Advocacy leads to increases in funding for health equity and social justice policy initiatives

APA Services secured big wins within the fiscal year (FY) 2023 Omnibus Appropriations bill which passed at the end of the 117th Congress in December. The bill included increased funding for mental health services and research within the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), National Institutes of Health (NIH), and the Department of Justice (DOJ). Leading with science, APA Services worked with colleagues across the association, our coalition partners, and our grassroots advocates to secure these important public policy victories.

• Congress passed the viper Act as part of the end-of-year omnibus legislation, allowing VA researchers to continue their long-standing practice of receiving compensation from private academic affiliations in addition to their federal salary. This provision averts potential disruption of existing mental health and other medical research and provides certainty for future research collaborations. APA co-led efforts with the American Academy of Medical Colleges on a letter to Congress (PDF, 88KB) with nearly 90 organizations supporting the important provision to protect collaborative research between private universities and the VA.
• Congress also passed the Support the Resilience of our Nation’s Great (strong) Veterans Act, a measure endorsed by APA Services. This legislation strengthens the VA’s mental health care workforce, bolsters the Veterans Crisis Line, and provides additional resources for transitioning servicemembers.

• The omnibus provides increased funding for legal services and child advocates for unaccompanied children. The bill includes $750 million (an increase of $192 million from FY22) for legal services, post release services, and child advocates for unaccompanied children in the custody of the Department of Health and Human Services.
• The omnibus includes $800 million transferred from U.S. Customs and Border Protection to the Federal Emergency Management Agency for a new Shelter and Services grant program. The goal is to support states, localities, and nongovernmental organizations providing shelter to recently arrived migrants.

• The omnibus provides $26 million for dedicated research on gun violence within the CDC, DOJ, and NIH, a $1 million increase over FY22 funding.
• The omnibus funds $125 million for the National Instant Criminal Background Check System, which was established under the Brady Bill.
• The spending bill provides $4.4 billion (a $506.4 million increase from FY22 funding) to improve training of state and local law enforcement about de-escalation, implicit bias, and interactions with persons in mental health crisis. This 13% increase in funding will also fund Community Violence Intervention Programs and crisis intervention teams that use mental health professionals.

• For Indian Health Services, the omnibus includes $127.2 million for mental health services for Native Americans. This is an increase from $121.9 million in FY22.
• In addition, the omnibus includes $266.4 million in funding to IHS for alcohol and substance misuse, an increase from $258.3 million in FY22.

The legislation includes $324 million, an increase of $120 million above FY22, in the Health Resources and Services Administration, CDC, and NIH efforts to improve maternal health, reduce the nation’s alarmingly high maternal mortality rate, and eliminate disparities. This includes critical resources aimed at maternal mental health:  

• $872 million, an increase of $15 million above FY22, for Maternal and Child Health Block Grant.
• $11.5 million, an increase of $5 million, for the Screening and Treatment for Maternal Depression and Related Behavioral Disorders program.
• $7 million, an increase of $3 million above FY22, to expand support for the Maternal Mental Health Hotline.
• $7 million for awards to community-based organizations and other eligible entities located in geographic areas with high rates of adverse maternal health outcomes, particularly among racial and ethnic minority families.
• Incorporates the Triumph for New Moms Act (H.R. 4217/S. 2779) the first federal interagency taskforce on maternal mental health.

For more information, contact Stefanie Reeves.