Behavioral Health Matters to Counties

 Nearly two dozen county leaders from 15 states are in attendance this week at a National Association of Counties (NACo) fly-in focused on disaster reform.

On May 22, the Second Chance Reauthorization Act of 2025 (H.R. 3552/S.1843) was introduced in the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives with robust bipartisan support. NACo supports this legislation, which would reauthorize funding for Second Chance Act (P.L. 110-199) programs through 2030.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) recently withheld roughly $11 billion in planned disaster reimbursements to 45 states, shifting the payments to fiscal year 2026 and marking a major change in how the federal government is managing disaster relief funding. 

Facing a shortage of paramedics, Pasquotank County, N.C. created a response program that better assigns its personnel to where their skills are most needed. 

On September 18, the Michelle Alyssa Go Act was reintroduced in the U.S. House of Representatives. This bipartisan legislation aims to increase the number of federal Medicaid-eligible in-patient psychiatric beds from 16 to 36, providing critical support for individuals seeking treatment for mental health and substance use disorders.  

Since 2000, Pierce County, Wash. has achieved an 88% reduction in youth detention — even as the county’s overall population has grown by approximately 30% over the same period.