HJ0052 104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HJ0052 LRB104 19446 ECR 32894 r

HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, Illinois has a strong track record of bipartisan support for high-quality, evidence-based behavioral health care as demonstrated by the codification of innovative programs and by the State's many meaningful investments in recovery services and supports; and

WHEREAS, According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), more than one in five adults in the United States experience mental illness each year, and more than one in 20 adults experience serious mental illness each year; according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) data from 2024, nearly 17% of those over the age of 12 had a substance use disorder in the preceding year; and

WHEREAS, Having a mental illness or substance use disorder can make it challenging to live everyday life and maintain recovery, and these challenges extend beyond the individual and impact families, communities, and the entire State of Illinois; and

WHEREAS, President Trump issued an Executive Order on July 24, 2025, entitled "Ending Crime and Disorder on America's Streets", that calls for shifting people experiencing homelessness, serious mental illness, and/or substance use disorder into "long-term institutional settings" via involuntary commitment; and

WHEREAS, The Executive Order also directs the United States Attorney General and the Secretary of Health and Human Services to work toward reversing Federal or State judicial precedents and the determination of consent decrees that protect the rights of Americans; and

WHEREAS, By the mid-20th century, it was widely acknowledged that the institutional settings developed as the primary treatment option for serious mental illness throughout the 1800s had harmed patients and left many people trapped with no alternatives for care; and

WHEREAS, The Community Mental Health Act of 1963 established community mental health centers across the United States to provide community-based care as an alternative to institutionalization so that patients could be treated while working and living at home; and

WHEREAS, Illinois is subject to the Williams and Colbert consent decrees due to violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Rehabilitation Act, and the State now operates programs to facilitate the de-institutionalization of individuals from long-term care facilities who are able to live in the community with the appropriate supports, including those living with mental illness; and

WHEREAS, The Illinois General Assembly recognizes the history of vulnerable populations being subject to unwarranted involuntary commitment or other human rights violations and that this may contribute to apprehension around engaging in behavioral health services among individuals who have historically been subjected to these practices; and

WHEREAS, Since the 1970s, psychiatric survivors and their peers have worked tirelessly to empower people with behavioral health conditions to center their experience in the development of treatment programs and recovery supports and to advocate for their rights; and

WHEREAS, The Illinois legislature has recognized and reinforced that no recipient of mental health services shall be deprived of any rights or privileges guaranteed by law, the Constitution of the State of Illinois, or the Constitution of the United States solely based on receiving these services; such protected rights include recognition that Illinoisans have a fundamental liberty to remain free from forced or involuntary mental health treatment, and in cases where involuntary treatment is applied, Illinoisans must be afforded due process with strict adherence to legal safeguards; and

WHEREAS, Individuals living with behavioral health conditions are disproportionately represented among those experiencing homelessness due to a persistent lack of affordable housing and a lack of access to treatment; and

WHEREAS, Individuals with behavioral health conditions may have children; one in 18 children under the age of six has experienced family homelessness each year in the United States, and research shows that homelessness has a profound impact on child health and developmental outcomes given the unparalleled development that occurs in the early years of life; and

WHEREAS, The General Assembly passed the Housing Is Recovery Act in 2021, recognizing the foundational importance of a safe, reliable place to call home to recovery; and

WHEREAS, Housing First is a framework that pairs housing with services, centering the goals of individuals experiencing homelessness by recognizing that securing a safe, stable place to live is a basic need and is central to a person's ability to engage in treatment; and

WHEREAS, Harm Reduction is an approach that focuses on the prevention of harm, rather than abstinence, and it is inclusive of overdose prevention and reversal; this approach also reduces the spread of communicable diseases while increasing the speed of education, outreach, and linkage to treatment; and

WHEREAS, Persons experiencing behavioral health conditions are more likely to be the targets of violence than the perpetrators due to their lack of shelter and their societal marginalization; and

WHEREAS, Far too many people living with mental health and substance use conditions become involved with the criminal justice system due to a lack of access to effective treatment and support services to address health-related social needs; and

WHEREAS, The General Assembly passed the Community Emergency Services and Supports Act (CESSA) in 2021, requiring emergency response centers, such as 911, to refer callers seeking behavioral health support to teams of mental health professionals rather than police to provide a meaningful connection to effective, community-based care for people experiencing crisis; and

WHEREAS, Illinois has embraced the Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics (CCBHCs) model to expand access to comprehensive mental health and substance use treatment throughout the State; and

WHEREAS, Illinois established a Chief Behavioral Health Officer in 2022 to better coordinate State policies, programs, and investments in our mental health and substance use treatment system; and

WHEREAS, Recent federal executive orders, notices of funding opportunity, and grant terms and conditions promote both policies and practices that are inconsistent with evidence-based approaches that have long been supported on a bipartisan basis such as Housing First and Harm Reduction; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE HUNDRED FOURTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE SENATE CONCURRING HEREIN, that we reaffirm our steadfast commitment to promoting a person-centered, community-based mental health and substance use treatment system that is evidence-backed and recognizes each person's dignity, humanity, and autonomy in determining the best course of care in the least restrictive environment in compliance with the Constitution and laws of the State of Illinois.