Senate committee approves mental health bill

The U.S. Senate moved closer Monday to approving legislation aimed at addressing many of the nation’s unaddressed mental health needs.

However, many mental health advocates will likely describe the bill that was passed by the Senate Health Committee as watered-down, as it lacks many critical elements that were included in a more ambitious bill originally proposed by Representative Tim Murphy, a Republican from Pennsylvania. 

Murphy’s bill included a provision that would have granted judges more power to mandate a patient’s participation in an out-patient treatment program and give caregivers, including parents of adult children, more access to the patient’s health records in certain circumstances. The provision raised concerns from privacy advocates and members of Congress on both sides of the aisle.