DBSA Legislation

How Does DBSA Choose Legislation to Endorse or Support?

DBSA interacts and works with alliances in the mental health community such as the Mental Health Liaison Group (MHLG), a consortium of national organizations representing consumers, family members, advocates, professionals and providers.

DBSA listens to constituent's input such as emails, phone calls and correspondence as well as state and local chapter input.

DBSA’s advisor in Washington, DC reviews the Congressional Quarterly Tracking System, congressional requests and congressional or agency news releases.

How Does DBSA Advocate for Specific Bills or Legislation?

• The legislation is placed on the DBSA website in the Legislative
  Action Center.

• A legislative alert is placed on the website asking people to send a note to their legislator using the Capwiz system.

• An Advocacy E-Newsletter goes out via email to more than 3,000 people from DBSA. Click here to sign up for DBSA’s Advocacy Newsletter.

• A special email is sent to all DBSA chapters.

• Emails and mailed correspondence are then sent to legislators by constituents.

• DBSA submits testimony to congressional committees.

• Meetings are held in Washington with legislators and/or their staff.

• DBSA participates in all mental health community advocacy efforts.

Why Isn’t the Same Legislation Being Supported This Year?

The 108th session of Congress has concluded and legislation introduced during that time has been dropped according to congressional procedure. New bills covering the same subject areas will have to be re-introduced in the 109th session, which began in January.

Current Legislation

At the end of each year, which also marks the end of the final congressional session in Washington, DC, all of the legislation that was proposed in that year is deleted.  The slate is wiped clean so to speak.  As a result, when the new year begins, for example, January 1, 2006, new legislation must be reintroduced in the both the House of Representatives and in the Senate.  On a daily basis, DBSA watches for new mental health legislation that would affect our constituents. So currently when you visit Capwiz, you are viewing legislation from 2005 – which may or may not be reintroduced this year.

However, if you have, or still do, write a letter regarding a piece of legislation from last year, that is okay because you are telling your legislators that the legislation is still important to you.  So your letter will have impact.