Legislative News

  • Monday, September 23, 2019 1:53 PM | Deleted user

    The work of the 2020 Session of the Florida Legislature is underway. Below are 6 initiatives, represented by a total of 10 Senate and House bills, concerning Floridians’ mental health and well-being that have been introduced as of 9/19/19.

    You can follow the links for each bill to find summaries and full texts of the bill as well as information on bill co-sponsors.

    If you are interested in knowing the progress of any of these or other bills, you can set up your own Bill Tracker account with the Florida Senate here.

    Bills Tracked for the 2020 Legislative Session:

    Number   

    Title

    Filed     By    

    Last Action

    SB 180

    Conversion Therapy

    Rodriguez

    Last Action: 9/19/2019 S Referred to Health Policy; Children, Families, and Elder Affairs; Rules

    HB 41

    Conversion Therapy

    Grieco

    Last Action: 8/9/2019 H Filed

    SB 230

    Department of Health

    Harrell

    Last Action: 9/19/2019 S Referred to Health Policy; Appropriations; Rules

    HB 105

    Human Trafficking Education in Schools

    Williams

    Last Action: 9/3/2019 H Filed

    SB 154

    Human Trafficking Education in Schools

    Thurston

    Last Action: 9/19/2019 S Referred to Education; Criminal Justice; Appropriations

    HB 161

    Prohibited Discrimination

    Toledo, Webb

    Last Action: 9/12/2019 H Filed

    SB 206

    Prohibited Discrimination

    Rouson

    Last Action: 9/19/2019 S Referred to Governmental Oversight and Accountability; Judiciary; Rules

    SB 104

    Services for Veterans and Their Families

    Harrell

    Last Action: 8/16/2019 S Referred to Military and Veterans Affairs and Space; Children, Families, and Elder Affairs; Appropriations

    HB 165

    Youth in Solitary Confinement

    Driskell

    Last Action: 9/13/2019 H Filed

    SB 228

    Youth in Solitary Confinement

    Thurston

    Last Action: 9/19/2019 S Referred to Criminal Justice; Appropriations Subcommittee on Criminal and Civil Justice; Appropriations


  • Thursday, August 01, 2019 5:17 PM | Deleted user

    Florida Board of Mental Health Professionals, click here.

    To review the amendments and the full Bill text, please click here

  • Wednesday, February 20, 2019 2:02 PM | Deleted user

    The following bill has been introduced into the 116th U.S. Congress in both the House and the Senate and needs the support of our Florida members of Congress:

    H.R. 945/S. 286 Mental Health Access Improvement Act of 2019

    Why this bill is important*:
    Medicare does not include licensed professional counselors in its coverage. Medicare beneficiaries are often at higher risk for mental health problems, such as depression and opioid addiction, yet older Americans are the least likely to receive mental health services. Only 1 in 5 older Americans receive needed mental health care, according to NAMI.
     
    Medicaid recipients can see an LPC and Medicaid will cover them-until they reach 65. Many individuals with private health insurance have mental health coverage but, once they retire, find that they can no longer afford to see an LPC. The passage of this legislation will enable Medicare to help the 4 out 5 seniors currently not receiving much-needed mental health care.

    As of 2/19/19, no Florida members of Congress have expressed their support of House Bill H.R. 945 or Senate Bill S. 286 by co-sponsoring this legislation. Please contact your House Representative and Senators Rubio and Scott and urge them to co-sponsor this legislation.

    If you are a current ACA member, you can click the link below to log in and send your message to your Florida Representative and our Florida Senators via ACA legislative action initiative:
    https://www.votervoice.net/BroadcastLinks/qIa8vLX99ztuYrRSWni89w

     

    Or contact your Representative and Senators directly. You can identify your members of Congress and access e-mail, phone number, and mailing address information here:

    https://whoismyrepresentative.com/

    *summary text on H.R. 945/S. 286 resourced from ACA legislative alert 2/15/19.


  • Wednesday, February 20, 2019 2:00 PM | Deleted user

    LEGISLATIVE ALERT: HOUSE BILL H.R. 1109

    2/20/19

    The following bill was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives on 2/8/19 and needs the support of Florida Representatives:

    H.R. 1109, the Mental Health Services for Students Act, to fund on-site mental health services for youth in schools nationwide.

    Once passed, the Mental Health Services for Students Act would*: 
    • Provide access to more comprehensive on-site mental health care services for students and their communities by revising, increasing funding for, and expanding the scope of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA) Project AWARE Grants for State Educational Agencies which promote youth mental health awareness among schools and communities and improved connections to services for school-age youth.

    • Allow teachers to concentrate on teaching by providing comprehensive, culturally and linguistically appropriate services to support students in need of mental health care and those at-risk for behavioral mental health disorders. 

    • Promote positive mental health education and support for parents, siblings, and other family members of children with mental health disorders, as well as concerned members of the community. 
     
    • Create a total of $200 million in grant funding as well as educate the entire school community on the warning signs and symptoms of mental illness to help identify and treat mental health issues before they escalate.

    The following Florida Representatives have already co-sponsored this bill as of 2/19/19:

                Rep. Wilson, Frederica S. [D-FL-24]*

                Rep. Soto, Darren [D-FL-9]*

                Rep. Murphy, Stephanie N. [D-FL-7]*

                Rep. Castor, Kathy [D-FL-14]*

                Rep. Demings, Val Butler [D-FL-10]

    Representatives Wilson, Soto, Murphy, and Castor were original co-sponsors of the bill.

    If your Representative is already a co-sponsor, consider sending a thank you to them. You can access their contact information by clicking the Representative’s link above.

    If you are not sure of your Congressional District or who your Representative is, find your representative here: https://whoismyrepresentative.com/

    If your Representative has not yet co-sponsored this bill, you can contact them and request they co-sponsor H.R. 1109 as follows:

    For current ACA members: Click the link below to log in and send your message:
    https://www.votervoice.net/BroadcastLinks/0eGVbgW-ooBOYcMYgTtwag

    Contact your Representative directly and request that they co-sponsor H.R. 1109. You can identify your member of Congress and access e-mail, phone number, and mailing address information here:

    https://whoismyrepresentative.com/

    *summary text on H.R. 1109 resourced from ACA legislative alert 2/15/19.


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