Mental Health Legislation Vote Slated For July After Years Of Delay
Among other provisions, the bill would create a new assistant secretary in the Department of Health and Human Services to oversee mental health and substance abuse programs and authorizes grants for areas such as preventing suicide and early intervention for children with mental illnesses.
The Hill:
House To Vote On Long-Delayed Mental Health Bill In July
The House will vote on a long-delayed mental health reform bill in July, Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy’s (R-Calif.) office said Wednesday. The announcement is another major step forward for the legislation, which had been delayed for years but finally was voted out of committee this month. The committee vote came after House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Fred Upton (R-Mich.) worked to make major changes to the bill, scaling back many of the more sweeping, costly provisions. The bill ended up passing committee this month by an overwhelming vote of 53-0, smoothing the path to passage by the full House. Democrats have called the bill a good first step but argued that without major new funding, the measure is incomplete. (Sullivan, 6/22)
