With billions in surplus, Majority Leader Rep. Matt Bradford, D-Montgomery, said that it was “beyond cynical” to force a choice between adults and students for mental health services. He said it was a priority for House Democrats to secure adult mental health funding, and that they want it to be part of negotiations for the additional budget legislation.
The governor’s office did not say whether he supported Democrats' effort to use surplus dollars to fund mental health, but said mental health funding remained a priority and that “he will continue working to secure every dollar possible to invest in Pennsylvanians’ mental health.” As many adolescents and teenagers deal with increased needs following the COVID-19 pandemic, the state funded student mental health programs last year with $100 million to help districts proactively and preventatively provide services, through hiring counselors and psychologists or contracting out services.A top priority for counties is securing more state aid for the safety-net mental health services that they administer.