APA Education GRO Legislative Updates
February 2013 Table of Contents
1) Hot Topics – Legislation on the Move – What You Can Do to Help!
2) Health Resources & Services Administration Grants: MBHET & GPE
3) Updates on Other APA Education GRO Advocacy Activities
4) Annual Education Advocacy Breakfast Meeting in Hawaii (8/3/13)
1) HOT TOPICS – LEGISLATION ON THE MOVE – WHAT YOU CAN DO TO HELP!
While legislative activity in the last Congress was stalled due to the elections, a new Congress offers new opportunities. Indeed, several items on the Education GRO legislative agenda appear to have considerable momentum and could move forward in the 113th Congress.
*Garrett Lee Smith Memorial Act (GLSMA) Reauthorization (Campus Suicide Prevention Program) – On January 23, 2013, the GLSMA reauthorization bill (S.116) was re-introduced by Senators Jack Reed (D-RI) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK). The GLSMA (S. 116) bill would reauthorize and maintain the GLSMA Youth Suicide Early Intervention and Prevention Strategies Program for States and Tribes, the Mental Health and Substance Use Disorders Services and Outreach on Campus Program, and the Suicide Prevention Technical Assistance Center.
What's Different From Current Law? The GLSMA Reauthorization (S. 116) would make changes to the Campus Suicide Prevention Program that will allow for flexibility in the uses of funds to better meet the diverse, documented and growing needs of students. Also, S.116 would allow Campus Suicide Prevention Program funds to be used to provide: mental health and substance use disorder services, including prevention, promotion of mental health, and voluntary screening; the development and implementation of evidence-based and emerging best practices; educational and outreach activities on suicide prevention; and the employment and training of personnel. Additionally, S. 116 would authorize states and tribes to develop and implement: early intervention, assessment, and treatment services; information and awareness campaigns; tools to evaluate intervention and prevention practices and strategies; and training programs for providers and child care professionals.
Education GRO staff will continue to meet with Senators to strengthen broad bipartisan support for the Garrett Lee Smith Memorial Act Reauthorization of 2013 in the 113th Congress.
How Can You Help? Sometime in the coming months, we will be sending out an Action Alert asking you to urge your Members of Congress to support S.116. Please be sure to respond quickly – and also share the Action Alert with your psychology colleagues.
*Elementary And Secondary Education Act (ESEA) Reauthorization – The Education GRO staff are currently placing a renewed effort and focus on updating and strengthening APA recommendations for the reauthorization of ESEA, which may take place in the First Session of 113th Congress. As before, Education GRO will continue to serve in a leadership role, coordinating ESEA reauthorization efforts across the Association by working in close partnership with Public Interest GRO, as well as the Science and Practice GROs, in order to promote psychology's recommendations to improve ESEA.
How Can You Help? If ESEA reauthorization does take place in this Congress, we will be asking you to provide strong grassroots support by responding quickly to an Action Alert.
*Violence Prevention Legislation – Education GRO is working collaboratively within APA to advance school safety initiatives as part of the national dialogue on gun violence and school safety. GRO colleagues are working across Directorates to coordinate efforts in response to the President's proposals related to the Newtown tragedy. For more information on our work on behalf of APA, please visit: http://www.apa.org/about/gr/issues/violence/index.aspx
What Can You Do? Visit the APA website for updated information on related legislation. Education GRO will continue to keep you updated on ways that you can be involved, as well.
*FY 2014 Funding Efforts for the Graduate Psychology Education (GPE) Program – Even though the 113th Congress has just begun, Education GRO staff and dedicated psychologist-constituents are already meeting with Members who serve on the Appropriations Subcommittees on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies in both the House and the Senate to discuss Fiscal Year 2014 appropriations for GPE. Once again we are asking that funding be restored to the FY 2005 level of $4.5 million, which would enable HRSA to fund at least 30 GPE grants nationally. This additional funding would allow for a special focus on veterans and their families and the integration of doctoral-level psychology trainees at Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) to provide behavioral and mental health services to underserved populations. We will provide updates on FY 2014 GPE funding as information becomes available.
How Can You Help? As the Appropriations process continues, we will be sending out an Action Alert requesting you to urge your Members of Congress to support $4.5 million FY 2014 funding for the GPE Program. Please be sure to respond quickly – and then urge your psychology colleagues to do the same.
2) HEALTH RESOURCES & SERVICES ADMINISTRATION GRANTS: MBHET & GPE
We are delighted that the Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA) decided to focus on mental and behavioral health training by establishing a $10 million Mental and Behavioral Health Education and Training (MBHET) grant program for doctoral level psychologists and masters level social workers based on the Affordable Care Act (ACA), and funded through the ACA Prevention Fund, that was launched last Spring (see description below). In addition, HRSA wanted to ensure the continuation of the Graduate Psychology Education (GPE) Program and thus a competition for the next three year cycle was held at the beginning of FY2013. We are especially pleased that HRSA added $1 million of their discretionary funds to increase the total available for GPE grants to $4 million (see description below). In both instances, HRSA emphasized support for psychology internships due to the internship imbalance (i.e., a shortage of internships), and for the GPE grants they also emphasized training in primary care. We are aware that issues arose during both of these competitions. For the MBHET grants, the issue of internship program eligibility was resolved and with the GPE grants, the issue of doctoral student stipends was also resolved, although the eligibility of school psychologists was not. We will continue to work with HRSA to address the needs of our community in preparing health service psychologists.
