I’m committed to ensuring our farmers and rural families have access to the support services they deserve, and I’m proud to help lead this bipartisan effort with my friend Congressman Joe Neguse.
Derrick Van Orden is committed to ensuring farmers and rural families have access to mental health and addiction support services.
Occurrences
I’m committed to ensuring our farmers and rural families have access to the support services they deserve, and I’m proud to help lead this bipartisan effort with my friend Congressman Joe Neguse
Evidence
"In honor of National Ag Day, Congressman Derrick Van Orden joined Congressman Joe Neguse (D-CO) to introduce the bipartisan Agriculture Access to Addiction and Mental Health Care Act, legislation aimed at improving access to mental health and addiction services for farmers and ranchers in rural communities." ... "I’m committed to ensuring our farmers and rural families have access to the support services they deserve, and I’m proud to help lead this bipartisan effort with my friend Congressman Joe Neguse," said Congressman Van Orden.
Van Orden joined Rep. Joe Neguse to introduce a bipartisan bill to improve access to mental health and addiction services for farmers and ranchers, and said he is committed to ensuring rural families have access to support services.
Assessments
Van Orden publicly introduced bipartisan legislation to improve access to mental health and addiction services for farmers and rural families, which counts as a serious attempt, but the evidence does not show the promised access was actually delivered through enacted or implemented policy. That makes this an unmet promise with demonstrated effort.
Van Orden materially advanced the promise in the same federal House term by joining Rep. Joe Neguse in introducing H.R. 8149, the Agricultural Access to Addiction and Mental Health Care Act, to study and improve access to addiction and mental health care for farmers and ranchers. However, available status information shows the bill was introduced/referred to committee in March 2026, not enacted or implemented, so the promised access expansion has not been delivered. This supports partial credit for serious legislative effort, but not full delivery.