Legislative Advocacy

CALBHB/C's Governing Board supports legislation and budget items in response to issues reported from CA's 59 local mental/behavioral health boards & commissions, providing written and in-person advocacy. Join with us by writing to your legislators after reviewing "Understanding your Role" (below).

Understanding your Role

As Individuals: Individuals can and should write to their state legislators! Legislators especially appreciate hearing from residents within their districts.
As Advisory Bodies: Local mental/behavioral health boards/commissions are in an advisory role. In most counties, legislative advocacy is handled through the Board of Supervisors / Executive Office. Boards/commissions may wish to recommend specific legislation to their Governing Body (in most cases Board of Supervisors) and MH/BH Director (the BH Directors also advocate through their statewide association, County Behavioral Health Directors Association (CBHDA)).

Sample Letters

Find your Representative (Email Form, Phone or Fax)

AB 32 Telehealth: Expanding Healthcare Accessibility
Sample Letter Fact Sheet

SB 316 Access: Same Day Access for 2 Visits
Sample Letter Fact Sheet

AB 552: Integrated School-Based Behavioral Health Partnership
Sample Letter Fact Sheet

AB 738 - Mental Health Boards
CALBHB/C / CBHDA Support if Amended Letter

AB 988: MH Crisis - 988
ON-HOLD - CALBHB/C support for AB 988 is on hold at this time, awaiting amendments that will provide the foundation for CA’s local behavioral health agencies to effectively implement 988 along with mental health crisis services and mobile mental health crisis units.

H.R. 432 / S. 828: Mental Health Access Improvement Act
Advocacy Link (National Council for Behavioral Health)

2021 Legislative & Budget Advocacy

Historic Investment in Behavioral Health with 2021-22 Budget, CA Council of Community Behavioral Health Agencies, County Behavioral Health Directors Association CA July 8, 2021 Press Release

Federal Parity DOL Authority
Coalition Letter

AB 686: Community-Based Behavioral Health Outcomes and Accountability Review.
Sample Letter   Fact Sheet

AB 816: Homelessness Accountability - PASSED!
Sample Letter   Fact Sheet

SB 224: Pupil instruction:  Mental health education  PASSED!
Sample Letter   Fact Sheet

$2.455 Billion  for Behavioral Health Infrastructure
Coalition Letter

$250 Million for Rehabilitation of "Board & Care" Facilities
Letter to Senate HHS Subcommittee 3 Proposal & Analysis, P. 13

$4.7 Million for establishing a Peer Support Specialist Certification Program in Medi-Cal and Drawing Down Millions in Federal Matching Funds  Coalition Letter

2020 Legislative & Budget Advocacy

PASSED! AB-2377: Adult Residential Facilities - Closures
Sample Letter Legislative Analysis

PASSED! AB-1766: Adult Residential Facilities - Data Collection
Sample Letter

PASSED! SB-803: Peer Provider Certification
Sample Letter Legislative Analysis

PASSED! SB-855: Mental Health as a Medical Necessity
Sample Letter Fact Sheet & Background

Federal Appropriations and Bills supported by CALBHB/C Leadership Link to Summaries

1. Emergency Appropriation of $38.5 Billion for Mental Health and Addiction Treatment
2. Crisis Stabilization and Community Reentry Act of 2020 (S. 3312)
3. National Suicide Hotline Designation Act of 2020 (H.R. 4194)

Additional State Bills supported by CALBHB/C Leadership - No recent committee activity.

1. Adult Residential Facilities (ARF) (Board & Cares) for adults with Serious Mental Illness

AB 2589: No Place Like Home Program: Permanent Supportive Housing - Link to Bill Sample Letter
SB 1259: Task Force - Link to Bill Sample Letter

2. COVID 19 Emergency Appropriations: Behavioral Health Safety Net Coalition Letter, May 2020
3. Workforce - AB-565 (Maienschein) Public health workforce planning. *

Draft Letter to Support PAD Multi-County MHSA Innovation Project