Advocacy Alert: August 2020 Legislative News Round Up

September 1, 2020

For those of you who follow us on social media know, we post news stories on a daily basis that are connected to the behavioral health and addiction treatment industry.

Many of these are news stories regarding legislation, so once a month we send out a 'news roundup' of related news stories we've posted. Unless otherwise stated, BHAP has no official stance on any of these stories: the intention is to share so that we're all better informed as to what's happening in the legislative world.

A reminder that BHAP members get access to a monthly call with our advocate in Washington, DC, to find out what is going on and ask any questions you may have. Feel free to contact us for more information on that.

CARES Act, Small Business Reorganization Act Give Treatment Centers Options
Shared 8/3/2020
The widespread economic impact of COVID-19 has touched all industries, including addiction treatment and behavioral health providers.

WV | Manchin, Capito Announce Funding for Opioid-Impacted Family support Program in West Virginia
Shared 8/3/2020
U.S. Senators Joe Manchin (D-WV) and Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), members of the Senate Appropriations Committee announced $189,561 for an opioid-impacted family support program at Northern Community College in Wheeling.

OR | Budget Cuts Loom Large for Addiction Recovery Services
Shared 8/10/2020
Big budget cuts are at stake in Oregon and addiction recovery advocates say the timing is terrible.

IA | Mental Health Region Debates Accepting CARES Money
Shared 8/12/2020
Funds allocated to the Eastern Iowa Mental Health Region by Governor Kim Reynolds earlier this month must be spent by Dec. 30, Region CEO Lori Elam said.

ME | Stimulus Debate Largely Overlooks Behavioral-Health Funding
Shared 8/13/2020
Federal stimulus funding is barely helping states such as Maine with their behavioral-health needs, also called mental-health and substance-use treatment. According to the National Council for Behavioral Health, the majority of targeted CARES Act funding went to fewer than 5 percent of behavioral health organizations.

SD | Legislators Brainstorm How to Fill Gaps in South Dakota's Behavioral Health Services
Shared 8/13/2020
State lawmakers discussed how to approach the process of ensuring a way to provide more immediate, local access to mental health services in South Dakota, a problem that hit close to home for Rep. Kevin Jensen.

AZ | Raising Arizona: The Battle For Legal Marijuana In The Grand Canyon State
Shared 8/17/2020
Once again, a battle is brewing in Arizona over the legalization of marijuana.

VA | Virginia Lawmakers Advance Bill to Alert Mental Health Providers in Emergencies
Shared 8/21/2020
Bill would establish a system to send mental health providers along with police in crisis situations.

PA | Gov. Wolf Renews Opioid Disaster Declaration For 11th Time
Shared 8/22/2020
The renewal is meant to speed the process for sending aid in response to the opioid crisis.

COVID-19, Mental Health, and the 2020 Election: A Review of Candidate Platforms
Shared 8/24/2020
The 2020 presidential election could have a substantial effect on the United States’ response to growing mental health needs and long-term policy for addressing this public health challenge.

OR | Oregon's Measure 110, Decriminalization And Addiction Treatment Initiative, Shows Indifference Amongst Backers
Shared 8/26/2020
The initiative, backed by New York-based Drug Policy Alliance (DPA), towards ending jail time and criminal convictions for low-level drug possessions, has raised some flags towards its treatment and recovery intention.

WV | West Virginia Receiving More than $43 Million for Opioid Crisis
Shared 8/29/2020
Sen. Joe Manchin, D–W.Va., has announced West Virginia will receive $43,756,934 through the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration first-year funds of its two-year State Opioid Response and Tribal Opioid Response grant program.

Questions? Concerns?

As always, we want your input.

A reminder that BHAP members get regular access to our advocate in Washington, DC. If you have any questions about BHAP's advocacy efforts, please contact us.