The Montana Legislature is Underway and We Need Your Help

The Montana Legislative session is in full swing.  We did a lot of advocacy this week around funding for Montana State Hospital and broad Medicaid services for mental health and substance abuse.

There are two key hearings next week in the Joint Appropriations Subcommittee on Health and Human Services (Section B). The two hearings are on Tuesday (21st) and Wednesday (22nd). They will run from 8:00 am to noon. Public comment has typically begun at 11:30 am and run until noon. Typically people have been given about three minutes a piece, but that depends on how many people are there.

The hearing is in Room 102 of the Capitol. We'd love to have people attend in person to testify if possible.  If that's not possible, you can sign up to testify online. Here is a link to do it at.  https://www.legmt.gov/participate/  The rules are described on the web page. Generally plan on signing up the day before.  You can also use that same link to send a written message to the Committee. Remember to select Joint Appropriations Subcommittee on Health and Human Services (Section B).

If possible in your testimony and messages, please consider asking the Committee "To Fund NAMI Montana's Consistent Six."  This is the list of mental health service needs that were identified by both the Legislature in the last Interim and the 872 Commission in its analysis.  

• Expand mental health crisis beds

• Stabilize mental health care financing through Certified Community Behavioral Health Centers (CCBHCs)

• Expand forensic mental health evaluations

• Strengthen school-based mental health care

• Use acuity-based payments to help Montana mental health care clinicians serve youth at-risk of being sent out of state

• Expand group homes

 You can testify in favor of the "Consistent Six" on both Tuesday and Wednesday. 

If you can't make the Hearings and don't like sending messages online, you can leave a really quick message with the Legislative Call Center

"I would like to leave a message for Joint Appropriations Subcommittee on Health and Human Services (Section B). My name is __________ and I am from __________.  I would like the Committee to know that mental health is a critical priority and to please fund NAMI Montana's Consistent Six services in this Legislative Session."

They may ask you if you are in support of the Budget Bill. Please say Yes to that question, if they ask (that supports all of the mental health and substance abuse funding).  You can begin leaving those phone messages this afternoon and all next week - during work hours.

Thanks so much for your help!  Have a great weekend!

Matt Kuntz

Executive Director

NAMI Montana