RS 28:910: Legislative intent and public policy

A. The legislature finds and declares that state-funded behavioral healthcare and care for persons with intellectual disabilities and developmental disabilities are better directed at a local level to ensure local accountability, responsiveness to the unique needs of the community, and the establishment of local partnerships and relationships with other local agencies that serve individuals in the community.

B. The legislature also finds and declares that the statutory creation of the ten statewide human services districts and authorities was intended to serve this purpose and each has done so since initial inception and completion of the readiness assessment enacted by the legislature.

C. The legislature further finds and declares that it is now time to move past the readiness assessment phase of operation of the statewide human services districts and authorities through a modernization and consolidation of the law established in this Part.

D. The legislature therefore declares that this Part establishes the evolution of the statewide human services districts and authorities to create a more robust opportunity for them to excel at their mission of being the community director for behavioral health services and services for individuals with intellectual disabilities and developmental disabilities.