Colorado spends more than a billion dollars a year on mental health and substance use care, but many of those who need help have a hard time navigating the system. A bipartisan bill that Governor Jared Polis signed into law on April 22 lays the groundwork for a new government entity to manage the state’s myriad programs in one central place and streamline care. In September, Colorado’s Behavioral Health Task Force unanimously recommended the state establish such an agency as one of several strategies for reforming the state’s behavioral health-care system. This new entity, the Behavioral Health Administration, won’t appear right away. But House Bill 21-1097 — sponsored by Representatives Mary Young (a Democrat from Greeley) and Rod Pelton (a Republican from Cheyenne Wells), along with Senators Rhonda Fields (a Democrat from Aurora) and Bob Gardner (a Republican from Colorado Springs) directs the Colorado Department of Human Services to establish the BHA by July 2022. The BHA will be part of CDHS until November 2024, after which it may become a separate department in the state government.