The Bazelon Mental Health Policy Reporter
Volume III : Issue 7 : November
17, 2004
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What's in this issue?
Feature Article: Congress Convenes
for “Lame
Duck” Session
Newsbytes
New Resources from the Bazelon Center
Congress Convenes for “Lame Duck” Session
(Nov. 17, 2004)—Just two weeks after the election, lawmakers are
shaking off dust from the campaign trail and have returned to the nation’s
capital to take care of unfinished business, including passage of federal
spending bills and reauthorization of the special education law.
Members of Congress returned to Washington this week for what is expected
to be a short “lame duck” session to complete work on nine
must-pass federal spending bills—including fiscal year 2005 funding
for critical mental health programs and services. Lawmakers are also
expected to reconcile differences between the House and Senate versions
of legislation to reauthorize the Individuals with Disabilities Education
Act (IDEA).
Mental Health Funding
When the new fiscal year began Oct. 1, Congress had approved only four
of the 13 mandatory appropriations bills that fund the federal government.
The full House and the Senate Appropriations Committee have approved
versions of the Labor, Health and Human Services and Education (Labor/HHS/Education)
appropriations bill, which sets funding levels for programs within the
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).
Before recessing for the elections, lawmakers passed a resolution to
keep federal programs operating at last year’s funding levels,
but that resolution expires November 20. Many Congress watchers believe
that the remaining appropriations bills—including the Labor/HHS/Education
spending bill—will be combined into an omnibus spending bill for
lawmakers to consider.
The full House approved $20 million for State Incentive Transformation
Grants (SIGs) within the Center for Mental Health Services (CMHS) at
SAMHSA. The Senate Appropriations Committee’s mark-up set SIGs
funding at $44 million. Advocates believe that full funding for SIGs
at $44 million—an important first step in helping states begin
to address unmet mental health needs of children and adults in the public
mental health system—must be part of the final omnibus spending
bill.
Other important programs that require increases from FY 2004 levels
include:
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$7 million for the jail diversion program that funds community
programs designed to divert offenders with mental illnesses from
the criminal justice system into community-based mental health treatment;
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$5 million for the seniors mental health program;
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$1.4 million
for the protection and advocacy system for people with mental
disorders;
-
$5.5 million for the PATH program that provides outreach
and services to individuals who are homeless or at risk of being
homeless;
-
$3.6 million for the children’s
mental health program providing comprehensive systems of care
for children with severe emotional
disturbance;
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$1.4 million for the mental health
block grant; and
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$2 million for the consumer-run technical assistance
centers.
Advocates are also attempting to obtain additional FY 2005 funding for
the Garrett Lee Smith Memorial Act (P.L. 108-355) and the Mentally Ill
Offender Treatment and Crime Reduction Act (P.L. 108-732), both of which
President Bush recently signed into law.
More Information
Take action
Urge these key appropriators to fully fund the SIGs at $44 million,
the level requested by the President and approved by the Senate committee.
Let these lawmakers know that SIGs funding should not come at the expense
of any other CMHS discretionary spending or formulary grant program.
Please note: Because many Congressional offices do not respond to e-mail
from people outside their Congressional districts, you should only use
e-mail if you are represented by one of these lawmakers.
The Honorable Arlen Specter (R-PA)
Chairman, Senate Labor, Health and Human Services and Education Appropriations
Subcommittee
The Honorable Ralph Regula (R-OH)
Chairman, House Labor, Health and Human Services and Education Appropriations
Subcommittee
The Honorable Tom Harkin (D-IA)
Ranking Member, Senate Labor, Health and Human Services and Education Appropriations
Subcommittee
The Honorable David Obey (D-WI)
Ranking Member, House Labor, Health and Human Services and Education
Appropriations Subcommittee
Special Education
Conferees have been chosen to reconcile the differences between the
House (H.R. 1350) and Senate (S. 1248) versions of the bill reauthorizing
IDEA and will meet Nov. 17 in an attempt to complete work on the bill.
At issue are critical safeguards for children with mental, emotional
and behavioral disorders at risk of being excluded from school for violations
of school conduct codes. The House bill would dramatically alter IDEA’s
current discipline standards, allowing schools to expel children with
disabilities at will if they violate school conduct codes. Such exclusion
would put students with disabilities at increased risk of school failure,
dropping out and contact with the juvenile justice system.
