Executive Order 13263: President’s New Freedom Commission on Mental Health
President: George W. Bush
Created a temporary presidential commission to study the public and private mental-health service system and recommend improvements in access, coordination, community integration, recovery-focused care and use of existing resources.
Status: Revoked.
Is Executive Order 13263 still in effect? No. Completed; final report delivered; order revoked September 17, 2003.
What does Executive Order 13263 do?
The order assigned these duties: Commission — Study service delivery and recommend ways to improve coordination, access and outcomes; HHS Secretary — Provide funding, staff and administrative support.
Checked the commission’s remit and final-report date against the signed order and its official report. EO 13316 revoked the order after completion; the guide describes recommendations as advisory, not as changes to benefits or appropriations.
Before and after
Before the order
Mental-health programs and financing were spread across federal, state, local and private systems without the temporary cross-system review ordered here.
After the order
The commission held meetings, received testimony, issued an interim report and delivered “Achieving the Promise” on July 22, 2003 with six broad goals. HHS and Congress used the report in later policy work. EO 13316 revoked the completed commission order in September 2003.
Who had to do what
| Agency / office | Action | Timing / position |
|---|---|---|
| Commission | Study service delivery and recommend ways to improve coordination, access and outcomes | Interim report within six months; final report within one year after first meeting |
| HHS Secretary | Provide funding, staff and administrative support | Throughout the commission’s work |
| Federal agencies | Provide lawful information and assistance | As requested and subject to appropriations |
What happened next
EO 13263 signed.
EO 13263 created the commission.
The commission delivered its final report, “Achieving the Promise.”
EO 13316 revoked EO 13263 after the commission completed its work.
Legal and source detail
How it works legally
The commission was advisory: it could not change benefit entitlements, state duties, civil-rights requirements or appropriations. Later mental-health and parity measures have their own statutory bases and should not be attributed solely to this order. No order-specific merits judgment was located.
Sources by type
If a source is unavailable, first check the cited publisher or another official repository. The cited publisher remains the authority.
Primary and official sources
Orders, laws, court records and official implementation material.
How we checked this
Last checked against the sources above on October 2, 2026. How we research →