After you have reviewed this site, or downloaded and read one or more of the booklets, please contact us and let us know what you think about it.

Missouri Legislative News 2018

The first Take Action for the Missouri legislature in 2018 discusses eight bills which we’d like you to write your legislators about. Please read the Take Action here: https://www.cchrstl.org/wordpress/2017/12/27/take-action-missouri-legislature-2/.

Missouri Legislative News 2017

Click here to download and read the CCHR STL report Missouri Medicaid Foster Care Drugs FY10-FY14.

Missouri Legislative News 2013

Missouri House Bill 287 TAKE ACTION

Introduced by Rep. John McCaherty (Republican, District 97 - Jefferson County) and co-sponsored by Rep's Higdon, Crawford, Lauer, Cross and Richardson.

This bill extends the statute of limitations for liability of licensed mental health practitioners to five years, from the two years currently provided in RSMo (Revised Statutes of Missouri) chapter 516.105.

Quoting from the proposed bill: “All actions against mental health professionals licensed under chapter 337 for damages for malpractice, negligence, error or mistake related to mental health care shall be brought within five years from the date of occurrence of the act of neglect complained of; except that, in cases in which the person bringing the action is a minor less than eighteen years of age, such minor shall have until his or her twenty-third birthday to bring such action.”

We think this bill is a good thing because of the significant amount of fraud and abuse in the mental health care industry.

Missouri Legislative News 2012

Missouri HB 1987 TAKE ACTION

We are delighted to report that Missouri State Representative Mike Leara (Republican, District 095 - Sunset Hills, Crestwood, Fenton and Grantwood Village in St. Louis County) introduced House Bill 1987 with the stated purpose to establish requirements for parental consent for mental health screenings in school and the use of psychotropic medications with children in the custody of the Department of Social Services.

The full text of the bill can be read here. Here are some pertinent quotes:

“The use of educational settings to screen children and adolescents for mental disorders has led to parents not being given sufficient information about the purpose of such screenings, the ramifications if they consent, such as mandatory psychological or psychiatric treatment for their child and family, thereby violating the recognized requirements and standards regarding full informed consent.”

“Based on the subjective nature of the mental health diagnostic system and mental health screenings, millions of children are prescribed antidepressants or stimulants recognized by leading drug regulatory agencies as causing suicidal behavior, suicide, violence, hostility and in the case of stimulants, the potential for strokes and heart attacks.”

“The department of elementary and secondary education shall prohibit the use of schools for any mental health or psychological screening or testing of any student, whether a nonemancipated minor or emancipated minor without the express written consent of the parent or guardian.”

“On or before January 1, 2013, the department of social services shall promulgate rules or amend any current rules to establish and maintain standards and procedures to govern the administration of psychotropic medications.”

ANALYSIS

This is a particularly valuable piece of legislation as it reflects the growing awareness and concern of parents about the harm done to their children by mental health screenings and psychotropic drugs in schools, and the indiscriminate administration of harmful and addictive psychotropic drugs to children in the foster care system.

TAKE ACTION

Please thank Representative Leara for his efforts and let Representative Leara know that you support this legislation, and write your own Missouri State Representative urging them to support HB1987, bring it through Committee and to a vote on the floor.

If you do not live in Missouri, then forward this proposed legislation to your own state representatives and urge them to sponsor and enact similar legislation.

Missouri Legislative News

Missouri Department of Mental Health Budgets

What You Can Do!

Review the good bills and the bad bills. Then visit, call, email, fax or write your Missouri State Representative and Senator to express your personal opinion about this legislation, urging them to support or oppose (as the case may be) the selected bills.

Go here to find out who your Missouri State Representative and Senator are and how to contact them.

Encourage your legislators to enact legislation to curb psychiatric fraud and abuse by forwarding to them the model legislation described below.

Model Legislation

These proposed bills are models upon which governments can develop their own laws to safeguard citizens against psychiatric fraud and abuse:

1. Prevent the use of physical or mechanical restraint procedures in psychiatric facilities.
2. Prevent any sexual contact, with or without consent, between a psychiatrist, psychologist or psychotherapist with their patients.
3. Prevent school settings from being used for mental health screening without written, informed parental consent.
4. Prohibit involuntary commitment without due process of law and with the protection of a person’s right to liberty.
5. Provide written, informed consent for electroshock therapy.

