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SAVE THE DATE!
Saturday, April 8, 2017
6:00PM
Le Fais Do-Do
Atlanta, GA
Honorary Chairs
Kevin & Margaret Hines
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| ADVOCACY UPDATE February 3rd, 2017 |
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Because there is no health without Mental Health!
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Mental Health America of Georgia - Legislative Update
Week 4: February 3rd, 2017
T
he big news of the week comes from the Senate Health and Human Services Committee, Chaired by Sen. Renee Unterman. The Committee passed SB 4 unanimously on Tuesday. It is currently scheduled for full Senate consideration next Tuesday. We expect this bill to pass unanimously and be sent to the House next week, where it will start its journey there. This is an important bill that will establish the Georgia Mental Health Treatment Taskforce. The scope of the Taskforce is broad, but its main purpose will be to make recommendations to the state for whatever the result of the repeal and replace efforts are at the federal level.
Bills Introduced:
SB 99- Purging of Records for the Purposes of the Background Check
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Sen. Elena Parent and others
This bill would allow a person whose involuntary hospitalization records have been made part of their criminal record to petition the court to purge the hospitalization records from his or her criminal record 12 months after release. If denied, the person can petition again in 2 years. This would require the prosecutor, or the prosecutor's successor, to be notified. The prosecutor would be able to represent the interest of the state at the petition hearing.
HB 173- Allowing Marriage and Family Therapists to 1013
Rep. Joyce Chandler and others
This bill would allow marriage counselors and family therapists to have someone involuntarily committed for treatment of a mental illness or for substance abuse.
Bill Progress:
SB 4- Georgia Mental Health Treatment Taskforce
Sen. Renee Unterman and others
This bill received a 'do pass' recommendation from the Health and Human Services Committee on Tuesday. The Rules Committee currently has the bill scheduled for a vote on the Senate floor on Tuesday, where it is expected to pass unanimously. It will then make its way over to the House where we will continue to monitor its progress.
SB 40- Providing That Emergency Medical Services May Involuntarily Transport a Person to a Mental Health Receiving Facility
This bill was sent to a subcommittee. This is usually where language is modified, and occasionally, where bills go to die. However, I do not expect this bill to die in this subcommittee and will continue to monitor the bill as the language evolves.
SB 52- Removing Sunset of LPC Authorization to Perform Certain Acts
This bill received a 'do pass' recommendation from the Health and Human Services Committee on Thursday. It will now be available for the Rules Calendar and should see full Senate consideration sometime next week.
Our Work this Week
This week we attended Mental Health Day at the Capitol. The turnout for the day was fantastic. This was really a great gathering of advocates at the Freight Depot, with some really fantastic speakers. Commissioner Fitzgerald kicked off the event, followed by Rep. Katie Dempsey. Ellyn Jeager's advocacy pointers and legislative update provided some great insight to the crowd, while Bill Carruthers electrified the room. It was a great gathering of advocates, organizations, and consumers. Thank you to the Behavioral Health Services Coalition for putting on this event.
We also attended the Senate Health and Human Services meetings. Things are getting busy in the committees, and will only get busier as the session moves along. The health committees tend to be among the busiest, so we are trying to stay on top of the agendas as they are released so that we can represent our constituency when needed.
Upcoming Committee Meetings
Remember that meetings are subject to change and cancellation, so always check the
House and
Senate meeting calendars for updated information.
House:
Monday Feb. 6th
2:00pm- Health Appropriations- 341 CAP
Senate:
Tuesday Feb. 7th
2:00pm- Health and Human Service- 450 CAP
(CAP=in the Capitol building; CLOB=in the Coverdell Legislative Office Building)
You can follow all of these as well as future bills at www.legis.ga.gov. This website also posts the schedule and agenda for committee meetings. If you plan to attend a committee meeting on a mental health/co-occurring substance use issue, please contact Joseph Cantrell (joseph@mhageorgia.org
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Joseph Cantrell, Director of Advocacy and Policy Programming
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| TAKE A PROACTIVE STAND! What's the best way to make your voice heard? Have you been to the Capitol lately? Being there, seeing your legislator in action or speaking with them directly is the best way to advocate on behalf of our public mental health system. If you would like to learn more about how to set up your visit and what to do when you are there, please contact Joseph at 678-904-1965. He will be glad to walk you through the process. |
| We need your help to move our advocacy voice forward!
MHA of GA is a leader in the mental health advocacy community. You can learn more on our website,
www.mhageorgia.org.
Your donation will help ensure that MHA of GA continues to keep mental health awareness in front of Georgia's legislators. This is a critical time for our community, and now is the time to act!! Click here to support mental health advocacy in the state of Georgia. |
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