Child Healthcare Crisis Relief Act Update: Legislation Will Provide Opportunities for New Psychologists Working with Children and Adolescents

APA Education Policy Office: July 12, 2006

Child Healthcare Crisis Relief Act Update: Legislation Will Provide Opportunities for New Psychologists Working with Children and Adolescents

Working in conjunction with Public Interest-Public Policy Office (PPO), Education-PPO stepped up its advocacy efforts to call for the passage of the Child Healthcare Crisis Relief Act on Capitol Hill, and realized a small, but significant victory along the road.

Background
The Child Health Care Crisis Relief Act (HR 1106) was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives on March 3, 2005 by Representatives Patrick Kennedy (D-RI) and Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL) and in the U.S. Senate (S. 537) by Senator Jeff Bingaman (D-NM) on the 7th of March. H.R. 1106 currently has 59 additional cosponsors and S. 537 has 15 cosponsors.
The legislation provides incentives to increase the number of well-trained healthcare professionals (including those based in schools) providing mental health services to children and adolescents. Support will be provided through loan forgiveness programs, scholarships, clinical training grants, as well as Progressive Education Grants for Paraprofessionals to State-licensed mental health nonprofit and for-profit organizations and accredited institutions of higher education. In addition, Child and Adolescent Mental Health Program Development grants will be available to institutions of higher education.

Recent Actions
During consideration of the College Access and Opportunity Act (HR 609), Representative Kennedy, using his bill as a basis, offered a version of HR 1106 as an amendment. By a recorded vote of 380 to 38, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Kennedy/Ros-Lehtinen amendment. The amendment will provide loan forgiveness under the Loan Forgiveness for Service in Areas of National Need program to “child or adolescent mental health professionals” in an effort to encourage individuals to pursue careers in that area. Education and PI PPO successfully engaged the APA grassroots network on two occasions during consideration of this amendment. The first push focused on the Rules Committee to allow the amendment to be offered while “Phase II” involved a major push for passage of the amendment.

Continued Advocacy
While the passage of this amendment is important, it does not guarantee that the provision will become law nor is it a substitute for the more comprehensive approach included in HR 1106. Therefore, PI and Education-PPO staff continue to make Hill visits as part of a coalition of associations that concern themselves with mental and behavioral health issues to push for passage of HR 1106.

For additional information, please contact Jenny Smulson with Education Public Policy.