Upstream Services
A Response to Sandy Hook
April 4, 2013
Presenters: Luis Perez, George Sugai, Ellen
Gerrity, Michael Brose
113 Congress Responses
Legislative Priorities
Budget and Appropriations – Vigorous work on funding bills and trying to secure
increases where appropriate or defeating proposed cuts;
Mental Health in Schools Act (S. 195/H.R. 628) – Authorize grants to school districts
to help them implement effective mental health programs;
Excellence in Mental Health Act (S. 264) – Establish standards, oversight, and
improved reimbursement for Federally Qualified Community Behavioral Health
Centers;
Mental Health First Aid Higher Education Act (S. 153/H.R. 274) – Provide grants to
universities to train staff in Mental Health First Aid;
Legislative Priorities continued
Garrett Lee Smith Memorial Act Reauthorization of 2013 (S.116) – To renew the
commitment to critically important youth and college suicide prevention programs,
which provide a comprehensive approach to addressing the national problem of youth
suicide;
Mental Health Courts (MIOTCRA; S 162/H.R. 401) – Reauthorize and update a 2004 law
(PL 108-414) that set up a grant program to support mental-health courts and other
collaborative programs between the criminal justice and mental-health system; and
Children's Recovery from Trauma Act (S. 380) – To reauthorize and update the National
Child Traumatic Stress Initiative for grants to address the problems of individuals who
experience trauma and violence related stress
MHA Policy Team
• Julio Abreu, Senior Director, Public Policy and
Advocacy
– jabreu@mentalhealthamerica.net
• Debbie Plotnick, Senior Director, State Policy
– dplotnick@mentalhealthamerica.net
• Julie Kozminski, Public Policy Fellow
– jkozminski@mentalhealthamerica.net
Upcoming Webinars
• April 10: Transformative Impacts of the New
Medicaid Expansion Program for Uninsured People
with Mental Illness
• May 8: The ACA and Peer Support
• May 21 and 30: Hill Day Advocacy 101
Register here for these webinars