Peggie Rice Named SAMHSA's New Legislative Director

SAMHSA is announcing the appointment of Peggie Rice as its new Legislative Director. In her new job she will serve as SAMHSA's chief liaison with Congress and will work closely with constituency organizations to advance the nation's behavioral health care services.

In addition to her work on Capitol Hill, Ms. Rice has extensive experience in working on a wide range of behavioral health issues with Congress on behalf of HHS and other public health organizations. She served as a legislative analyst with the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Legislation at HHS where she dealt directly with many SAMHSA-related issues before Congress. Most recently, she served as a health policy analyst at the Washington, D.C., office of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In addition, SAMHSA has hired Brian Payne to serve as a legislative analyst. He also has broad experience in dealing public health related matters on Capitol Hill.

Ms. Rice and Mr. Payne will help enhance SAMHSA's outreach to Congress and other vital stakeholder groups on all issues impacting the nation's current and future behavioral health care needs.