Positive Improvements to Mental Health

Floor Speech

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Mr. WILSON of South Carolina. Mr. Speaker, millions of Americans across the country know the benefits of evidence-driven mental health care; yet, our national mental health system has been harmed after years of bad policy.

Yesterday The Wall Street Journal stated, ``As it happens, this month a House subcommittee passed one of the more consequential bills of this Republican majority--the Helping Families in Mental Health Crisis Act. Recent mass killers have nearly all had some kind of mental illness; yet, few receive proper treatment. Representative Tim Murphy spent more than a year investigating dysfunction and writing an overhaul.''

I am grateful to be a cosponsor of the Helping Families in Mental Health Crisis Act developed by a dedicated professional, Tim Murphy. This legislation helps States to modernize involuntary commitment laws and encourages assisted outpatient treatment for patients to remain active in their communities.

This legislation determines funding based on evidence-based care, putting critical resources into programs we know work, not into vague or untested theories. As the former president of the Mid-Carolina Mental Health Association myself, I appreciate this reform.

In conclusion, God bless our troops. May the President by his actions never forget September the 11th in the global war on terrorism.

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