• Rural mental health concerns related to availability of services for low income and/or Latinx communities and availability of service providers. Specific legislation includes: H.R. 1638: Improving Access to Mental Health Act of 2023; H.R. 1689: Connecting Students with Mental Health Services Act; H.R. 773: Homelessness and Behavioral Health Care Coordination Act of 2023; H.R. 744: Supporting the Mental Health of Educators and Staff Act of 2023; S. 923: Better Mental Health Care for Americans Act; S. 754: Improving Mental Health and Wellness in School Act; S. 24: Fighting Homelessness Through Services and Housing Act; Mental Health for Latinos Act (S.2476). Support for S. 1426 (RISE from Trauma Act) - Senator Padilla, Senator Butler. Support for S. 1810 (Supporting Families through Addiction Act) - Senator Padilla, Senator Butler. Support for H.R. 3879 (Supporting Families through Addiction Act) - Rep. Duarte, Rep. McClintock. Support for H.R. 4911 (Supporting the Health and Safety of Law Enforcement Act) - Rep. Duarte, Rep. McClintock. Support for H.R. 3713 (Mental Health Services for Students Act) - Rep. Duarte, Rep. McClintock. Support for H.R. 2642 (Peer Education and Emergency Response (PEER) Mental Health Act) - Rep. Duarte, Rep. McClintock. Support for H.R. 4603 (Rural Wellness Act) - Rep. Duarte, Rep. McClintock.
• Community project requests for mobile treatment centers, school based mental health, equipment for mental health and some primary care and preventative services. Community Project Requests in LHHS Account for Senator Padilla, Senator Butler.
• Intersection of mental health services and homeless services. Specific bills: S. 24: Fighting Homelessness Through Services and Housing Act; H.R. 773: Homelessness and Behavioral Health Care Coordination Act of 2023; Housing for All Act

Duration: January 1, 2021 to present

General Issues: Health Issues, Budget/Appropriations, Housing, Education

Spending: about $67,000 (But it's complicated. Here's why.)

It can be tricky to figure out how much an organization spent on a particular lobbying engagement. The law only requires lobbyists to report the amount they were paid for federal lobbying each quarter rounded to the nearest $10,000—and if it's less than $3,000 in a given quarter (or less than $13,000 for organizations with in-house lobbyists), they don't have to disclose it at all. Plus, some organizations include spending that doesn’t belong in the report—for instance, money spent lobbying state governments or other legal work.

Agencies lobbied since 2021: U.S. Senate, House of Representatives, Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), Health & Human Services - Dept of (HHS)