Section 5701.

(a) To achieve equity of funding, available funding for local mental health programs beyond the funding provided pursuant to Section 17601 shall be distributed to cities, counties, and cities and counties pursuant to the procedures described in subdivision (c) of Section 17606.05.

(b) Funding provided pursuant to Section 6 of Article XIII B of the California Constitution, funding provided pursuant to subdivision (c), and funding provided for future pilot projects shall be exempt from the requirements of subdivision (a).

(c) Effective in the 2012–13 fiscal year and each year thereafter:

(1) The State Department of Health Care Services shall annually identify from mental health block grant funds provided by the federal government, the maximum amount that federal law and regulation permit to be allocated to counties and cities and counties pursuant to this subdivision. This section shall apply to any federal mental health block grant funds in excess of the following:

(A) Funds for departmental support.

(B) Amounts awarded to counties and cities and counties for children's systems of care programs pursuant to Part 4 (commencing with Section 5850).

(C) Amounts appropriated by the Legislature for the purposes of this part.

(2) Notwithstanding subdivision (a), annually the State Department of Health Care Services shall allocate to counties and cities and counties the funds identified in paragraph (1), not to exceed forty million dollars ($40,000,000) in any year. The allocations shall be proportional to each county's and each city and county's percentage of the forty million dollars ($40,000,000) in Cigarette and Tobacco Products Surtax funds that were allocated to local mental health programs in the 1991–92 fiscal year.

(3) Monthly, the Controller shall allocate funds from the Vehicle License Collection Account of the Local Revenue Fund to counties and cities and counties for mental health services. Allocations shall be made to each county or city and county in the same percentages as described in paragraph (2), until the total of the funds allocated to all counties in each year pursuant to paragraph (2) and this paragraph reaches forty million dollars ($40,000,000).

(4) Funds allocated to counties and cities and counties pursuant to paragraphs (2) and (3) shall not be subject to Section 17606.05.

(5) Funds that are available for allocation in any year in excess of the forty million dollar ($40,000,000) limits described in paragraph (2) or (3) shall be deposited into the Mental Health Subaccount of the Local Revenue Fund.

(6) Nothing in this section is intended to, nor shall it, change the base allocation of any city, county, or city and county as provided in Section 17601.

(Amended by Stats. 2012, Ch. 34, Sec. 139. Effective June 27, 2012.)