Representative Yassamin Ansari (D-AZ) has introduced three pieces of legislation concerning mental health as a package deal.
The first bill, the Youth Mental Health Day and Suicide Prevention Day Resolution, designates May 31st as Youth Mental Health Day and September 9th as Youth Suicide Prevention Day, urging local, state, and federal governments to prioritize youth mental health and suicide prevention as policy agendas.
The Mental Health Crisis Response Act directs the Department of Justice (DOJ) to establish a grant system that enables state and local governments to develop mental health-centered crisis response strategies, such as streamlining 988 connections and placing mental health professionals in 911 systems.
Finally, the Mental Health Emergency Responder Act similarly creates a competitive grant system within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) that expands behavioral health crisis response programs that do not rely primarily on law enforcement, including clinician-led mobile crisis teams.
"In Arizona and across the country, families are navigating a worsening mental health crisis," Rep. Ansair said in a statement, noting that "too often, help comes too late." "I've met young people who have lost friends to suicide, and their heartbreak and urgent calls for help demand that we do more. I'm proud to lead this effort to save lives and support every person who needs it."
Representative Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-NJ), the primary cosponsor of the three bills, praised the effort, saying that "America is facing a mental health crisis. Every suicide is not just a tragedy, but avoidable."
"This package of legislation recognizes the crisis we are facing and the need to enact studied and proven solutions," she recognized, thanking "Congresswoman Ansari for her tireless commitment to this issue and her partnership as we work to get the American people, and especially our children, the help they need."
