As 117th Congress Looms, NBCC Prepares Priorities

After a hectic 2020 campaign, the dust is starting to settle and the makeup of the 117^th Congress is starting to take shape. Although there are runoff elections and recounts to be finished, the political environment is rapidly coming together.

NBCC’s Government and Legislative Affairs Department is preparing to continue pushing for our priority issues in the 117^th Congress. We are working with our cosponsors to have the Mental Health Access Improvement Act, which would allow mental health counselors to bill Medicare for counseling services, introduced early next year. We are also preparing our appropriations work for FY22, including increased funding request for SAMHSA’s Minority Fellowship Program and HRSA’s Behavioral Health Workforce Education and Training Program. Additionally, we will be advocating for legislation that will expand access to mental health counselors within both the Department of Veterans Affairs and Department of Defense. Our Government and Legislative Affairs team is looking forward to continuing its work in advocating for the counseling profession as the 117^th Congress gets underway in January.