The Mental Health Matters Act (H.R.7780), which mentions the American Counseling Association (ACA) by name, was officially reported by the House Education & Labor Committee to the full House and subsequently placed on the Union Calendar on September 22, 2022. The Union Calendar is a schedule of the Committee of the entire House of Representatives on the state of the Union, to which bills raising revenue, general appropriation bills, and bills of a public character directly or indirectly appropriating money or property are referred. The majority of public bills and resolutions are placed on the Union Calendar.
H.R.7780 was passed out of Committee on a party-line vote and does not currently have any Republican cosponsors, thus it remains unlikely this bill will be signed into law this Congress. However, the bill’s movement is significant because it may prompt lawmakers to reread the text.
Given that the bill cites a recommendation from ACA, this gives lawmakers another opportunity to see ACA’s expertise in action. As we continue to advocate for passage of the Mental Health Access Improvement Act, this gives us additional credibility when engaging with offices.
We look forward to finding other opportunities like these to amplify the American Counseling Association’s presence in the political space and we will keep you updated on the status of this legislation. If you would like to become involved in ACA’s advocacy efforts, please contact the ACA Government Affairs and Public Policy team at advocacy@counseling.org.