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DGR Telephone:
703-907-7800 | |
Follow APA Advocacy on Twitter!
The APA Department of Government Relations is now on Twitter! Now you can find out about APA Advocacy activities, Congressional hearings, mark-ups, and floor votes in real time.
Please click on the following link to start following APA Advocacy Twitter:
http://twitter.com/apa_
advocacy
Questions about the Twitter page or how to set up an account? Please contact Kyle Folsom at advocacy@psych.org. |
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State Prescribing Bills Update
This week the Montana House Human Services Committee tabled Senate Bill 272, a bill to permit psychologists essentially to practice medicine, by a vote of 14 "Nay" to 1 "Aye." This result was achieved by the dedicated work of the Montana Psychiatric Association, which led a strong group of allies, including the Montana and American Medical Associations; members of the Scope of Practice Partnership; Montana NAMI, which took an emphatic stand against S.B. 272, and other organizations. Given the lopsided vote, this is a strong signal that the measure is dead for the session.
Hawaii Senate Bill 597 was referred to House Health, the first of three House committees. The chair of that committee has announced will not hear the bill, meaning that the issue is technically dead for the session. Under Hawaii House procedures, however, it is possible for supporters of a bill to file a waiver that would discharge the bill from the committee(s) of referral and move it to the full House. To do this, supporters need to secure the support of one-third of the House by March 30 to get the waiver. Three other prescribing bills failed to meet procedural deadlines and are dead for the year.
In addition to the work performed by the in-state advocates, continued assistance has been provided by APA and AMA staff in Montana and Hawaii, and the other states where there are scope of practice bills: New Jersey, Oregon, and Tennessee. Bills have also been defeated in Arizona and Utah. |
FY2011: Update on Federal Government Funding
On March 17, the Senate passed H.J.Res. 48 to extend funding for federal agencies through April 8. The vote was 87-13. The House passed the continuing resolution (CR) March 15 by a 271-158 vote, with 54 Republicans opposing the measure. H.J.Res. 48, which is the sixth CR for the current fiscal year, includes cutting $6 billion from FY10 level through program terminations/reductions, and the elimination of earmarks. The measure makes $6 billion in federal spending cuts by seeking termination of 25 federal programs ($3.5 billion) and eliminating earmarks ($2.6 billion). Most of the cuts and terminations were proposed by President Obama in his fiscal 2012 budget or were included by Senate Democrats. The new CR has no impact on NIH, SAMHA, or Title X (reproductive health) funding. While H.J. Res 48 does not include any cuts to mental health or substance use disorder programs, the House is committed to making more cuts to the budget. In the next two weeks, lawmakers will be negotiating to develop a longer-term bill which will fund the federal government through the rest of the current fiscal year. |
APAPAC Changes in 2011
The American Psychiatric Association Political Action Committee (APAPAC) is excited to announce new contribution levels for 2011. There will now be three levels at which APA members can contribute. Those who contribute $1,000 or more in a calendar year will be recognized as APAPAC Founders. Contributions of $500 to $999 will be recognized at the Ambassador level, and individuals who give $250 to $499 will be Supporters. We're also excited to unveil three new pin designs for each of these levels.
For Fellows and Members-in-Training, giving half of the amount for each level will earn them recognition; $500 from such a member will be recognized as Founder, while $250 would earn Ambassador status.
We hope that having these three levels will simplify the recognition process. Please consider supporting APAPAC today and becoming one of the first members to be an APAPAC Founder or Ambassador! Please contact Scott Barnes, APAPAC Director, at sbarnes@psych.org with any questions. |
| APA Submits Comments on Depression Screenings
On March 23, the APA submitted comments to CMS recommending annual depression screenings as a Medicare Part B preventive benefit. Over the past 25 years, the U.S. Congress has expanded the Medicare benefit to include preventive services like screening pelvic exams, screening mammograms, and diabetes screening tests. The United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) has given depression screenings for adults, when staff-assisted depression care supports are in place, a grade B. This means the USPSTF finds depression screenings to have a high level of certainty of benefit. The APA supports annual depression screenings for adults linked with follow-up and diagnostic evaluation and treatment by a clinician, when individuals screen positive. |
| Senator Reintroduces Mental Health HIT Legislation
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