Georgia House Speaker Jon Burns said Tuesday that state lawmakers will make another push this year to improve mental health care, with a forthcoming bill outlining a series of changes, plus multiple studies aimed at setting the groundwork for more action in following years.
Under House Bill 520, the state would expand its student loan forgiveness program for mental health care providers, try to make it easier for officials to use a form of court-ordered outpatient treatment created last year. It also would create new crisis stabilization units in Columbus, Dublin and the Atlanta area, and mandate more data sharing among agencies to assist with studying problems and planning for services.
Burns, a Newington Republican, acknowledged that the effort comes in the wake of a major push in 2022 by then-House Speaker David Ralston, who died last year.
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