Policy Pulse: Major Parity Bill Passes the House! | The Kennedy Forum

Policy Pulse: Major Parity Bill Passes the House!
October 5, 2022

Last week, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Mental Health Matters Act, which contains provisions that we’ve been working to advance for years that would allow the Department of Labor to levy fines for violations of the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act. The bill also contains other important provisions to protect consumers’ parity rights. Our latest blog post discusses the importance of critical provisions in the legislation. Read it here

In Other News:

Also last week, AB 988, the Miles Hall Lifeline and Suicide Prevention Act, was signed into law by California Governor Gavin Newsom, transforming the state’s response to behavioral health emergencies. Key elements of the bill include sustained funding for crisis centers and mobile response, as well as coordinated implementation and long-term planning.

The Kennedy Forum worked closely with Steinberg InstituteLos Angeles CountyContra Costa CountyMental Health America of CaliforniaNAMI Californiathe Miles Hall Foundation, and NAMI of Contra Costa County to enact the legislation. View our joint press release on the topic here. And read our recent blog post addressing the need for other states to follow suit.


The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), announced 10 winners of its first-ever behavioral health Recovery Innovation Challenge to identify innovations developed by peer-run or community-based organizations that advance recovery. Former U.S. Representative and our founder Patrick J. Kennedy served as a judge for the program. More here.