MEPS Act
Latest action · Jul 1, 2014 Referred to the Subcommittee on Military Personnel.
Progress
Where this bill reached, and when. A stage with no date was not reached; one that failed a vote and later carried shows the date it carried.
- IntroducedMar 26, 2014
- Passed HouseNot reached
- Passed SenateNot reached
- To the PresidentNot reached
- Became lawNot reached
Summary
Medical Evaluation Parity for Servicemembers Act of 2014 or the MEPS Act - Directs the Secretary of the military department concerned to: (1) provide an individual with a mental health assessment before such individual enlists or is commissioned as an officer in an Armed Force, and (2) use such results as a baseline for any subsequent mental health examinations.
Prohibits the Secretary from considering the results of such assessment in determining the assignment or promotion of a member of the Armed Forces.
Directs the Secretary to treat such assessment in the same manner as medical records with respect to laws and regulations relating to the privacy of information.
Requires the National Institute of Mental Health of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to submit to Congress and the Secretary of Defense (DOD) a report on preliminary mental health assessments of members of the Armed Forces, including recommendations regarding: (1) establishing a preliminary mental health assessment of members of the Armed Forces to establish parity with physical screenings; and (2) the composition of the mental health assessment, best practices, and how to track assessment changes relating to traumatic brain injuries, post-traumatic stress disorder, and other conditions.
Cosponsors 40
Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from Mar 26, 2014 to Dec 10, 2014, with 10 there on the day it was introduced.
| Seat | Cosponsor | Signed on | |
|---|---|---|---|
| R-TN | David P. Roe | Original | Mar 26, 2014 |
| D-VI | Donna M. Christensen | Original | Mar 26, 2014 |
| D-CA | Grace F. Napolitano | Original | Mar 26, 2014 |
| R-PA | Lou Barletta | Original | Mar 26, 2014 |
| R-NC | Mark Meadows | Original | Mar 26, 2014 |
| R-PA | Mike Kelly | Original | Mar 26, 2014 |
| R-UT | Rob Bishop | Original | Mar 26, 2014 |
| D-OH | Tim Ryan | Original | Mar 26, 2014 |
| R-PA | Tom Marino | Original | Mar 26, 2014 |
| R-NC | Walter B. Jones | Original | Mar 26, 2014 |
| R-PA | Michael G. Fitzpatrick | Mar 27, 2014 | |
| D-MA | Niki Tsongas | Mar 27, 2014 | |
| R-TX | Michael T. McCaul | Apr 1, 2014 | |
| D-IL | Bobby L. Rush | Apr 7, 2014 | |
| D-CA | Judy Chu | Apr 7, 2014 |
Actions 5
Everything that happened, newest first.
- Jul 1, 2014Referred to the Subcommittee on Military Personnel.
- Apr 10, 2014Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR H3148)
- Apr 9, 2014Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR H3065)
- Mar 26, 2014Introduced in House
- Mar 26, 2014Referred to the House Committee on Armed Services.
Related bills 1
Companion bills and other measures the record links to this one.
| Bill | Title | Relationship | Latest action |
|---|---|---|---|
| S 2231 | MEPS Act | Related bill | Apr 9, 2014 |
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security.
Text 1
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- Mar 26, 2014Introduced in House
Everything here is as published by Congress: the summary is the Congressional Research Service's, the action wording is the clerks', and the subjects are the Library of Congress's. How far it got is read from the actions themselves, taking the most recent one of each kind, so a bill that failed a vote and later passed is shown as having passed. Records come from this bill on Congress.gov and govinfo.gov.
