WASHINGTON - The top Republican and top Democrat on a key Senate committee have teamed up on a proposal to improve and expand access to mental health services, a bipartisan approach that could become law this year.
The proposal would better coordinate the federal bureaucracy for mental health programs, make it easier for states to use federal funds for certain services, and increase treatment options for children, the homeless and people at risk of suicide, according to a 114-page draft released March 7.
Republican Sen. Lamar Alexander of Tennessee, chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, worked with Democratic Sen. Patty Murray of Washington to build on previous legislative efforts. Their proposal is a broad attempt to address weaknesses in how medical and social service systems handle mental illness and substance abuse.