• A proposal to allocate $100 million in federal funds to subsidize adult mental health programs easily cleared the Pennsylvania House of Representatives on Wednesday.
• Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro supports the initiative, according to a spokesman.
• “If we are talking about unmet mental health needs, this money is truly just a drop in the bucket, ” Mike Schlossberg, the bill’s Democratic sponsor, said.

A proposal to allocate $100 million in federal funds to pay for adult mental health programs easily passed the Pennsylvania House of Representatives on Wednesday, a plan built on the recommendations of a state commission charged with issuing suggestions for coordinated care.

The bill passed 173-30 and was sent to the Senate. A spokesman for Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro said that he supports the legislation.

The American Rescue Plan Act money would bolster the behavioral health industry’s workforce, improve the criminal justice and public safety systems and expand access to support.

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“It is a little strange to talk about $100 million as a number that is both large and small, but that’s actually what we’re looking at here. This money will have a deeply personal impact on people across the commonwealth,” said the bill’s sponsor, Rep. Mike Schlossberg, a Lehigh County Democrat. “That being said, if we are talking about unmet mental health needs, this money is truly just a drop in the bucket.”

The measure stems from the effort that began last session when the Legislature created the Behavioral Health Commission on Adult Mental Health. The 24 members — from the behavioral health field, state agencies and a variety of communities — were told to determine how to divvy up federal funds designated for such uses.

The Pennsylvania Capitol in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. The Keystone State’s Democrat-led House of Representatives has overwhelmingly voted in favor of a bill allocating federal funds toward adult mental health services. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)

The largest chunk of funds, $34 million, would go toward workforce development and retention in the behavioral health field, which would include training, paid internships, loan repayment and tuition assistance.

About $32 million would address criminal justice and public safety programs through grants administered by the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency. Sponsors said it would help reduce recidivism.

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Additional funds would pay for supporting suicide prevention programs, integrating behavioral health with physical health in primary care practices, developing peer-led mental health and substance use services and developing grants for technology and training for telehealth providers.

Other bills eyeing mental health also are in the pipeline, including legislation to support children’s mental health in schools, ongoing funding for the suicide prevention hotline 988, plus funding for counties’ services.

A top priority for counties is securing more state aid for the safety-net mental health services that they administer. They say there aren’t enough beds or counselors for people who need help after demand spiked during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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A spokesman for the County Commissioners Association of Pennsylvania said it supports the legislation, even though the money is not helping fund the county-run services. For those services, counties are seeking an additional $150 million — an almost 60% increase — while Shapiro’s budget proposal included just $20 million more.

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Legislation allocating $100 million in federal funding for mental health services cleared a critical committee hurdle in the state House on Tuesday, putting it on course for a vote by the full chamber.

The majority-Democrat House Human Services Committee voted 21-0 to approve legislation sponsored by Rep. Mike Schlossberg, D-Lehigh, that sets down the criteria for spending the one-time infusion of federal American Rescue Plan money.

The vote is a big win for advocates, who were left dangling in 2022, when the Legislature broke for the year without agreeing on how the spend the federal money, the Capital-Star reported at the time.

The guidelines included in Schlossberg’s bill are based on the recommendations of a special commission, comprised of advocates, providers and lawmakers, that was established in the 2022-23 state budget.

That panel called for spending the money this way:

• $37 million towards workforce development.
• $23.5 million to improve the criminal justice system and public safety systems.
• $39 million to expand access and service delivery.
• $500,000 to evaluate the overall impact of the appropriations.

Taking to Twitter on Tuesday morning, Schlossberg praised the panel’s action.

“Our continued work to better mental health care in Pennsylvania takes another step forward today as the House Human Services Committee approved my proposal for increased mental and behavioral health care funding. It’s another step in the long road,” the Lehigh Valley lawmaker wrote.

The floor of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives (Photo by Amanda Mustard for the Pennsylvania Capital-Star).

In a May 18 commentary piece calling for action on Schlossberg’s bill, and a companion Senate bill, one advocate said the legislation “addresses a fundamental challenge Pennsylvanians face: accessibility to services.

“By streamlining access to essential services, the [House and Senate bills] will offer a lifeline to those in need,” Marco Giordano, the CEO of Resource for Human Development, a national human services nonprofit, wrote, adding that the bills “embrace the core principle that everyone deserves the opportunity to lead a fulfilling life and contribute to society regardless of their background. This move not only ensures a robust safety net for vulnerable populations but also recognizes the immense value of preventive care.”

County officials have long called for an increase to the “base” funding they receive from the state to provide mental health services, arguing that county governments are on the frontlines of providing such services.

“Without a considerable increase to the base funding, we are endangering services and creating more pressure on emergency rooms and those providers who are still able to keep their doors open,” Venango County Commissioner Chip Abramovic and Dauphin County Commissioner George Hartwick wrote in a May 12 commentary for the Capital-Star.

Direct service providers rally for more money in the 2022-23 state budget at the Pennsylvania State Capitol on Tuesday, May 24, 2022 (Photo by Amanda Berg, for the Capital-Star).

On Tuesday, the panel’s chairperson, Rep. Stephen Kinsey, D-Philadelphia, a longtime advocate for mental health causes, credited the panel for its vote.

“Far too many Pennsylvanians across the commonwealth struggle with their mental health, but don’t have easy access to resources that can help them address it,” Kinsey said in a statement. “As a longtime advocate for mental health services, I am pleased to see Rep. Schlossberg’s legislation to tackle this crucial issue voted out of this committee.”

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