About the bill
Most Republicans argue that the main issue causing mass shootings is not guns but mental illness. H.R. 2646, the Helping Families in Mental Health Crisis Act, is the main bill in this Congress tackling the issue of mental health. Although it was introduced by Rep. Tim Murphy (R-PA18) more than a year ago, the House Energy and Commerce Committee passed it 53–0 on Wednesday with renewed urgency after Orlando. It seems very likely to pass the full House, with 197 cosponsors: 141 Republicans and 56 Democrats.
The bill’s main provisions include lessening restrictions on Medicaid reimbursements for psychiatric hospitals and mental health facilities by allowing Medicaid to pay for patients who stay at such facilities for up to 14 days, and authorizing new mental health grant programs including a …
Sponsor and status
114th Congress (2015–2017)
This bill was introduced in a previous session of Congress and was passed by the House on July 6, 2016 but was never passed by the Senate. Provisions of this bill were incorporated into other bills.
Although this bill was not enacted, its provisions could have become law by being included in another bill. It is common for legislative text to be introduced concurrently in multiple bills (called companion bills), re-introduced in subsequent sessions of Congress in new bills, or added to larger bills (sometimes called omnibus bills).
Provisions of this bill also appear in:
207 Cosponsors (147 Republicans, 60 Democrats)
Position statements
What legislators are saying
“Rep. Kelly Supports 21st Century Cures Act”
—
Rep. Mike Kelly [R-PA16]
(Co-sponsor)
on Nov 30, 2016
“Bill to Fund ‘Cancer Moonshot,’ Accelerate Medical Treatments, & Reform Mental Health Passes House”
—
Rep. Rodney Davis [R-IL13, 2013-2022]
(Co-sponsor)
on Dec 2, 2016
“Gohmerts Statement on 21st Century Cures Act (H.R. 34)”
—
Rep. Louie Gohmert [R-TX1, 2005-2022]
on Nov 30, 2016
History
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Dec 12, 2013
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Earlier Version —
Introduced
This activity took place on a related bill, H.R. 3717 (113th). |
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Jan 7, 2015
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Related Bill —
Passed House (Senate next)
This activity took place on a related bill, H.R. 34 (114th), possibly in lieu of similar activity on H.R. 2646 (114th). |
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Jun 4, 2015
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Introduced
Bills and resolutions are referred to committees which debate the bill before possibly sending it on to the whole chamber. |
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Jun 16, 2015
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Considered by Health
A committee held a hearing or business meeting about the bill.
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Oct 6, 2015
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Related Bill —
Passed Senate with Changes (back to House)
This activity took place on a related bill, H.R. 34 (114th), possibly in lieu of similar activity on H.R. 2646 (114th). |
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Nov 3, 2015
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Considered by Health
A committee held a hearing or business meeting about the bill.
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Jun 14, 2016
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Considered by House Committee on Energy and Commerce
A committee held a hearing or business meeting about the bill.
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Jun 15, 2016
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Ordered Reported
A committee has voted to issue a report to the full chamber recommending that the bill be considered further. Only about 1 in 4 bills are reported out of committee. |
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Jul 6, 2016
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Passed House (Senate next)
The bill was passed in a vote in the House. It goes to the Senate next. |
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Jul 6, 2016
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Reported by House Committee on Energy and Commerce
A committee issued a report on the bill, which often provides helpful explanatory background on the issue addressed by the bill and the bill's intentions. |
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Dec 7, 2016
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Related Bill —
Senate Agreed to Changes
This activity took place on a related bill, H.R. 34 (114th), possibly in lieu of similar activity on H.R. 2646 (114th). |
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Dec 13, 2016
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Related Bill —
Enacted — Signed by the President
This activity took place on a related bill, H.R. 34 (114th), possibly in lieu of similar activity on H.R. 2646 (114th). |
H.R. 2646 (114th) was a bill in the United States Congress.
A bill must be passed by both the House and Senate in identical form and then be signed by the President to become law.
Bills numbers restart every two years. That means there are other bills with the number H.R. 2646. This is the one from the 114th Congress.
This bill was introduced in the 114th Congress, which met from Jan 6, 2015 to Jan 3, 2017. Legislation not passed by the end of a Congress is cleared from the books.
How to cite this information.
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“H.R. 2646 — 114th Congress: Helping Families in Mental Health Crisis Act of 2016.” www.GovTrack.us. 2015. September 27, 2023 <https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/114/hr2646>
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Where is this information from?
GovTrack automatically collects legislative information from a variety of governmental and non-governmental sources. This page is sourced primarily from Congress.gov, the official portal of the United States Congress. Congress.gov is generally updated one day after events occur, and so legislative activity shown here may be one day behind. Data via the congress project.
