| Chapter 363 |
| 2026 -- S 3066 SUBSTITUTE B AS AMENDED Enacted 06/22/2026 |
| A N A C T |
| RELATING TO STATE AFFAIRS AND GOVERNMENT -- CHILDREN'S MOBILE RESPONSE AND STABILIZATION SERVICES |
Introduced By: Senators Lawson, Murray, Ciccone, Tikoian, and LaMountain |
| Date Introduced: March 12, 2026 |
| It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows: |
| SECTION 1. Title 42 of the General Laws entitled "STATE AFFAIRS AND |
| GOVERNMENT" is hereby amended by adding thereto the following chapter: |
| CHAPTER 72.13 |
| CHILDREN'S MOBILE RESPONSE AND STABILIZATION SERVICES |
| 42-72.13-1. Definitions. |
| As used in this chapter: |
| (1) "Department" means the department of children, youth and families (DCYF). |
| (2) "Designated MRSS provider" means a community-based provider licensed or |
| contracted by the department to deliver MRSS. |
| (3) "Medicaid agency" means the Medicaid program administered within the executive |
| office of health and human services (EOHHS). |
| (4) "Mobile response and stabilization services" or "MRSS" means community-based |
| behavioral health crisis services for children and youth up to the age of twenty-one (21), including: |
| (i) Rapid mobile crisis response; |
| (ii) Crisis assessment and de-escalation; |
| (iii) Short-term stabilization and follow-up services; and |
| (iv) Care coordination with families, schools, healthcare providers, and community-based |
| organizations. |
| (5) "Natural environment" means homes, schools, childcare settings, and other community |
| locations in which children and youth typically live, learn, or receive care. |
| 42-72.13-2. Establishment of a statewide MRSS program. |
| (a) The department, in coordination with the Medicaid agency, shall establish and |
| administer a statewide mobile response and stabilization services program, and shall ensure |
| alignment with the Children's Behavioral Health Consent Decree that was ordered in United States |
| v. State of Rhode Island, C.A. No. 24-cv-00531. |
| (b) The department shall establish standards for MRSS service fidelity. |
| (c) MRSS shall be available statewide, twenty-four (24) hours per day, seven (7) days per |
| week, to all children and youth regardless of insurance status or Medicaid eligibility. |
| (d) The department shall license a minimum of two (2) MRSS providers and a maximum |
| of three (3) providers for the entire State of Rhode Island. |
| (1) Each licensed MRSS provider shall be responsible to provide MRSS to all children and |
| youth up to the age of twenty-one (21) to their agreed geographic region or catchment area as |
| established by the department. |
| (2) Licensed MRSS geographic catchment areas shall be through the assignment of the |
| specific cities and towns and ensure sustainability and community connection. |
| (e) No prior authorization, referral, or clinical intake determination shall be required for |
| initiation of MRSS. |
| (f) Services pursuant to this chapter shall be delivered in the child's natural environment |
| whenever clinically appropriate. |
| (g) All requests for MRSS shall be presumed eligible for response under a no wrong door |
| standard, and services shall not be denied or delayed due to: |
| (1) Payer status; |
| (2) Referral source; or |
| (3) Clinical screening thresholds inconsistent with a family-defined crisis. |
| 42-72.13-3. Service delivery standards. |
| (a) Response time. Designated MRSS providers shall provide in-person mobile response |
| within sixty (60) minutes of initial contact, unless clinically contraindicated. Telephonic or virtual |
| response shall not substitute for in-person response except where clinically appropriate and |
| determined by MRSS staff. |
| (b) Service components. MRSS shall include, at a minimum: |
| (1) Crisis assessment and de-escalation; |
| (2) Family engagement and support; |
| (3) Short-term stabilization services of sufficient duration to support safe resolution of the |
| crisis; and |
| (4) Transition planning and linkage to ongoing behavioral health, educational, and |
| community supports. |
| (c) Designated provider MRSS teams shall consist of a minimum of two (2) staff, including |
| at least one licensed behavioral health clinician qualified to conduct clinical assessments and one |
| additional team member, which may include a peer support specialist, family partner, or other |
| trained paraprofessional. Providers shall ensure access to clinical supervision and psychiatric |
| consultation on a twenty-four (24) hour basis. |
| (d) Workforce composition. Designated MRSS provider teams shall include licensed |
| clinicians and may include peer support specialists, family navigators, and other trained staff with |
| demonstrated expertise in children's behavioral health. |
| (e) Cultural and linguistic competency. MRSS designated providers shall deliver services |
| in a culturally and linguistically responsive manner and shall ensure accessibility for individuals |
| with disabilities. |
| (f) Coordination with crisis lines. MRSS shall serve as the primary, mobile crisis response |
| system for children and youth experiencing behavioral health crises. MRSS shall operate in |
| coordination with, but remain clinically and operationally distinct from, the 988 Suicide and Crisis |
| Lifeline (988) and other telephonic triage or referral lines, including Kids' Link RI. Referrals to |
| designated MRSS providers shall originate from 988, Kids' Link RI, 911, schools, child welfare |
| agencies, healthcare providers, law enforcement, families, or self-referral; provided, however, that |
| 988 and other telephonic triage or referral lines may receive, assess, de-escalate, and route crisis |
| contacts with applicable law, and designated MRSS providers shall retain clinical discretion in |
| accordance with nationally recognized fidelity standards regarding deployment, response modality, |
| and timing. Coordination with 988 and other crisis lines shall not result in unnecessary screening, |
| triage delays, or redirection that substitutes telephonic intervention for in-person mobile response |
