Op-Ed: Governor’s veto of mental health proviso disappointing and unnecessary

Since the pandemic, livelihoods have been devastated, people have fallen behind on their mortgages and rents, students have been left behind in schools, foster kids have fallen deeper into crisis, businesses have been closed, and problems related to homelessness, substance abuse and domestic violence may have intensified. These problems must be addressed in comprehensive ways, but mental health ties to each and every one of them. Our investments through capital budget funding have increased significantly in recent budgets. However, we need to ensure mental health services are accessible and are operating efficiently and effectively, especially for our youth. So, this session I introduced House Bill 2053. It would have created a behavioral health workgroup to study the root causes of rising behavioral health issues in Washington communities. While the masks are mostly off and we are getting back to some normalcy in our communities, the mental health issues aren't going away...