From WisPolitics.com/WisBusiness.com …
— Sen. Jesse James told fellow lawmakers the state should focus on supporting school mental health through a bill that would create a pilot program to give schools state money to support a mental health program.
“Our children’s mental health is of the utmost importance,” the Thorp Republican said yesterday to the Assembly and Senate mental health committees. “This legislation can make a difference, not just for the students in this first pilot program, but for everyone gaining access and support based on what we do.”
James pitched SB 245, which would require the Department of Health Services to distribute grant money to two schools, one urban and one rural, to use for a school-based mental health program for two years. James said if the pilot goes well, the Legislature could ideally replicate the program in a more permanent way.
Co-author Rep. Barbara Dittrich, R-Oconomowoc, estimated the cost for the bill would be $850,000 based on the model from Lutheran Social Services, which currently provides mental health treatment for students.
Rep. Robyn Vining, D-Wauwatosa, expressed concerns about whether schools would “have a voice” in determining who is chosen for the pilot program.
Dittrich said schools could apply for a grant under the bill.
The committee also heard testimony on a package of bills coming out of a legislative study committee.
These included:
- SB 106, which would authorize DHS to create a certification process for psychiatric residential treatment facilities for individuals under 21.
- SB 107, which would allow a parent of those under 14 to consent to begin mental health treatment without the minor’s agreement, with a petition filed on appropriateness of the treatment.
Vining asked about the cost to implement these bills in the state.
Legislative Council Attorney David Moore clarified the study committee assumed legislators would determine how much money to allocate and where the funds would come from.
Several parents and mental health providers spoke in support of the series of bills before the committee.
David Whelan from Children’s Wisconsin said addressing youth mental health has become an “urgent need” and there is a lack of support centers in the state, so bills like SB 106 will improve kids’ access to mental health.
— U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin is touting legislation that would allow Medicare to negotiate prices for more drugs, among other changes.
The Madison Dem today announced she joined other federal lawmakers to introduce the “Strengthening Medicare and Reducing Taxpayer Prices Act,” which would expand the number of drugs Medicare must negotiate on to 50 per year.
It would also boost the discount Medicare could negotiate while making changes to the timeline for price negotiations on certain prescription drugs, according to her office.
Baldwin argues state residents shouldn’t “be forced to forgo the medication they need” due to how much it costs.
“This bill will build on the progress we’ve made to give more Americans some breathing room –- cracking down on greedy drug companies and helping ensure no Wisconsinite has to choose between affording their medication and putting food on the table,” she said in a statement.
See the release below.
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