111th Congress
Positive Behavior for Safe and Effective Schools Act (H.R. 2597)
- Sponsor: Representative Phil Hare (D-IL)
- Summary: The legislation encourages the use of school-wide positive behavior support (PBS) to help improve school climate and foster students’ academic and social success. It does by amending the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), including providing flexibility to use Title I funds so state agencies may provide technical assistance and support implementation of PBS and offering instructional leadership skills to help teachers administer PBS and enhance their understanding of the social and emotional learning of children in Title II.
- Thomas: House
- Committee: House Education and Labor
- Supporting Documents: Way to Go, Policy Reporter, ESEA Comments
Recidivism Reduction Act (H.R. 2829)
- Sponsors: Representatives Andre Carson (D-IN), Patrick Kennedy (D-RI) and Pete Stark (D-CA)
- Summary: The legislation would provide timely restoration of federal disability benefits (SSI, SSDI and Medicaid) to eligible individuals upon release from incarceration. Its goal is to ease offenders’ transition back into society, especially for those who have mentally illnesses. Prompt access to disability and medical benefits upon release is essential for access to needed treatment, housing and other critical services and support that can help avoid the cycle of recidivism.
- Thomas: House
- Committee(s): House Energy and Commerce & Ways and Means
- Supporting Documents: Policy Reporter, Lifelines
Preventing Harmful Restraint and Seclusion in Schools Act (S. 2860) & Keeping Students Safe Act (H.R. 4247)
- Sponsor(s): Senator Christopher Dodd (D-CT). Representatives George Miller (D-CA) and Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA)
- Summary: The legislation would protect students from the harmful practices of restraint and seclusion by prohibiting its use unless the student’s behavior poses an immediate danger of physical injury and less restrictive interventions would be ineffective. Among other notable safeguards, the legislation also requires appropriate training for school personnel, notification to parents after restraint and seclusion is used and encourages the adoption of school-wide Positive Behavior Support (PBS), as an alternative approach to address students’ challenging behavior.
- Thomas: Senate & House
- Committee: Senate Health Education Labor and Pensions; House Education and Labor
- Supporting Documents: Policy Reporter, Press Release
Medicaid Services Restoration Act (S. 1217/H.R. 4787)
- Sponsor(s): Senators Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), March Begich (D-AK) and Blanche Lincoln (D-AR). Representative Tammy Baldwin (D-WI)
- Summary: The legislation makes meaningful changes to the Medicaid program, including clarifying and protecting vital services for children and adult beneficiaries. Among the provisions, the legislation would create a new service category to finance therapeutic foster care for children with serious mental and emotional disturbances and allow states to use bundled rates to pay for services through the rehabilitation option and permit efficient and reasonable payment methodologies under the case management and targeted case management option.
- Thomas: Senate & House
- Committee(s): Senate Finance & House Energy and Commerce
- Supporting Documents: Policy Reporter, Child Welfare League Summary
Juvenile Justice & Delinquency Prevention Reauthorization Act of 2009 (S. 678)
- Sponsors: Senators Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Arlen Specter (D-PA), Herb Kohl (D-WI) and Richard Durbin (D-IL)
- Summary: The legislation reauthorizes the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act (JJDPA)- the major source of federal funding to improve states' juvenile justice systems providing critical protections to youth in the juvenile justice system, including a requirement that states maintain core protections for youth, such as prohibiting detention of juveniles in adult jails and lock-ups, under certain circumstances. The legislation includes a range of new provisions, such grants for states to train juvenile justice professionals in assessment and diversion, as well as provisions to reward states that implement effective, evidence-based rehabilitation programs and services that increase the likelihood of successful reintegration.
- Thomas: Senate
- Committee: Senate Judiciary
- Supporting Documents: Policy Reporter
Mental Health in Schools Act (H.R. 2531)
- Sponsor: Representative Grace Napolitano (D-CA)
- Summary: The legislation increases funding for the Safe Schools- Healthy Students program to enable states to expand school-based mental health services for children in grades kindergarten through 12. It allows for a flexible, state-based approach to creating a comprehensive mental health school-program and promotes formal collaboration between families, schools, welfare agencies, and substance abuse and mental health service systems. It also encourages schools to implement positive behavior supports into their school curriculum.
- Thomas: House
- Committee: House Energy and Commerce
- Supporting Documents: IOM Report, Press Release
Mental Health on Campus Improvement Act (S. 682/H.R. 1704)
- Sponsors: Representative Janice Schakowsky (D- IL) and Senator Richard Durbin (D-IL)
- Summary: The legislation would assist colleges and universities in successfully attending to the growing mental health needs on campus communities. The legislation would establish grants to eligible colleges and universities to foster a comprehensive approach to campus behavioral health issues, including developing and disseminating best practices and expanding campus mental health services and mental health training.
- Thomas: Senate, House
- Committee: Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions & House Energy and Commerce
- Supporting Documents: Campus Mental Health Guide, Model Campus MH Policy, US News Article
Healthy Transitions Act (H.R 2691)
- Sponsors: Representatives Pete Stark (D-CA), Mary Bono-Mack (R-CA and Dave Camp (R-MI)
- Summary: The legislation keep youth with mental health conditions from falling through the cracks as they transition into adulthood. It does so by establishing grants to help states develop and execute coordinated plans to give adolescents and young adults with a serious mental health disorders the tools they need to make a healthy transition to adulthood. The bill would also establish a committee of federal partners to coordinate the multitude of federal programs that assist adolescents and young adults with mental illnesses.
- Thomas: House
- Committee: House Energy and Commerce
- Supporting Documents: Moving On, Policy Reporter
Health Information Technology Extension for Behavioral Health Services Act (5040)
- Sponsors: Representatives Patrick Kennedy (D-RI) and Timothy Murphy (R-PA)
- Summary: The legislation would extend the meaningful use incentives established through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) to mental health and substance use providers and facilities excluded from the law, including community mental health centers, clinical psychologists and psychiatric hospitals. The ARRA provided $20 billion in incentives and grants to health care providers and hospitals to establish interoperable electronic health record systems throughout the nation. The goal of widespread adoption of health information technology is to help save lives through improved coordination of care.
- Thomas: House
- Committee(s): House Energy and Commerce & Ways and Means
- Supporting Documents: Kennedy Release