SJR 51

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Full Text of SJR0051
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	SJR0051 - 104th General Assembly
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		SJ0051		LRB104 19445 ECR 32893 r
1SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION
2    WHEREAS, Illinois has a strong track record of bipartisan
3support for high-quality, evidence-based behavioral health
4care as demonstrated by the codification of innovative
5programs and by the State's many meaningful investments in
6recovery services and supports; and
7    WHEREAS, According to the National Alliance on Mental
8Illness (NAMI), more than one in five adults in the United
9States experience mental illness each year, and more than one
10in 20 adults experience serious mental illness each year;
11according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services
12Administration (SAMHSA) data from 2024, nearly 17% of those
13over the age of 12 had a substance use disorder in the
14preceding year; and
15    WHEREAS, Having a mental illness or substance use disorder
16can make it challenging to live everyday life and maintain
17recovery, and these challenges extend beyond the individual
18and impact families, communities, and the entire State of
19Illinois; and
20    WHEREAS, President Trump issued an Executive Order on July
2124, 2025, entitled "Ending Crime and Disorder on America's
22Streets", that calls for shifting people experiencing
		SJ0051	- 2 -	LRB104 19445 ECR 32893 r
1homelessness, serious mental illness, and/or substance use
2disorder into "long-term institutional settings" via
3involuntary commitment; and
4    WHEREAS, The Executive Order also directs the United
5States Attorney General and the Secretary of Health and Human
6Services to work toward reversing Federal or State judicial
7precedents and the determination of consent decrees that
8protect the rights of Americans; and
9    WHEREAS, By the mid-20th century, it was widely
10acknowledged that the institutional settings developed as the
11primary treatment option for serious mental illness throughout
12the 1800s had harmed patients and left many people trapped
13with no alternatives for care; and
14    WHEREAS, The Community Mental Health Act of 1963
15established community mental health centers across the United
16States to provide community-based care as an alternative to
17institutionalization so that patients could be treated while
18working and living at home; and
19    WHEREAS, Illinois is subject to the Williams and Colbert
20consent decrees due to violations of the Americans with
21Disabilities Act and the Rehabilitation Act, and the State now
22operates programs to facilitate the de-institutionalization of
		SJ0051	- 3 -	LRB104 19445 ECR 32893 r
1individuals from long-term care facilities who are able to
2live in the community with the appropriate supports, including
3those living with mental illness; and
4    WHEREAS, The Illinois General Assembly recognizes the
5history of vulnerable populations being subject to unwarranted
6involuntary commitment or other human rights violations and
7that this may contribute to apprehension around engaging in
8behavioral health services among individuals who have
9historically been subjected to these practices; and
10    WHEREAS, Since the 1970s, psychiatric survivors and their
11peers have worked tirelessly to empower people with behavioral
12health conditions to center their experience in the
13development of treatment programs and recovery supports and to
14advocate for their rights; and
15    WHEREAS, The Illinois legislature has recognized and
16reinforced that no recipient of mental health services shall
17be deprived of any rights or privileges guaranteed by law, the
18Constitution of the State of Illinois, or the Constitution of
19the United States solely based on receiving these services;
20such protected rights include recognition that Illinoisans
21have a fundamental liberty to remain free from forced or
22involuntary mental health treatment, and in cases where
23involuntary treatment is applied, Illinoisans must be afforded
		SJ0051	- 4 -	LRB104 19445 ECR 32893 r
1due process with strict adherence to legal safeguards; and
2    WHEREAS, Individuals living with behavioral health
3conditions are disproportionately represented among those
4experiencing homelessness due to a persistent lack of
5affordable housing and a lack of access to treatment; and
6    WHEREAS, Individuals with behavioral health conditions may
7have children; one in 18 children under the age of six has
8experienced family homelessness each year in the United
9States, and research shows that homelessness has a profound
10impact on child health and developmental outcomes given the
11unparalleled development that occurs in the early years of
12life; and
13    WHEREAS, The General Assembly passed the Housing Is
14Recovery Act in 2021, recognizing the foundational importance
15of a safe, reliable place to call home to recovery; and
16    WHEREAS, Housing First is a framework that pairs housing
17with services, centering the goals of individuals experiencing
18homelessness by recognizing that securing a safe, stable place
19to live is a basic need and is central to a person's ability to
20engage in treatment; and
21    WHEREAS, Harm Reduction is an approach that focuses on the
		SJ0051	- 5 -	LRB104 19445 ECR 32893 r
1prevention of harm, rather than abstinence, and it is
2inclusive of overdose prevention and reversal; this approach
3also reduces the spread of communicable diseases while
4increasing the speed of education, outreach, and linkage to
5treatment; and
6    WHEREAS, Persons experiencing behavioral health conditions
7are more likely to be the targets of violence than the
8perpetrators due to their lack of shelter and their societal
9marginalization; and
10    WHEREAS, Far too many people living with mental health and
11substance use conditions become involved with the criminal
12justice system due to a lack of access to effective treatment
13and support services to address health-related social needs;
14and
15    WHEREAS, The General Assembly passed the Community
16Emergency Services and Supports Act (CESSA) in 2021, requiring
17emergency response centers, such as 911, to refer callers
18seeking behavioral health support to teams of mental health
19professionals rather than police to provide a meaningful
20connection to effective, community-based care for people
21experiencing crisis; and
22    WHEREAS, Illinois has embraced the Certified Community
		SJ0051	- 6 -	LRB104 19445 ECR 32893 r
1Behavioral Health Clinics (CCBHCs) model to expand access to
2comprehensive mental health and substance use treatment
3throughout the State; and
4    WHEREAS, Illinois established a Chief Behavioral Health
5Officer in 2022 to better coordinate State policies, programs,
6and investments in our mental health and substance use
7treatment system; and
8    WHEREAS, Recent federal executive orders, notices of
9funding opportunity, and grant terms and conditions promote
10both policies and practices that are inconsistent with
11evidence-based approaches that have long been supported on a
12bipartisan basis such as Housing First and Harm Reduction;
13therefore, be it
14    RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED FOURTH GENERAL
15ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE HOUSE OF
16REPRESENTATIVES CONCURRING HEREIN, that we reaffirm our
17steadfast commitment to promoting a person-centered,
18community-based mental health and substance use treatment
19system that is evidence-backed and recognizes each person's
20dignity, humanity, and autonomy in determining the best course
21of care in the least restrictive environment in compliance
22with the Constitution and laws of the State of Illinois.