 | Supreme
Court Narrows Reach of Disability Law when they ruled that to qualify as
disabled, and therefore to be protected by the
Americans With Disabilities Act, a person must have substantial limitations on
abilities that are "central to daily life,'' and not only to life in the
workplace. |
| Mental
Health Court: a Los Angeles County attempt to rescue troubled teenagers
from criminal activity has the potential to transform how the nation's
largest juvenile justice system treats youths with mental illness. |
| The
Supreme Court will consider this spring if cities
should be shielded from some
lawsuits by the disabled, another case that could narrow a federal
disability law. |
| The
National Governors Association (NGA) is asking for a $5.5 billion relief
package to prevent cutbacks in Medicaid, the troubled program that
provides health care to the poor. |
| The Social Security Administration
(SSA) published final
regulations for the new "Ticket" program authorized by Congress under
the 1999 Ticket to Work and Work Incentives Improvement Act. |
| White
House progress report on the implementation of the Olmstead Act:
signed in June 2001 to promote community-based alternatives for people
with severe disabilities, including children and adults with severe
mental illnesses. |
| Medi-Cal
requires counties to provide community services to children
diagnosed with mental illness. |
| HHS
issues preliminary report on the Olmstead Disability Community
Integration Plan. |
| On
August 27, 2001, NAMI submitted comments to the Bush
Administration on the president's
Executive Order on the landmark LC vs Olmstead decision. |
| S
543, the Mental Health Parity bill, will cost employers
just 1 percent, or $1.32 per enrollee per month, according
to a PricewaterhouseCoopers analysis. |
| The House of Representatives, on August 3,
2001, approved a modified
version of a bipartisan patients' bill of rights that would create new
federal rights for millions of Americans enrolled in managed care plans,
after revising the legislation to limit lawsuits against insurance
companies. |
| NAMI
Legislative papers - summarizes NAMI positions on
current federal legislation. |
| Bazelon
Center legislative alerts - while Congress is on recess, contact
your representatives regarding mental health legislation, such as mental
health parity, access to appropriate mental health care for children,
special education, and jail diversion programs for mentally ill
offenders. Note: some survivor groups voice concerns about these bills. |
| The Bush
Administration has proposed a Health Insurance Flexibility and
Accountability Demonstration Initiative - Bazelon Analysis. |
| Some states
still bar certain mentally ill patients from voting - this Maine
decision strikes down such a provision in their state constitution. |
| On
June 28, a bipartisan coalition of House members led
by Jim Greenwood(R-PA) and Marcy Kaptur (D-OH) introduced
HR 2363, legislation that would establish
regional consumer-run support centers to assist States,
HMOs and other entities involved in
the development of peer-support activities. |
| As part of legislation covering the FY 2002 budget for the U.S. Department of
Justice, the Senate Appropriations Committee has proposed allocating $5 million
for a new program to support local "Mental Health Courts" to divert
non-violent offenders with severe mental illness out of the criminal justice
system. Consumer's
express some concerns about these courts. |
| U.S.
Department of Health & Human Services releases
guidance on patient privacy standards. |
| A
Senate committee has passed legislation that will continue
to give a windfall to the pharmaceutical industry while
failing to assure that all drugs likely to be used in
children will be tested for safety prior to marketing -
new report by Public
Citizen. (Aug 1, 2001) |
| By
a unanimous 21-0 vote August 1, 2001, the Senate
Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee
favorably reported S 543, the Mental Health Equitable
Treatment Act, out of committee and on to the full Senate. |
| Congressman Patrick Kennedy (D-R.I), announced
legislation Monday (July 9, 2001) that would funnel $250 million to create a federal program
to get child care and preschool operators to identify and treat children
under age 5 with mental health programs. |
| On June 28, two important pieces of legislation
were introduced in the House of Representatives,
that would extend evidence-based treatment such as PACT under the Medicaid
Program and would establish regional consumer-run support centers to assist
States, HMOs and other entities involved in the development of peer-support
activities. |
| On
Friday, June 22, 2001, Assemblywoman Helen Thomson
withdrew her bill, AB 1421 for
consideration this year due to lack of Senate support and
budget funding. |
| Senate
Bill S 543 would Provide Full Parity for All Mental
Disorders. This bipartisan legislation in the U.S. Senate
would eliminate health-insurance companies’
discrimination between mental health and medical/surgical
care. Notably, The Mental Health Equitable Treatment Act
of 2001 (S. 543) would level the health-coverage playing
field by prohibiting companies’ practice of providing
unequal benefits and financial requirements. Mental health
advocates should urge their Senators to co-sponsor S. 543.
Read
this June 12, 2001 Action Alert from the Bazelon
Center and a list of the 30 current sponsors. Click here
for updates on status of parity bills in the U.S. |
| Senate overwhelmingly
passes the reauthorization
of S 1, the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA).
ESEA is a large public education bill that includes
funding for such things as Title I, school repairs,
technology in the classroom, and charter schools. |
| On June 19, President George W. Bush signed an executive order to strengthen
the implementation of the Supreme Court's Olmstead decision. |
| California
Assembly Judiciary Committee passes AB 1421, which
next will be heard by the Assembly Appropriations
Committee on May 23rd. AB 1422 was passed by the
Assembly Health Committee and will also go to the Assembly
Appropriations Committee. (May 9, 2001) |
| AB
1421, AB 1422, AB 1423 and AB 1424 passed the
California Assembly on June 6, 2001. Get the latest status by
searching
for 1421 on California Assembly website. |
| HCFA
Revises Final Interim Rules on Use of Restraint and
Seclusion in Psychiatric
Residential Treatment Facilities for Children and
Adolescents. (May 23, 2001) |
| Senator
Jeff Sessions (R-Ala) has filed two amendments to modify
the discipline provisions within the IDEA. One or
both
of these amendments is expected to be offered next week
(as early as Monday) during consideration of S.1, the
reauthorization
of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. The
amendments would gut the due process protections for
students with disabilities enacted by a Republican
controlled Congress in 1997. The net result of either or
both of these provisions is to segregate or exclude
students with disabilities. |
| California
Assembly Judiciary Committee passes AB 1421, which
next will be heard by the Assembly Appropriations
Committee on May 23rd. AB 1422 was passed by the
Assembly Health Committee and will also go to the Assembly
Appropriations Committee. |
| Full
Mental Health Parity bill introduced in U.S. Congress
- The new bill, the Mental Health Equitable Treatment Act
of 2001 (S 543), would expand the very modest Mental
Health Parity Act of 1996 and provide full parity in
insurance coverage for serious brain disorders. |
| California
Bills AB 1421, AB 1422, AB 1423, AB 1424 & AB 1425:
These bills raise some issues but address the urgent need
to improve MH services. NAMI has come out
strongly in favor of these bills, but the California
Network of Mental Health Clients urges action against AB
1421.
Click here for
NAMI Position.
Click here
for California Network of Mental Health Clients Position.
Click here for Tom
Barresi's rebuttal to the CNMHC Position. (April
10, 2001) |
