The lead sponsor of a divisive mental health bill will modify a provision that nonpartisan government experts say would restrict funding for states that do not have involuntary treatment laws. The move comes just days before the bill is scheduled to be voted on by the House Energy and Commerce Committee. It is meant to appease Democratic critics.
The bill’s sponsor, Rep. Tim Murphy (R-Pa.) says that the provision in question would provide Mental Health Service Block Grants for all states, but it would also give a 2 percent funding bonus to states that have assisted outpatient treatment (AOT) laws. AOT enables a judge to require a mentally ill person follow a treatment plan involuntarily.
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