Alliance Alert: Yesterday, Alliance staff Harvey Rosenthal and Luke Sikinyi joined longtime Alliance advocate Bob Dodge alongside statewide advocacy organizations led by the Mental Health Association in New York State, New York State legislators, and Paul Tonko at the State Capitol to commemorate the 20th anniversary of Timothy’s Law.
We especially want to recognize the leadership of Glenn Liebman, CEO of the Mental Health Association in New York State, Paige Pierce, CEO of Families Together in New York State, and Tom O’Clair, whose tireless advocacy and leadership were instrumental in the original campaign to pass Timothy’s Law.
Named in memory of Timothy O’Clair, Timothy’s Law represented one of the nation’s first comprehensive efforts to establish parity for mental health coverage, helping ensure insurance companies covered mental health services more equitably alongside physical health services. The law marked a major turning point in expanding access to mental health support and reducing longstanding discrimination in insurance coverage for mental health challenges.
While we gathered to honor Timothy’s legacy and recognize the tremendous advocacy that led to passage of the law two decades ago, we also came together to reinvigorate efforts to protect mental health parity at a time when federal officials are considering significant changes to national parity regulations. Any weakening of these protections could create new barriers to support for people seeking mental health and substance use services in New York and across the country.
The Alliance will continue advocating at both the federal and state levels to protect and strengthen access to mental health and substance use services. We remain committed to working alongside our state and national partners to ensure that people can access the services they need when they need them, without discrimination or unnecessary insurance barriers. See below for recent coverage of the event as well as this link for a video of the press conference: Advocates celebrate 20 years since Timothy’s Law passed, still more to be done
How Timothy’s Law Changed Mental Health Protocols in NYS
By Vanessa Blasi | ABC News 10 | May 26, 2026
ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) — It’s been 20 years since Timothy’s Law passed in New York State, inspired by a 12-year-old Schenectady boy who died by suicide in 2001. His father, Tom O’Clair was joined by state and mental health leaders Tuesday, recognizing this moment, while pushing for more work to be done.
“Coming back to this hallowed hall, if you will, brings back a lot of great memories, a lot of sad memories, and it’s where I learned a lot,” said Tom O’Clair.
It’s where Tom O’Clair fought day and night for years to get Timothy’s Law passed. The law was inspired by his son Timothy, who died by suicide at only 12 years old in 2001.
“Timothy was a joy. He truly was. He was the youngest of three sons, and he was the funny one, well the funniest one I should say,” said O’Clair. “He had so many friends, so many classmates, that would cry on his shoulder or look to him to cheer them up when they were having a difficult time. All the while, suffering inside.”
When Timothy began struggling with his mental health, O’Clair said his family exhausted all of their insurance resources at the time, and fell short. After Timothy passed, O’Clair began a movement. He worked alongside Congressman Paul Tonko, who was an assemblymember at the time.
“I recall being on the steps of the front entrance to the assembly when we were all applauding,” said Tonko.
The impact of Timothy’s Law has been drastic. After it was signed in 2006, New York became one of the first states to require insurance companies to cover mental health in the same way as physical health or injuries.
According to a study published in the National Library of Medicine in 2022, since then, Timothy’s Law has significantly increased inpatient mental healthcare utilization in New York’s hospitals. The numbers showed that from 2006-2007, those with serious mental health diagnoses were able to stay an average of seven days longer in the hospital, compared to similar patients in California.
However, part of the reason that mental health advocates and state leaders gathered at the New York State Capitol Tuesday, was to share that the fight is not over.
“The federal government has made it clear that they want to roll back all the gains of parity. The federal regulations that are due out in December will likely greatly weaken the law,” said Glenn Liebman, the CEO of Mental Health Association in New York State.
“I’ve written the president, demanding that we have full parity,” said Tonko.
Advocates shared that the goal is to codify federal parity protection into state law. Mental health advocates like Abbie Hodgson are also working on a continuation of Timothy’s Law that would solidify this cause even further. It’s called the Protect Mental Health Act.
“The Protect Mental Health Act goes a step further, and it holds insurance companies accountable for doing that,” said Hodgson.
Hodgson said that bill is expected to be voted on the Senator floor any day now. Other mental health advocates present Tuesday included Families Together in NYS and Inseparable; who are all advocates that believe in this cause.
“To Timothy. 20 years my friend. 20 years. You gave us a blessing,” said Tonko.