Senators launch Bipartisan Mental Health Caucus

Mental health

Key Takeaways

In an era of mounting mental health challenges, Sens. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), and Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) launched the Bipartisan Mental Health Caucus. Currently comprising ten members - five Republicans and five Democrats - the caucus is dedicated to prioritizing mental health, enhancing access to services and eradicating the stigma surrounding mental health issues. 

Here are the top priorities of the Caucus:
  • Improve prevention and early intervention.
  • Bolster response services, mental health professionals and evidence-based treatment.
  • Increase support for mental health. 

Bipartisan congressional efforts to address the growing mental health crisis help strengthen the ability of counties to drive impactful policy change, ensure that mental health legislation remains a top priority at the federal level and align with our mission to support behavioral health in our communities. 

Counties will continue to support these Congressional efforts by:

Related News

bike
Advocacy

NACo offers new Medicaid resources as Congress advances Budget Resolutions with major Medicaid reform implications

On April 10, the U.S. House of Representatives voted to adopt a Senate-passed budget resolution, marking the next step in the budget reconciliation process. The proposed funding levels therein represent significant potential cost shifts to counties, particularly in the area of Medicaid financing. To help county leaders understand what’s at stake, NACo has developed two new resources.

THE_County Countdown_working_image-4.png
Advocacy

County Countdown – April 21, 2025

Every other week, NACo's County Countdown reviews top federal policy advocacy items with an eye towards counties and the intergovernmental partnership. This week features the ARPA reporting deadline, a budget reconciliation update and more

Image of GettyImages-1397838530.jpg
Advocacy

U.S. House reintroduces legislation to address the Medicaid Inmate Exclusion Policy

Two bipartisan bills aimed at addressing the Medicaid Inmate Exclusion Policy (MIEP) were recently reintroduced in the U.S. House of Representatives.