S168 - DHHS & Other Revisions. (Ratified)

Overview: Senate Bill 168 made a number of changes in the health and human services area. The bill made primarily technical and conforming changes to laws pertaining to the Division of Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities, and Substance Abuse Services and the Division of Public Health in the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS). The bill included changes to allow the Chief Medical Examiner to appoint emergency medical examiners during a state of emergency and to specify that all information and records provided by a city, county, or other public entity to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner concerning a death investigation will retain the same degree of confidentiality it had while in the possession of the city, county or other public entity. The bill made technical, conforming, and other changes to DHHS Block Grants. Finally, the bill contained a privilege exception to the reporting requirement for crimes against juveniles for psychiatric physicians.

Senate Bill 168 was ratified by the General Assembly on June 26, 2020, and vetoed by the Governor on July 6, 2020.