WASHINGTON — Lawmakers are facing increased pressure to pass a comprehensive mental health and substance use package but are unlikely to make an initial goal of advancing legislation before the implementation of a three-digit suicide hotline in July.
At least four congressional committees have committed to advancing a swath of bipartisan mental health bills under their jurisdiction, but lawmakers have not yet unlocked the puzzle of how to incorporate a growing laundry list of programs to authorize and establish existing and new programs dedicated to treatment, prevention, education, crisis care, drug interdiction and the workforce.
The House Energy and Commerce Committee advanced its package reauthorizing grant programs under the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration and Health Resources and Services Administration last week, but no date for a floor vote has been set. Those programs expire with the fiscal year. The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, which also has jurisdiction on the programs, has not yet scheduled a markup.
