Schlossberg recommended for Behavioral Health Council
Rep. Mike Schlossberg October 25, 2023 | 11:55 AM
HARRISBURG, Oct. 25 – State Rep. Mike Schlossberg is being recommended as an appointee to the Behavioral Health Council recently created by Gov. Josh Shapiro.
“Representative Schlossberg is a longtime advocate for improving Pennsylvanians’ access to mental health care and having served on 2022’s Behavioral Health Commission and securing $100 million in funding for adult mental health in this year’s budget, he is a proven leader on the issue,” said Speaker of the House Joanna McClinton, who made the recommendation in collaboration with the House Majority Leader’s Office. “He is well-equipped to serve and will be an outstanding member of the newly created Behavioral Health Council.”
“I am truly honored to continue the fight for better mental health in Pennsylvania. Our nation’s mental health care system is broken, and state government plays a critical role in finding solutions. Governor Shapiro has created an opportunity for great minds and leaders to do this work and I am grateful to have Speaker McClinton’s trust in this endeavor,” said Schlossberg, D-Lehigh, who serves as House Majority caucus chair.
During the 2022-23 legislative session, Schlossberg was a member of the Behavioral Health Commission on Adult Mental Health, a 24-person group tasked with providing recommendations to the General Assembly on how to appropriate $100 million in one-time federal American Rescue Plan funding to address behavioral health needs in Pennsylvania. The commission, composed of experts in the behavioral health field, advocates and providers, as well as Schlossberg and other legislators, created a set of recommendations.
In June, the state House of Representatives passed legislation (H.B. 849) authored by Schlossberg that took recommendations from the commission to expand the efforts to address the needs of struggling Pennsylvanians by funding various programs. However, the state Senate never took up the bill.
The $100 million in funding eventually made its way into the Fiscal Code bill (H.B. 1300) which passed the House earlier this month and awaits action by the state Senate.
Schlossberg has been a strong advocate for mental health programs and the associated funding since he arrived in Harrisburg in 2013.