Laws affecting the mental wellbeing of babies in Georgia

You can check this list to review the bills and vote for the heads of state.

ATLANTA – 11Alive shared stories from our investigative series #Keeping with Legislative Leaders in Georgia. The series sheds light on systemic voids and heartbreak leading to child abandonment in the Peach State. We showed them how labor shortages, mental health and the denial of medically necessary services play a role.

You can read all of the responses 11Alive received from lawmakers here.

Leaders in both the House and Senate have pledged to make issues affecting mental and behavioral health and supportive services for children with dual diagnosis a priority in the 2022 legislative session. 11Alive has compiled a list of previous proposals.

11Alive will update this list of proposed solutions throughout the session. You can keep up to date with relevant legislation and let legislators know where you stand to impact child mental health care in the Peach State. Check this list to review the bills and vote for the heads of state.

11Alive does not endorse any of the following actions, merely providing a list for the community to review.

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State-level legislation

HB49: Mental Health Parity Act – Requirement that the insurer’s treatment of claims related to mental disorders and addiction be treated on an equal basis with other health insurance claims.

  • Status: Insurance Committee
  • Hearings: None planned
  • Voices: None
  • Sponsors: Shelly Hutchinson, Calvin Smyre, Matthew Wilson, Jasmine Clark, Kim Schofield, James Beverly

HB590 — Provide a grant program to establish supported outpatient treatment programs for people with mental illness.

  • Status: House Health and Human Services Committee
  • Hearings: None planned
  • Voices: None
  • Sponsors: Don Hogan, Mary Margaret Oliver, Noel Williams, John LaHood, Shaw Blackmon, Mitchell Scoggins

HB853 – This bill would introduce mental health treatment as an alternative to incarceration. It would also provide options for mental health treatment during incarceration.

  • Status: Judicial Non-Civil
  • Hearings: None planned
  • Voices: None
  • Sponsors: Sandra Scott, Kim Schofield, David Wilkerson, Viola Davis, Donna McLeod

HB713 – Delivered diverse mental health reform initiatives and support to reduce homelessness.

  • Status: Public Safety and Internal Security Committee
  • Hearings: None planned
  • Voices: None
  • Sponsors: Katie Dempsey, Penny Houston, J Collins, Calvin Smyre, Bill Hitchens, Karla Drenner

HB571 – Establishing mental health education requirements for law enforcement.

  • Status: Public Safety and Internal Security Committee
  • Hearings: None planned
  • Voices: None
  • Sponsors: Yasmin Neal, Mack Jackson, Zulma Lopez, Marvin Lim

HB570 – This legislation would establish requirements for law enforcement mental health training through the Georgia Public Safety Training Center.

  • Status: Public Safety and Internal Security Committee
  • Hearings: None planned
  • Voices: None
  • Sponsors: Yasmin Neal, Mack Jackson, Zulma Lopez, Marvin Lim

HB15 – This bill would require de-escalation training for law enforcement.

  • Status: Public Safety and Homeland Security
  • Hearings: None planned
  • Voices: None
  • Sponsors: Sandra Scott, Park Cannon, Kim Schofield, Shelly Hutchinson, Karen Bennett

HB717 – The bill would authorize law enforcement to take a person to a doctor or emergency room for an emergency mental health evaluation

  • Status: Health and Social Services
  • Hearings: None
  • Voices: None
  • Sponsors: Sharon Cooper, Bill Hitchens, Eddie Lumsden, Katie Dempsey

SB208 – Require the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities to provide fully funded services for a period of five years to people with intellectual or developmental disabilities who are on the New Options Waiver (NOW) or Comprehensive Supports Waiver (COMP) waiting lists. This would also prohibit the department from capping or capping community housing support services under the COMP waiver.

  • Status: medium
  • Hearings: None
  • Voices: None
  • Sponsors: Sally Harrell, Ed Harbison, Nikki Merritt, Sheikh Rahman, Freddie Sims, Tonya Anderson, Valencia Seay, Sonya Halpern, Elena Parent, Jennifer Jordan, Michelle Au, Kim Jackson, Gail Davenport, Harold Jones II, Nan Orrock

HB239 – Provide that the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities conducts or coordinates all audits of behavioral health providers

  • State Health and Social Services
  • Hearings: None
  • Voices: None
  • Sponsors: Shelly Hutchinson, Erick Allen, Kim Schofield, James Beverly, Rebecca Mitchell, Sandra Scott

Legislative proposals at national level

S1902/HR5611: Behavioral Health Crisis Services Expansion Act – To overhaul the current response to mental health and suicide crises by establishing national standards for crisis care, including universally available 24/7 local crisis call centers, mobile crisis teams, crisis stabilization centers, in short -Appointment care and behavioral health urgent walk-in care. It would also provide funding for the development of crisis services.

S828/HR432: Mental Health Access Improvement Act – Provides Medicare coverage for marriage and family therapist services and mental health counseling services. It also excludes such services from the prospective payment system for skilled nursing facilities and empowers marriage and family therapists and mental health counselors to develop discharge plans for post-hospital services.