By Shalini Wickramatilake, MHS

On July 29th, the full House of Representatives passed an appropriations minibus package that included the Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies (L-HHS) funding bill for fiscal year (FY) 2022 (October 1, 2021 - September 30, 2022). The L-HHS bill includes increased funding for several mental health, maternal health, substance use, and other public health programs. The bill passed along party lines with a vote of 219-208.

The Senate must also go through the process of passing their own L-HHS bill, along with 11 other appropriations bills, but isn’t expected to do so until the fall. If House and Senate lawmakers do not reach a final FY 2022 appropriations deal before October 1, 2021, they will need to pass a stopgap funding measure, called a continuing resolution, to keep the government funded at FY 2021 levels until they are able to pass a final FY 2022 bill. In the absence of a final FY 2022 deal or continuing resolution by October 1st, there is a risk of a government shutdown.

For a detailed overview of the House-passed L-HHS funding, please click here.

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