Impact in Virginia
Each fall, members of the Behavioral Health Commission (BHC) vote on a range of policy options that become BHC-supported legislative recommendations, if adopted by a majority of members. Each recommendation is introduced by a BHC member during the next session as a bill or budget amendment, as appropriate. Policy options and recommendations originate primarily from research conducted by BHC staff and, in some cases, by other legislative commissions. For example, the BHC supported multiple recommendations in 2023 stemming from studies conducted by the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission (JLARC).
The Behavioral Health Commission measures its performance using the proportion of recommendations supported by the Commission that is implemented, subset between the implementation of (1) options and recommendations generated by BHC staff and (2) recommendations provided by other research entities.
More information on BHC report recommendations and on the 2025 session bills and budget amendments introduced to implement the BHC’s legislative recommendations can be found here. Prior years bill and budget amendments can be found at the bottom of this page.
BHC-supported recommendations implemented as of 2025:
| All recommendations | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | Cumulative |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| # adopted by Commission | 12 | 43 | 11 | 66 |
| # implemented by legislative or budget action | 10 | 25 | 4 | 39 |
| % implemented by legislative or budget action | 83% | 58% | 36% | 59% |
| BHC staff-developed options and recommendations | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | Cumulative |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| # offered to Commission | 7 | 21 | 12 | 40 |
| # adopted by Commission | 7 | 20 | 11 | 38 |
| % of staff options /recommendations adopted | 100% | 95% | 92% | 95% |
| # implemented by legislative or budget action | 5 | 12 | 4 | 21 |
| % implemented by legislative or budget action | 71% | 60% | 36% | 55% |
| JLARC staff-developed recommendations | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | Cumulative |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| # adopted by Commission | 5 | 23 | - | 28 |
| # implemented by legislative or budget action | 5 | 13 | - | 18 |
| % implemented by legislative or budget action | 100% | 52% | - | 64% |
1 Recommendations contained in two JLARC reports (2022) entitled CSB Behavioral Health Services and Pandemic Impact on K-12 Public Education
2 Recommendations contained in the JLARC report entitled Virginia’s State Psychiatric Hospitals (2023)
2024 session bills and budget amendments
2023 session bills and budget amendments