In his proposed 2025-27 State Budget, Governor Evers declared 2025 The Year of the Kid and included $300 million and multiple measures to expand access to mental and behavioral health for children and adults. OCMH has identified a number of children’s mental health priorities – beginning with increasing the child tax credit – as especially important to create access to, and sustain provision of, a full array of quality mental health treatment services that Wisconsin’s children need. Our priority list will appear soon on the OCMH website.
See the Budget in Brief. AB 50 / SB 45
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The Office of Children's Mental Health (OCMH) is monitoring the federal government’s recent statements about the use of psychiatric medication for children. The decision to use psychiatric medication is made carefully between families and their health care provider. OCMH supports the response from the American Psychiatric Association (APA) and the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP) response which states: “Research shows that for some diagnoses the most effective treatment for children suffering with a mental health disorder is a combination of psychotherapeutic intervention and medication. Psychiatric medications when prescribed and used as directed by highly trained physicians like psychiatrists are safe, effective, and in many cases, lifesaving.” For more see the APA and AACAP’s letter to U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services, Secretary Kennedy.
In Wisconsin 1 in 10 people and 1 in 6 children face hunger. Two seniors at Middleton High School decided to do something about hunger in their community. See what Noah Duckett and Wyatt Ehrhardt, two seniors at Middleton High School, did with Middleton Meals Matters to collect food in their community in OCMH’s newest Showcasing Solutions.
Showcasing Solutions tells inspirational stories of good things happening in children’s mental health in Wisconsin. See all our Showcasing Solutions here.
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In Data Bites, OCMH examines relevant data on important children’s mental health issues and concerns. Our new Data Bite explores hunger and youth mental health, pointing out that hunger is linked to multiple mental health problems. See it here.
Data Bites are meant to be bite-sized, easy to understand, and shared. See all our Data Bites.
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Legislative Study Committee on Emergency Detention and Civil Commitment of Minors. After meeting for several months in 2024, this Study Committee agreed on six proposals to improve children’s access to mental health treatment.
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SB-106 / AB 111 Treatment Facilities. Psychiatric residential treatment facilities, providing an exemption from emergency rule procedures, and granting rule making authority.
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SB-107/ AB 112 Age of Consent. Consent to mental health treatment by minors who are age 14 or older.
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SB-108 / AB 113 Minors' Safety Plans. Sharing of minors' safety plans.
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SB-109 / AB 114 Detention of a Minor. Clinician initiation of emergency detention of a minor, granting rule-making authority, and providing a penalty.
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SB-110 / AB 115 Youth MA Program. Authorizing youth behavioral health program under the Medical Assistance program and granting rule-making authority.
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SB-111 / AB 116 Transporting Minors. Transportation of minors for emergency detention.
All passed the Legislative Study Committee 20-0 except SB 108 which passed on a 12-8 vote. All were referred to the Senate Committee on Mental Health, Substance Abuse Prevention, Children & Families and to the Assembly Committee on Mental Health and Substance Abuse Prevention.
Governor Tony Evers’ Proposed 2025-27 State Budget. AB 50 / SB 45 Governor Evers declared 2025 The Year of the Kid and included in his 2025-27 state budget $300 million and multiple measures to expand access to mental and behavioral health for children and adults. OCMH has identified a number of children’s mental health priorities – beginning with increasing the child tax credit – as especially important to create access to, and sustain provision of, a full array of quality mental health treatment services that Wisconsin’s children need. Our priority list will appear soon on the OCMH website.
Health Care Consent by Unaccompanied Minor. AB-049 / SB 70 This bill allows a minor who is an unaccompanied youth age 14 or older to consent to medically necessary care without a parent’s or guardian’s permission under certain circumstances. The bill defines “unaccompanied youth” as a homeless youth not in the physical custody of a parent or guardian with a local educational agency liaison for homeless children and youths designated under federal law, a school social worker or counselor, or an employee who conducts intake at a shelter facility or transitional living program where the minor has been admitted confirming in writing that the minor is an unaccompanied youth. Referred to Assembly Committee on Health, Aging and Long-Term Care which held a hearing on March 12 and voted by paper ballot on March 14.
