Bipartisan legislation to aid communities in battling the mental health and drug misuse problem plaguing the United States was overwhelmingly approved by the U.S. House of Representatives.
On Wednesday, the Restoring Hope for Mental Health and Well-Being Act was approved by House 402-20, with all Republican members voting “no.”
Rep. Frank Pallone, D-N.J., a proponent of the proposal, declared from the House floor during the debate that the plan “would help restore hope for millions of Americans” and that it was “needed today more than ever.”
He claimed that the bill is necessary because one in five adults struggle with mental illness, suicide has overtaken automobile accidents as the second-leading cause of death for children aged 10 to 14, and four out of every ten high school students report feeling depressed and hopeless all the time due to the pandemic. He also claimed that the opioid crisis, which claimed the lives of 108,000 people in 2017, is still ongoing.
The law, according to him, “strengthens and extends more than 30 essential programmes that promote mental healthcare and drug use disorder prevention, care, treatment, and recovery support services in communities around the nation.”
To improve access to crisis care, the law will create a Behavioral Health Crisis Coordinating Office under the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. This office will offer technical support.
In addition, it renews various initiatives aimed at addressing mental health issues, preventing suicide, promoting treatment and recovery from substance use disorders, and enhancing the collaboration between paediatric primary care physicians and behavioural health specialists, among other things.
The bill enhances the federal government’s role in treating mental health, according to Rep. Andy Biggs of Arizona, who was one of 20 Republicans to vote against it.
Following the decision, he claimed that the federal government lacks the constitutional right to be involved in this industry, especially given that it will cost $2 billion over ten years. He made this claim in a video message that was released to Twitter.
The federal government should not be involved in such matters since it will wind up spending more money on administrative expenses than on service delivery, he claimed. Instead, such matters should be handled locally.
The bill’s sponsor, Republican Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers of Washington, said from the House floor that it reduces bureaucracy, increases access to treatment, and ensures that communities have resources.
The priorities in this law, she explained, are intended to responsibly address our most pressing needs to strengthen families, communities, and the future.
“The majority of the programmes in this bill are block grants that have been successful in giving our states and communities the resources and flexibility to meet the specific and unique needs in battling mental illness and addiction while keeping the federal government out of the decision-making process for treatments and care.”
Read more:-
- Be wary of promises that tax debt may be settled for pennies on the dollar
- Republican voters in Georgia reject more of Trump’s primary candidates, but Alabama’s late pick wins
- How to claim your direct payment for the 4th stimulus check, which will see millions of people get summer cheques of up to $1,000 in 2022
Steny Hoyer, D-Md., the majority leader in the House, argued in favour of the bill on the House floor, saying that it was necessary because the COVID-19 pandemic had made the country’s already-existing problems with mental illness and addiction worse.
“For people already experiencing significant depression, anxiety, or even drug and alcohol use disorders, the pandemic made it difficult to get mental healthcare and vital treatment and services and produced, of course, much higher concern,” he said.
The crisis response in communities would be strengthened while important programmes for mental health and addiction would be reauthorized.
