Montana Legislature
On December 6, 2019, the NAMI Montana Board met to set our Legislative priorities for the 2021 Legislature. While we have other bills and will support other issues, these Legislative Objectives are our rallying points.
1) Support funding for community mental health services, included integrated primary care and co-occurring substance abuse treatment.
2) Support funding for mental health crisis care for children, adolescents and adults; including community commitments for adults that meet current inpatient commitment criteria.
3) Improve transition services for children aging out of the children’s mental health treatment system
4) Oppose solitary confinement in both the treatment and corrections systems, realizing that there is still a need for short-term protective custody for the safety of the person, caregivers, and others.
7) Require transition services from public health and correction institutions into communities to prevent tragedies, improve recovery and reduce recidivism.
8) Conduct an interim study of the Montana Legislature to analyze the existing rate structure for caring for serious mental illness, analyze gaps in care for Montanans with serious mental illness, and make legislative recommendations to address issues.
9) Support research-based suicide prevention programs in all Montana schools.
Please fill out this form if you're interested in advocating for these issue or specific bills at this Legislative session.
1) Support funding for community mental health services, included integrated primary care and co-occurring substance abuse treatment.
2) Support funding for mental health crisis care for children, adolescents and adults; including community commitments for adults that meet current inpatient commitment criteria.
3) Improve transition services for children aging out of the children’s mental health treatment system
4) Oppose solitary confinement in both the treatment and corrections systems, realizing that there is still a need for short-term protective custody for the safety of the person, caregivers, and others.
7) Require transition services from public health and correction institutions into communities to prevent tragedies, improve recovery and reduce recidivism.
8) Conduct an interim study of the Montana Legislature to analyze the existing rate structure for caring for serious mental illness, analyze gaps in care for Montanans with serious mental illness, and make legislative recommendations to address issues.
9) Support research-based suicide prevention programs in all Montana schools.
Please fill out this form if you're interested in advocating for these issue or specific bills at this Legislative session.
Ways to Get Involved:
The fight to defend and improve Montana's mental illness treatment system continues. Please stay involved throughout the budget fight.
1. Contact your legislators and let them know that mental illness issues matter to you and why. This broad endorsement of mental illness issues can be really powerful. You can look up your legislators' contact information here. Be considerate with their time and keep your statement concise. Be polite and to the point. Please explain how these issues have personally impacted your life.
2. Fill out this form to sign up for our policy alerts. Then make your own policy alert list of your friends, family, and colleagues that would also be interested in advocating for mental illness issues. Then send them any of our policy alerts that you think they might be interested in.
3. Write a letter to the editor of your local newspaper that discusses a specific issue or generally how important it is that the Montana Legislature support Montana's mental illness treatment system and Montanans who live with serious mental illness. Here are links to write letters to some of Montana's local papers.
The fight to defend and improve Montana's mental illness treatment system continues. Please stay involved throughout the budget fight.
1. Contact your legislators and let them know that mental illness issues matter to you and why. This broad endorsement of mental illness issues can be really powerful. You can look up your legislators' contact information here. Be considerate with their time and keep your statement concise. Be polite and to the point. Please explain how these issues have personally impacted your life.
2. Fill out this form to sign up for our policy alerts. Then make your own policy alert list of your friends, family, and colleagues that would also be interested in advocating for mental illness issues. Then send them any of our policy alerts that you think they might be interested in.
3. Write a letter to the editor of your local newspaper that discusses a specific issue or generally how important it is that the Montana Legislature support Montana's mental illness treatment system and Montanans who live with serious mental illness. Here are links to write letters to some of Montana's local papers.
If you need help finding the contact information for your local paper, we can look it up for your. Just send us an email at colleen@namimt.org or call call at (406) 443-7871.
Thanks for standing up for Montanans who live with serious mental illness and their families. We are so much more powerful with your support.
Please give us a call if you have any other questions.
Thanks for standing up for Montanans who live with serious mental illness and their families. We are so much more powerful with your support.
Please give us a call if you have any other questions.