Lawmakers introduced a bipartisan bill that would ban AI companions for children and impose criminal penalties on companies that violate new safety standards. The Guaranteeing Unalienable and Anatomical Rights for Dependents, or GUARD, Act was introduced by Sens. Josh Hawley,…
Government & Regulation
A group of 17 Democratic senators is urging HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to reverse recent staffing cuts at the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, citing risk to the nation’s opioid and mental health response. Since the…
A federal judge has ordered the Trump administration to resume some of the $1 billion in school mental health grants that had been halted earlier this year. Kymberly Evanson, a U.S. District Court judge in Seattle, issued the preliminary ruling…
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration laid off more than 100 employees Oct. 10 amid a governmentwide reduction in force, according to an Oct. 11 report from NPR. Two former employees estimated that about 125 staff members lost…
HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. released the “Make America Healthy Again” report earlier this year aimed at addressing “overmedicalization” of children in the realm of behavioral health and shifting more focus on families and lifestyle choices. But Susan Swick,…
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Sens. Maggie Hassan, D-N.H., and Tim Scott, R-S.C., have reintroduced the Occupational Therapy Mental Health Parity Act, a bill aimed at expanding access to occupational therapy for individuals with mental health and substance use disorders. The legislation would clarify that…
Two top federal officials are arguing schools should eliminate mental health screenings and therapy — a stance that has drawn pushback from behavioral health leaders according to a Sept. 16 NPR report. Here are five things to know:
The federal government’s Make America Healthy Again Strategy, unveiled Sept. 9 in a White House news release, proposes major reforms to combat childhood chronic disease. While nutrition and environment are focal points, the strategy includes provisions targeting pediatric behavioral health,…
The California Behavioral Health Services Act — formerly the Mental Health Services Act — is undergoing reforms that aim to expand services and redirect funding to address housing instability and homelessness among residents with behavioral health conditions, according to the…
The recently signed One Big Beautiful Bill Act includes a provision to invest $50 billion in creating the Rural Healthcare Transformation Program aimed at offsetting the loss of healthcare coverage nationwide. But leaders are questioning whether this effort will be…