Gender Transitions. AB-104 Prohibiting gender transition medical intervention for individuals under 18 years of age. Assembly Committee on Health, Aging and Long-Term Care recommended passage, 10-5.
Pronoun Records Policy. AB 103 / SB 120 The bill specifies that a school board’s name and pronoun usage policy must :1) state that a minor pupil’s parent or legal guardian determines the names and pronouns school staff are allowed use to refer to the minor pupil during school hours and 2) prohibit school staff from referring to a minor pupil by a name or pronoun that does not align with the pupil’s biological sex without written authorization from the pupil’s parent or guardian. The Assembly Education Committee recommended passage, 7-4.
Medical Assistance Extension for Postpartum Women. SB 23 / AB 97 This bill would extend Medical Assistance coverage from 60 days to 12 months for postpartum women. Wisconsin is one of only two states that has not approved 12-month postpartum coverage for new mothers. Uninterrupted health care coverage is important in not only managing pregnancy-related medical complications, but also to maintain critical access to mental health providers for treating postpartum depression, a prescription drug benefit, breastfeeding support, substance use disorder treatment, and to the well-being of their infants. On February 21, the Senate Health Committee voted via paper ballot 5-0 in favor of this bipartisan bill. This bill also passed by 32-1 in the Senate’s last session, but didn’t receive a vote in the Assembly. AB 97 was sent to the Regulatory Licensing Reform Committee.
Athletic Sports. SB-117 / AB 100 Designating athletic sports and teams, operated or sponsored by public or private schools participating in a parental choice program, based on the sex of the participants. The bill defines “sex” as the sex determined at birth by a physician and reflected on the birth certificate. The bill also requires an educational institution to prohibit a male pupil from 1) participating on an athletic team or in an athletic sport designated for females and 2) using a locker room designated for females. Finally, the bill requires the educational institution to notify pupils and parents if an educational institution intends to change a designation for an athletic team or sport. The Assembly Education Committee recommended passage, 7-4. Referred to Senate Committee on Government Operations, Labor & Economic Development.
College Sports. SB-116 / AB 102 Designating University of Wisconsin and technical college sports and athletic teams based on the sex of the participants. Referred to Assembly Committee on Colleges and Universities recommended passage, 7-4.
Wireless Devices. AB-002 / SB29 Requiring school boards to adopt policies to prohibit the use of wireless communication devices during instructional time. This bill passed the Assembly on a 53-45 partisan vote and was messaged to the Senate and referred to the Committee on Education.
School Meals. AB-048 / SB 67 Providing state aid to reimburse public and private schools that provide free meals to all pupils for the costs of those meals and making an appropriation. Referred to the Committees on Education.
March is Self-Harm Awareness Month
With a focus on self-harm in March, the Wisconsin Department of Health Services wants parents, caregivers, and those who work with young people to know that self-harm among those ages 10-19 typically increases following a return from school breaks and in the final weeks of the school year. Self-harm refers to intentional actions taken to hurt oneself. It may be done as a coping strategy in response to stress, anxiety, or other emotional and/or mental health concerns. Learn more.
On March 13, OCMH Director Linda Hall's responses to media questions on this topic resulted in multiple media reports on the importance of watching for sell-harm.
See OCMH’s Data Bite on Self-Harm.
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New Mental Health Literacy Resources from DPI
The Department of Public Instruction (DPI) has new resources on mental health literacy available on their website. Acknowledging that everyone has health and mental health, managing those is part of everyone’s everyday life.
Also available is a series of mental health videos sharing student perspectives on mental health, why school mental health is important, and information on DPI’s School Mental Health Framework. See the videos:
Survey for Wisconsin Educators
Wisconsin educators are invited to share their thoughts on the professional learning needs they have with the Wisconsin Safe & Healthy Schools Training Center and the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction by taking this survey. The survey takes less than 10 minutes, and the deadline is March 19, 2025.
Uniting Infant Mental Health and the Pyramid Model
A new book integrates Infant Mental Health and the Pyramid Model. Both are frameworks that support the mental health and social emotional well-being of infants, young children, and their families. Learn more.
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