| when MRSS is clinically appropriate. Nothing in this section shall permit 988 or any call center |
| entity to control dispatch or clinical decision-making for MRSS services once a referral has been |
| made. Nothing in this section shall be construed to require designated MRSS providers to operate |
| or staff a call center, crisis hotline, or telephonic triage service. |
| (g) Coordination with certified community behavioral health clinics (CCBHC). Designated |
| MRSS providers shall coordinate with CCBHCs and other behavioral health providers for purposes |
| of referral, care transitions, information-sharing, and continuity of care when clinically appropriate |
| and with appropriate consent. |
| (1) Designated MRSS providers may execute non-financial coordination agreements |
| and/or designated collaborating organization (DCO agreements) with coordinating entities such as |
| pediatricians, law enforcement, hospitals and other child and youth serving entities. |
| (2) Coordination shall not require MRSS to be operated by, embedded within, |
| subcontracted to, or financially dependent upon a CCBHC, nor shall it limit the department's |
| authority to contract directly with community-based designated MRSS providers. MRSS shall |
| remain a distinct mobile crisis response and stabilization service with independent clinical decision- |
| making authority. |
| (h) Child and family competency requirement. MRSS shall be delivered by designated |
| MRSS providers with demonstrated expertise in child and adolescent behavioral health and family |
| systems. Designated MRSS providers shall ensure that licensed clinical staff assigned to MRSS |
| possess training and experience specific to children, youth and families, including child |
| development, trauma-informed care, family engagement, and coordination with child-serving |
| systems. Providers that primarily serve adult populations shall not deliver MRSS unless they |
| demonstrate child-specific capacity, staffing, and supervision as required by this chapter. |
| 42-72.13-4. Funding. |
| On or before October 1, 2027, the Medicaid agency shall submit to the legislature a report |
| outlining the necessary steps and activities required to complete an alternative funding |
| methodology for Medicaid MRSS payments including any costs associated with implementation. |
| Implementation of the alternative methodology shall occur no later than October 1, 2028 in |
| accordance with federal approval. |
| 42-72.13-5. Medicaid coverage. |
| (a) The Medicaid agency shall designate MRSS as a covered Medicaid service for eligible |
| children and youth up to the age of twenty-one (21), including coverage pursuant to the early and |
| periodic screening, diagnostic, and treatment (EPSDT) benefit. |
| (b) The Medicaid agency shall submit any necessary state plan amendments or waiver |
| applications to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to implement this section. |
| (c) The Medicaid agency shall ensure compliance with all applicable EPSDT requirements |
| for Medicaid eligible children and youth accessing MRSS. |
| (d) Nothing in this section shall prevent the Medicaid agency from implementing |
| utilization management or prior authorization to ensure program integrity and compliance with |
| federal Medicaid requirements. |
| 42-72.13-6. Provider designation and contracting. |
| (a) The department shall license and oversee community-based designated MRSS |
| providers. The department may enter into contracts as necessary for payment and administrative |
| purposes; however, designation as an MRSS provider shall be based on licensure, not procurement |
| status. |
| (b) In designating MRSS providers, the department shall prioritize: |
| (1) MRSS providers with demonstrated experience in children's behavioral health crisis |
| services; |
| (2) Existing community-based providers currently delivering mobile crisis or stabilization |
| services; and |
| (3) Geographic coverage sufficient to ensure statewide access. |
| (c) Designated MRSS provider contracts shall establish reimbursement rates, performance |
| standards, reporting requirements, and care coordination expectations. |
| (d) The department shall establish a licensure category specific to children’s mobile |
| response and stabilization services, including standards for clinical staffing, child and family |
| expertise, and service delivery requirements. Each designated MRSS provider shall be responsible |
| to provide MRSS to all children and youth up to the age of twenty-one (21) and demonstrate a |
| willingness to provide services for the purposes of mutual aid to other licensed MRSS providers |
| when needed. |
| (e) No provider shall deliver MRSS unless licensed pursuant to this chapter. |
| 42-72.13-7. Oversight and reporting. |
| (a) The department shall collect data on MRSS utilization, response times, outcomes, and |
| cost avoidance. |
| (b) No later than January 1 of each year, the department shall submit a report to the |
| governor and the general assembly detailing: |
| (1) Program utilization and geographic coverage; |
| (2) Funding sources and expenditures; |
| (3) Outcomes related to emergency department and inpatient diversion; and |
| (4) Recommendations for statutory or budgetary changes. |
| 42-72.13-8. Rulemaking authority. |
| The department shall promulgate rules and regulations necessary to implement this chapter. |
| The rules and regulations shall establish a statewide MRSS mutual aid framework to ensure |
| coverage during periods of high demand, workforce shortages, or regional capacity constraints. |
| 42-72.13-9. Severability. |
| If any provision of this act is held invalid, such invalidity shall not affect other provisions |
| of the act which can be given effect without the invalid provision. |
| SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage. |
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| LC006098/SUB B/2 |
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