History of the Joint Subcommittee to Study Mental Health
The Behavioral Health Commission builds upon the extensive work of its predecessor the Joint Subcommittee to Study Mental Health Services in the Commonwealth in the 21st Century (the Joint Subcommittee). The Joint Subcommittee was established pursuant to SJ 47 (Deeds) (2014). The Joint Subcommittee was originally authorized to hold meetings in 2014 through 2017 and scheduled to issue its final report on December 1, 2017. In 2017, the work of the Joint Subcommittee was extended for two years in the Appropriation Act (Chapter 836 of the Acts of Assembly of 2017), with the Joint Subcommittee authorized to hold meetings through 2019 and scheduled to issue its final report of December 1, 2019, to the Governor and the 2020 Regular Session of the General Assembly. During the 2019 Session of the General Assembly, SJ 301 (Deeds) again continued the Joint Subcommittee, authorizing the Joint Subcommittee to continue its work through the end of the 2021 interim.
The work of the Joint Subcommittee and its numerous stakeholders resulted in the passage of significant legislation and budgetary action that improved Virginia’s behavioral health system, as summarized below. You can view a full record of the Joint Subcommittee’s meetings and presentations from 2014 through June 2021 here, and from July 2021 through January 2021 here.