In contrast, the Senate bill more appropriately encourages the use of
positive behavioral supports and interventions to help address school
conduct problems. School-wide positive behavioral supports have been
shown to be an effective way of reducing and preventing disruptive behavior.
Take action
Urge the conferees listed below to support the Senate bill’s language
on positive behavioral supports and reject the House bill’s weakening
of protections for children with disabilities from arbitrary school exclusion.
House
Republicans
- Rep. John Boehner (OH), Chairman, (202) 225-6205
or by e-mail
- Rep.
Michael Castle (DE), (202) 225-4165 or by e-mail
- Rep.
Vernon Ehlers (MI), (202) 225-3831 or by e-mail
- Rep.
Ric Keller (FL), (202) 225-2176 or by e-mail
- Rep.
Joe Wilson (SC), (202) 225-2452 or by e-mail
- Rep.
Joe Barton (TX), (202) 225-2002 or by e-mail
- Rep.
Michael Bilirakis (FL), (202) 225-5755 or by e-mail
- Rep.
James Sensenbrenner (WI), (202) 225-5101 or by e-mail
- Rep. Lamar Smith (TX), (202) 225-4236 or by e-mail
Democrats
- Rep. George Miller (CA), (202) 225-2095 or by e-mail
- Rep.
Lynn Woolsey (CA), (202) 225-5161 or by e-mail
- Rep.
Major Owens (NY), (202) 225-6231 or by e-mail
- Rep.
John Dingell (MI), (202) 225-4071 or by e-mail
- Rep. John Conyers (MI), (202) 225-5126 or by e-mail
Senate
Republicans
- Senator Judd Gregg (NH), (202) 224-3324 or by e-mail
- Senator Bill Frist (TN), (202) 224-3344 or by e-mail
- Senator
Michael Enzi (WY), (202) 224-3424 or by e-mail
- Senator Lamar Alexander (TN), (202) 224-4944 or by e-mail
- Senator Kit Bond (MO), (202) 224-5721 or by e-mail
- Senator
Michael DeWine (OH), (202) 224-2315 or by e-mail
- Senator Pat Roberts (KS), (202) 224-4774 or by e-mail
- Senator Jeff Sessions (AL), (202) 224-4124 or by e-mail
- Senator John Ensign (NV), (702) 388-6605 or by e-mail
- Senator Lindsey Graham (SC), (864) 250-1417 or by e-mail
- Senator John Warner (VA), (202) 224-2023 or by e-mail
Democrats
- Senator Edward Kennedy (MA), (202) 224-4543 or by
e-mail
- Senator
Christopher Dodd (CT), (202) 224-2823 or by e-mail
- Senator
Tom Harkin (IA), (202) 224-3254 or by e-mail
- Senator Barbara Mikulski (MD), (202) 224-4654 or by e-mail
- Senator Jeff Bingaman (NM), (202) 224-5521 or by e-mail
- Senator
Patty Murray (WA), (202) 224-2621
- Senator Jack Reed (RI), (202) 224-4642
or by e-mail
- Senator
John Edwards (NC), (202) 224-3154 or by e-mail
- Senator
Hillary Rodham Clinton (NY), (202) 224-4451 or by e-mail
Independents
- Senator James Jeffords (VT), (202) 224-5141 or by e-mail
Newsbytes
Come to a Working Luncheon Dec. 2
On Thurs., Dec. 2, the Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law will host
a luncheon and post-election briefing at the Mayflower Hotel in Washington,
DC. The program will feature a briefing by Chris Jennings of Jennings
Policy Strategies, followed by a question and answer discussion on what
election 2004 means for people with mental disabilities. The “working
luncheon” will also honor Bazelon Center trustee Kenneth Feinberg
for his long-standing commitment to the pursuit of justice and his administration
of the 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund and Representative Henry Waxman
for his efforts as a champion of health and mental health issues. Order
tickets online now...
New Resources from the Bazelon Center
The Role of Specialty Mental
Health Courts in Meeting the Needs of Juvenile Offenders
This document examines the use of mental health courts in the
United States as a response by communities to the increasingly common
arrest and incarceration of juveniles with serious mental or emotional
disorders.
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