AHA, others urge Senate to act on mental health legislation

A coalition of organizations, including the AHA, is urging Senate action on mental health reform legislation when Congress returns next month from its summer recess.

As part of that effort, AHA today wrote to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., and Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., in support of a Senate vote on the Mental Health Reform Act, S. 2680, in September.

The House overwhelmingly passed mental health legislation, H.R. 2646, in July, and the two bills would need to be reconciled before the 114th Congress adjourns.

“Although additional measures will be necessary to resolve these difficult and longstanding challenges, we believe that the provisions of the Senate and House bills provide important reforms and a foundation on which future Congresses can build, and we therefore urge you to schedule S. 2680 for a vote as soon as possible,” wrote AHA Executive Vice President Tom Nickels.