Click here to download the Model Legislation.

Click here to download an example of California Foster Care Draft Legislation for psychotropic drugs.

Suggestions for writing to your legislators

Review these handy pointers for writing to your legislators and other government officials.
HB = House Bill, SB = Senate Bill, SS= Senate Substitute, HCS = House Committee Substitute, SCS = Senate Committee Substitute, HJR = House Joint Resolution, HCR = House Concurrent Resolution, SR = Senate Rule

Bill Number in BOLD represents exceptionally good or bad.

These are not the only good and bad bills, but they are definitely in need of your letters. Start your letter writing campaign today!

The Missouri legislative session ended May 14, 2010. Updates are provided below on what passed and what did not pass.
You can find out more about the Missouri General Assembly at http://www.moga.mo.gov/.

Overview of Session Ended 5/14/2010

There were not as many psychiatric–related bills introduced this year as in previous years. To some extent this reflects budgetary restraint, as it was well known that this was not the time to pass legislation for any major expansion of government programs. But it may also reflect the fact that public sentiment against psychiatry is increasing.

Here are the numbers of pro– and anti–psychiatric bills passed and failed. Where separate bills were bundled together and passed as one, they are counted separately. Where the same measure has been duplicated in multiple bills, they are counted as just one. “Anti-psych” includes bills of a more general nature that can be used against psychiatry or to protect patients.

• 9 Pro-psych bills passed
• 3 Anti-psych bills passed
• 15 Pro-psych bills not passed
• 9 Anti-psych bills not passed

To find out more about any particular bill, go to the Joint Bill Tracking page on the Missouri State Government web site.

Pro–Psych Bills Passed

• HB 1311 AUTISM COVERAGE
• HB 1695 DWI COURTS
• HB 2226 & SB 754 COMPLAINTS AGAINST COUNSELORS
• SB 754 MISSOURI EATING DISORDER COUNCIL
• HB 1894 ATTITUDES EDUCATION
• SB 744 & HB 1894 CERTIFYING ACCOUNTS
• HB 2226 LICENSURE OF SOCIAL WORKERS
• HB 2226 MARITAL AND FAMILY THERAPISTS
• HB 2010 APPROPRIATIONS

Anti–Psych Bills Passed

• SB 774 MENTAL HEALTH SAFETY
• HB 2226 DISCIPLINARY ACTIONS AGAINST CERTAIN HEALTH CARE PROFESSIONALS
• SB 842, SB 1007 & HB 1894 PUBLIC MENTAL HEALTH HOSPITALS EXEMPTION REPEALED

Pro–Psych Bills Not Passed

• HB 1731 OBESITY
• HB 1733 & HB 1734 EATING DISORDERS
• SB 602, SB 607, SB 612, SB 615, SB 725, SB 821, HB 1289 & HB 1377 DRUG TESTING (AND TREATMENT) FOR WELFARE
• SB 661 TOBACCO CONTROL
• SB 995 DEPT OF CORRECTIONS PILOT
• HB 1215 SCREENING (GENERAL)
• HB 1463 SENSORY PROCESSING DISORDER
• HB 1296 AUTISM EARLY DETECTION
• HB 1450 EARLY INTERVENTION
• HB 1398 ABUSE AND NEGLECT CASES
• HB 1600 WORKERS’ COMP FOR PSYCHOLOGICAL STRESS
• SB 742 & HB 1886 MO HEALTHNET OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE
• SB 828 & HB 1590 BOONE COUNTY COUNSELOR (ATTORNEY)
• SB 951 STATE LEGAL EXPENSE FUND
• HB 2133 IMPAIRED PROFESSIONALS

Anti–Psych Bills Not Passed

• SB 639, SB 959 & HB 1790 FALSE CLAIMS ACT
• HB 1985 COMMITMENT PROCEDURES
• HB 1298 TRANSFER OF PATIENTS
• HB 1447 CASELOAD STANDARDS
• HB 1631 SEXUAL CONTACT WITH PATIENT
• HB 1688 WHISTLE BLOWERS
• HB 2105 CASE MANAGEMENT
• HB 2242 STAFFING LEVELS
• HB 2306 TRANSITIONING TO MOST APPROPRIATE ENVIRONMENT