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 of California (CBHDA)).

2024/2025 Legislative Advocacy

Find your Representative (Email Form, Phone or Fax)

Federal Bill
HR 4974/S.3444 (US Congress): Local 9-8-8 Response Act of 2023
Sample Letter

S. 923 (US Congress): Better Mental Health Care for Americans Act Support

2024 Legislative Advocacy

AB 236 (Holden) Provider Directory Requirements (Held in Appropriations 2024)
     Fact Sheet    Sample Letter

AB 1316 (Irwin and Ward): Emergency Services: Psychiatric Emergency Medical Conditions - Passed!
    Fact Sheet    Sample Letter

AB 2267 (Jones-Sawyer): Youth Reinvestment Grant Program   (Held in Senate Appropriations 2024)
     Fact Sheet    Sample Letter

AB 2700 (Gabriel) Emergency Medical Services: Alternative Destinations (Sponsor: Steinberg Institute) (Held in Senate Appropriations 2024)
    Fact Sheet    Sample Letter

AB 2882 (McCarty): Community Corrections Performance Incentives (Held in Appropriations 2024)
     Fact Sheet    Sample Letter

SB 1082 (Eggman) Augmented Residential Care Facilities  (Held in Senate Appropriations 2024)
     Fact Sheet    Sample Letter

2023 Legislative Advocacy

AB 236 (Holden) Provider Directory Requirements   Support  AB 236 Sample Letter

SB 551 (Portantino) Board/Commission Membership- Amendment Requests SB 551 Request for Amendments - Partially incorporated into SB 326

AB 459 (Haney) CA BH Outcomes and Accountability Review  Support AB 459 Sample Letter - Gutted & Amended (But Partially Incorporated into SB 326)

AB 1437 (Irwin & Quirk-Silva) Medication Prior Authorization Support AB 1437 Sample Letter  Governor's Veto Message

SB-509 (Portantino) School employee and pupil training  Support
  SB-509 Sample Letter  Governor's Veto Message

AB-839 (Addis) Residential care facilities for the elderly: financing  Support if Amended to include Adult Residential Facilities (ARFs).

AB-1001 (Haney) Health facilities: BH emergency services  Support    AB 1001 Sample Letter

SB 282 (Eggman) Same-Day Access (Medi-Cal)  Support     AB 282 Sample Letter

SB 598 (Skinner/Wiener) Health care coverage: prior authorization Support   SB 598 Sample Letter

S. 923 (US Senate): Better Mental Health Care for Americans Act Support

2022 Legislative & Budget Advocacy

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

H.R. 432 / S. 828: Mental Health Access Improvement Act

SB 970: MHSA Outcome Data Sample Letter Link to Bill

SB 964: Behavioral Health Workforce Sample Letter   Link to Bill

SB 1229: Children & Youth BH Workforce  Sample Letter Link to Bill

AB 32 Telehealth - Passed
Sample Letter Fact Sheet

Medication Access Trailer Bill - Not included in Budget
Sample Letter Fact Sheet

AB 738: Veterans Required on Mental Health Boards - Passed
CALBHB/C Letter of Opposition

AB 552 Integrated School-Based Behavioral Health Partnership - Vetoed
Sample Letter   Fact Sheet Senate Floor Alert 08.17.2022

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

Find your Representative (Email Form)
Find your CA Assembly Member (Email Form)
Find your CA Senator (Email Form)