H 4669

HOUSE . . . . . . . . No. 4669
  The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
  ________________________________________
  HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, November 5, 2025.
    The committee on Mental Health, Substance Use and Recovery, to
whom was referred the petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 2226) of
John Francis Moran and Carmine Lawrence Gentile for legislation to
establish a special commission (including members of the General Court)
to study the availability of the continuum of care services for persons with
substance use disorder, reports recommending that the accompanying bill
(House, No. 4669) ought to pass.
  For the committee,
  MINDY DOMB.
  FILED ON: 10/23/2025
 HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 4669
  The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
  _______________
  In the One Hundred and Ninety-Fourth General Court
  (2025-2026)
  _______________
An Act relative to studying and improving the continuum of care for persons with mental health,
substance use and co-occurring mental health and substance use disorders.
  Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority
of the same, as follows:
1SECTION 1. (a) Notwithstanding any general or special law to the contrary, the
2 executive office of health and human services shall study the continuum of care for persons with
3 behavioral health conditions, including, but not limited to, mental health, substance use or co-
4 occurring mental health and substance use disorder, and the feasibility of and potential need for
5 creating regional facilities for this purpose.
6(b) The study shall examine and include recommendations on: (i) the current regional
7 availability of and strategies for overcoming barriers to care and care gaps in behavioral health
8 services, including, but not limited to mental health, substance use and co-occurring mental
9 health and substance use disorder services, acute treatment services, clinical stabilization
10 services, transitional support services, residential recovery home services and outpatient
11 treatment, including, but not limited to, medication assisted treatment; (ii) the impact on
12 communities in which current services and programs are located; (iii) institutional barriers that
13 individuals face in accessing or progressing through the treatment continuum, including
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14 behavioral and physical health needs and acuity, funding, treatment costs and rates, program
15 space and capacity, access to transportation and transit options, harm reduction programs and
16 services, accessibility, housing availability and any other barriers caused by unconnected
17 services or a lack of continuum of care within the current recovery process; and (iv) the creation
18 of an enhanced service architecture that addresses such gaps and barriers, including the need for
19 regional continuum of care facilities for the treatment of mental health and substance use
20 disorders, including co-occurring mental health and substance use disorders, and the optimal
21 capacity at each level of care to ensure individuals can efficiently access and move through each
22 level of care as clinically necessary.
23(c) The study shall be conducted with input from relevant stakeholders, including, but not
24 limited to: (i) professional associations and organizations and health care providers with
25 expertise in the provision of care to people with substance use disorder and co-occurring
26 substance use and mental health conditions; (ii) professional associations and organizations and
27 individuals with expertise in the treatment of substance use disorder, co-occurring substance use
28 and mental health conditions and equity in access to health care; (iii) behavioral health
29 professionals with expertise in providing culturally-competent care to people with substance use
30 disorder and co-occurring substance use and mental health conditions; (iv) individuals who have
31 lived experience of seeking or receiving substance use disorder and co-occurring substance use
32 and mental health services or treatment; (v) executive agencies of the commonwealth or its
33 political subdivisions; and (vi) other relevant stakeholders identified by the secretary; provided,
34 however, that the executive office may consult with external experts or other third-party entities
35 when the office lacks the specific scientific, medical or technical expertise necessary for the
36 performance of its responsibilities under this section; and provided further, that the executive
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37 office shall disclose when such external expert or third-party entity contributes to its analysis and
38 reporting and the identity of such external expert or third-party entity.
39(d) Not later than 1 year from the effective date of this act, the executive office shall
40 submit a detailed report with its findings and recommendations, along with drafts of any
41 legislation necessary to carry out such recommendations and any additional information deemed
42 relevant by the executive office, to the clerks of the house of representatives and the senate, the
43 joint committee on mental health, substance use and recovery, the joint committee on health care
44 financing and the governor.
45(e) Not later than 1 year following submission of the first report and by December 31
46 annually thereafter, the executive office shall submit a report detailing the commonwealth’s
47 progress in implementing the recommendations contained in the preceding report, including any
48 barriers to the implementation of such recommendations and any additional recommendations to
49 address such barriers, to the clerks of the house of representative and the senate, the joint
50 committee on mental health, substance use and recovery, the joint committee on health care
51 financing and the governor.
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