*Mental and Behavioral Health Education and Training Grant (MBHETG) Program - As a result of Education GRO's successful advocacy efforts to include psychology education and training in the Affordable Care Act, the Health Resources and Services Administration announced the creation of the Mental and Behavioral Health Education and Training Grant (MBHETG) Program. Eleven APA accredited programs of psychology, including internships, were awarded three-year grants under this new program. The eleven psychology grantees were awarded a total of more than $3.6 million to strengthen the clinical field competencies and increase the number of psychologists who pursue clinical work with high need and high demand populations, such as rural, vulnerable, and/or the underserved, and veterans, military personnel and their families. This new grant program presents an excellent opportunity for psychology to benefit from an infusion of new funding in a very tight federal fiscal environment. For further information: http://www.apa.org/about/gr/education/news/2012/hrsa-mbhetg-awards.aspx
*New Graduate Psychology Education Program Three-Year Cycle Announced – On December 12th, 2012 HRSA announced the opening of the application process for the Graduate Psychology Education (GPE) Program. The GPE Program will provide grant funding during Federal Fiscal Years (FY) 2013-2015, for a three-year project period, from July 1, 2013 through June 30, 2016. Approximately $3,946,000 is expected to be available in FY 2013 to fund an estimated 25 grants at an average award of $134,200 per grant with a ceiling amount of $190,000 per grant per fiscal year. This is a $1,054,000 increase from FY 2012.The program is authorized through Title VII, Sections 750 and 755 (b)(1)(J) of the Public Health Service Act. Approximately eight to fourteen grants will be awarded to APA-accredited graduate training schools and programs targeting doctoral psychology students interested in clinical practice with vulnerable and underserved populations. An additional eight to fourteen grants will be awarded to state and local governments, or other appropriate public or private nonprofit entities, with APA-accredited pre-degree internships for students enrolled in a doctoral psychology program.
Applications due by February 8th, 2013.
http://www.apa.org/about/gr/education/news/2013/three-year-cycle.aspx
3) UPDATES ON OTHER APA EDUCATION GRO ADVOCACY ACTIVITIES
*Higher Education Task Force on Teacher Preparation (Department of Education) – Education GRO has been working as a partner in the Higher Education Task Force on Teacher Preparation to educate Congressional offices about concerns with the process used by the Department of Education to establish a State ranking or rating of teacher education programs, as well as linking these ratings to the distribution of student financial aid through the TEACH grant. The Department is likely to issue these new regulations in the near future. Education-GRO continues to monitor this issue and bring the expertise of psychological science to bear on the discussion and debate. On a related note, BEA has recently approved a new Task Force on Applying Psychological Science to the Analysis of Data for Teacher Education Program Improvement. The Task Force met in December and made significant progress. Education GRO will work with the Education Directorate on advancing the work of the Task Force when relevant to federal policy discussions. Further information on TEACH grants can be found at: http://studentaid.ed.gov/types/grants-scholarships/teach
*Higher Education Mental Health Alliance (HEMHA) Coalition Partnership – Education GRO staff, in partnership with Division 17 and Practice, have been working with HEMHA. HEMHA members include a number of other APA members who participate but represent different organizations. HEMHA has completed work on a new resource – "Balancing Safety and Support on Campus: A Guide for Campus Teams". Education GRO will continue to work in partnership with support from APAPO to promote this useful document and advance the expertise of HEMHA on relevant federal policies. Further information on HEMA is provided at: http://www.hemha.org/
4) ANNUAL EDUCATION ADVOCACY BREAKFAST MEETING IN HAWAII (8/3/13)
A quick reminder that the annual Education Advocacy Breakfast Meeting will be held on Saturday, August 3rd (7:30-9:00 AM) during the 2013 APA Convention in Honolulu, Hawaii. This year's invited keynote speaker is Mariquita G. Mullan, Ph.D.,MPH, Director, Division of Public Health and Interdisciplinary Education, Bureau of Health Professions, Health Resources and Services Administration. Dr. Mullan's responsibilities include oversight of the GPE and MBHET grant programs. Further information will be provided in later announcements. If you will be attending the APA Hawaii Convention, we hope you will plan to attend.
Reminder: Visit the APA Education GRO website: http://www.apa.org/about/gr/education/
Act as if what you do makes a difference. It does. (William James)
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| Alexandra Ginsberg | Legislative Assistant Office of Education Government Relations Education Directorate email: aginsberg@apa.org | www.apa.org
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