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12 students.
(a)
The department of education shall administer a program to address the mental health needs of K
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12 public school students. The program shall be implemented in K
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12 public schools for a minimum of two (2) school years and shall focus on advancing wellness and resiliency in the education of K
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12 students. The intent of the program shall be to screen or otherwise identify students with mental health challenges, to stabilize those students until further support can be found and to refer those students to appropriate services. Program funding shall be available to every Wyoming public school district, each of which can choose whether to implement the program.
(b)
Each school district participating in the program shall report to the department of education the expenditure of amounts appropriated for this program, the number of students that received services as a result of the program and the impact of the services offered. Each district shall provide other information and data as required by the department.
(c)
Schools shall notify parents or guardians if their child is identified as needing services under the program pursuant to the requirements of W.S. 21
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3
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135.
Section 2
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(a)
Up to five million dollars ($5,000,000.00), or as much thereof as is credited to the public school foundation program account as a result of the appropriation repealed in section 3 is hereby reappropriated from the public school foundation program account to the department of education‑school finance in order to implement the mental health program pursuant to section 1 of this act for school year 2025
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2026, to augment amounts within the education resource block grant model available to districts to address the mental health needs of the K
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12 student population. This reappropriation shall be for the period beginning with the effective date of this act and ending June 30, 2026. This reappropriation shall not be transferred or expended for any other purpose and any unexpended, unobligated funds remaining from this appropriation shall revert as provided by law on June 30, 2026.
(b)
There is appropriated eight hundred five thousand dollars ($805,000.00) from the public school foundation program account to the department of education‑school finance to implement the mental health program pursuant to section 1 of this act for school year 2025
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2026, to augment amounts within the education resource block grant model available to districts to address the mental health needs of the K
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12 student population. This appropriation shall be for the period beginning with the effective date of this act and ending June 30, 2026.
This appropriation shall not be transferred or expended for any other purpose and any unexpended, unobligated funds remaining from this appropriation shall revert as provided by law on June 30, 2026.
(c)
It is the intent of the legislature that the funding to implement the mental health program in subsections (a) and (b) of this section be doubled and included in the department of education‑school finance's next budget request submitted under W.S. 9
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2
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1013.
(d)
From the reappropriation in subsection (a) of this section and appropriation in subsection (b) of this section:
(i)
Community project manager positions shall be created in each participating district, the salaries and fringe benefits of which shall not exceed one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000.00) per school year, per district with an ADM of five hundred (500) or more students and which shall not exceed twenty
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five thousand dollars ($25,000.00) per school year, per district with an ADM of less than five hundred (500) students;
(ii)
Community support coordinator positions shall be created in each participating district, the salaries and fringe benefits of which shall not exceed thirty‑five thousand dollars ($35,000.00) per school year, per district.
(e)
The department of education is authorized two (2) full
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time positions for the purpose of implementing and administering this act. The salary and benefits of the positions authorized under this subsection shall be paid from the reappropriation made in subsection (a) of this section and the appropriation made in subsection (b) of this section, in an amount not to exceed two hundred twenty
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five thousand dollars ($225,000.00) per fiscal year.
Section 3.
(a)
2024 Wyoming Session Laws, Chapter 118, Section 331(a) is repealed.
(b)
Unexpended, unobligated funds deappropriated as a result of the appropriation repealed in subsection (a) of this section shall be credited to the public school foundation program account on the effective date of this section.
Section 4.
Not later than August 1, 2026, the department of education shall report to the joint education interim committee findings and recommendations on the number of students served as a result of the implementation of the mental health program pursuant to section 1 of this act and shall include any recommendations to address the costs associated with responding to students' mental health needs.
Section 5.
This act is effective immediately upon completion of all acts necessary for a bill to become law as provided by Article 4, Section 8 of the Wyoming Constitution.
(END)
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HB0180