Mental health reform package clears Georgia House, heads to Senate

Georgia state Rep. Todd Jones, R-Cumming, speaks about plans for mental health legislation, Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2023, at the state Capitol in Atlanta. The state House on Thursday, March 2, passed a bill that supporters say builds on a law passed in 2022. (AP Photo/Jeff Amy, File)

A bill that would address Georgia’s escalating mental health and substance use crisis is continuing to advance at the state Capitol.

House Bill 520 overwhelmingly passed the House Thursday and now heads to the Senate for consideration.

The nearly 50-page bill calls for standardizing the state’s definition of “serious mental illness” to promote easier collaboration between state agencies, courts, law enforcement and other stakeholder groups.