Mental Health Legislation on the Move
Virginia legislators are deliberating a record number of bills, keeping late hours as they approach the half-way point in their 60-day session in Richmond. MHAV has testified at several committee meetings on bills that support our priorities. We are monitoring around 100 mental health related bills, and those still alive can be seen on our Bill Tracking Chart.
Just a few of the proposals we are following that are still active:
SB 280
(Barker) – Passed Committee – Pending Senate vote
Health insurance; mental health parity, required report.
Commission to report findings regarding parity of mental health and substance abuse disorder benefits with medical and surgical benefits, and access to mental health and substance abuse disorder services, by December 1, 2020.
SB 667 (Boysko) – Passed committee, pending Senate vote
Overdoses
- Provides that no individual shall be subject to arrest or prosecution for illegal drugs when obtaining emergency medical attention for an overdose. This could save lives by encouraging someone who has overdosed or is with someone who overdosed to seek medical help without fear of being arrested – if the evidence would have been obtained only as a result seeking emergency medical attention.
HB 908 (Hayes) – Passed the House, will go to Senate this week
Naloxone - Clarifies
that an employee or other person in a public place who has completed a training program on the administration of naloxone or other opioid antidote may administer it in order to help someone who has overdosed.
SJ 35 (Edwards) – Passed the Senate, will go to the House this week
Barrier Crimes, Criminal History
- Establishes a committee to study the state’s requirements related to criminal history checks that exclude automatically some otherwise qualified individuals from employment in the behavioral health field.
HB 1540
(Collins) – Passed the House, will go to the Senate this week
Barrier Crimes, Criminal History
– Clarifies existing law and expands slightly the ability of behavioral health care providers to hire otherwise qualified applicants.
HB 42
(Samirah) – Passed House, will go to Senate this week
Screening for prenatal and postpartum depression, training.
Encourages physicians and nurses to screen every patient who is pregnant or who has been pregnant within the previous five years for prenatal or postnatal depression or other depression, as clinically appropriate. It also provides physicians and nurses information on the factors that may increase susceptibility of certain patients to depression, including racial and economic disparities.
HB 74 (Kory) – Passed committee, pending House vote
Teacher education on mental health - Requires local school boards to adopt policies that require each teacher and other relevant personnel to complete a mental health awareness training or similar program.
HB 1419
(Jones) – Passed committee, pending House vote
SB 171
(Locke) – Passed Senate
Training for School Resource Officers - Specifies that the required training for law enforcement officers working as School Resource Officers must include: “…(iv) mediation and conflict resolution, including de-escalation techniques; ... (vi) awareness of cultural diversity and implicit bias; (vii) working with students with disabilities, mental health needs, substance abuse disorders, or past traumatic experiences; and student behavioral dynamics, including current child and adolescent development and brain research;…”
HB 1508 (McQuinn) – Passed Committee, pending House vote
Minimum Staffing Ratio for School Counselors -
Requires
Local school boards to employ one full-time equivalent school counselor position per 250 students (was amended to 325 students) in grades kindergarten through 12. (Still an improvement!)
SB 215 (Sutterlein) – Passed Senate, will go to House
Inmate Death Investigations – Report – Requires the Board of Corrections to make public results of its investigations on their website. Includes investigations when inadequate mental health care is a factor.
Contact your Delegate and Senator to show your support for mental health!
You can find delegate and senator phone numbers and emails