Advocacy Alert: June 2020 Legislative News Round Up

July 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.

Hassan, Colleagues Call for Robust Support for Children's Mental Health Care
Shared 6/1/2020
U.S. Senator Maggie Hassan (D-NH) joined Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) and 19 additional colleagues in calling for robust funding for children’s behavioral health care in upcoming COVID-19 response legislation.

OR | Oregon's Behavioral Health Crisis
Shared 6/12/2020
The House Interim Committee on Behavioral Health Care heard testimony on Tuesday, May 26 from providers and health officials on the troubled state of behavioral health in Oregon. Increased challenges lie ahead as services will be slashed due to COVID-19 b

LA | Louisiana Lawmakers Expand Access to Mental Health Services via Telehealth
Shared 6/15/2020
Louisiana lawmakers have passed legislation adding mental health services to the state's telehealth toolkit and expanding the list of providers able to use the technology.

CO | House Passes Buentello Bill to Address Opioid Crisis
Shared 6/17/2020
The bills would enhance access to treatment for substance use disorders (SUD) and help more Coloradans through their SUD recovery.

CA | Drug Rehabs And Psychiatric Facilities Are An Overlooked COVID-19 Risk, Advocates Say
Shared 6/18/2020
New data released this month by the California Department of Health Care Services shows 61 residential mental health and drug treatment facilities have had one or more cases of COVID-19 among staff or patients.

Senate HELP Committee Weighs the Future of Telehealth
Shared 6/20/2020
Of the 31 changes federal policymakers have enacted so far to ease access to virtual care, senators wondered: How many should be made permanent?

HHS Strips Gender Identity, Sex Stereotyping, Language Access Protections From ACA Anti-Discrimination Rule
Shared 6/21/2020
The Office for Civil Rights (OCR) of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) issued a new final rule to dramatically revise the agency's prior interpretation of Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), the law's primary anti-discrimination

NY | Ulster County Lawmakers, Ryan at Odds Over Grant Intended to Fight Opioid Addiction
Shared 6/21/2020
Ulster County legislators have delayed accepting a grant of more than $500,000 from Columbia University to fight opioid addiction, a move described by County Executive Pat Ryan as "malpractice."

New Emergency Telehealth Capacity Bill Has Bipartisan Support
Shared 6/23/2020
Several other telehealth bills have also brought Democrats and Republicans together.

MT | Montana Behavioral Healthcare Providers Take Part in Advocacy Forum
Shared 6/24/2020
Community behavioral health care organizations throughout Montana will participate in an advocacy event organized by the National Council for Behavioral Health.

ND | Behavioral Health Providers Concerned about Future of Telehealth
Shared 6/24/2020
Movement to make rapid changes permanent is being pushed forward at the state and federal levels.

FL | Behavioral Health Advocates Hope to Outlast Budget Slashes
Shared 6/30/2020
With Gov. Ron DeSantis looking for hundreds of millions of dollars to cut from the Legislature's $93.2 billion budget, and a decision coming down the pipe in the coming days, the more than $500 million in member projects looks like a prime place to thin spending.

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.