Department of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2018

Floor Speech

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Mr. Chairman, this amendment would restore funding for the mental health programs cut in this bill. Specifically, it would reverse the $142 million in cuts to SAMHSA's mental health block grant and restore funding for Project AWARE State grants and Healthy Transitions, which were both eliminated in the underlying bill.

For so long, mental health issues were relegated to the shadows, approached with the shame and misunderstanding that only exacerbates pain for people and their families; but today, we know how widespread these issues are, and we need to approach them without stigma and treat them the same way we would treat other illnesses.

According to Mental Health America, one in five adults has a mental health condition, yet more than half of Americans with a mental illness receive no treatment. Many families without health coverage or whose coverage will not cover mental health or recovery programs rely on services funded by SAMHSA's mental health block grant. This amendment would restore those funds.

This amendment also restores funding for Project AWARE and the Healthy Transitions grant program, which were created in the aftermath of the Sandy Hook school shooting, which took the lives of 6 adults and 20 beautiful children. In response to this tragedy, the administration and Congress came together to support several new programs to help communities identify and treat behavioral disorders.

The Project AWARE program, often referred to as a mental health first aid, seeks to increase awareness of mental health issues among our children, train teachers and other school staff to identify and respond to mental health issues, and connect children to the appropriate behavioral health services.

The Healthy Transitions program improves access to treatment and support services for young adults with serious mental health conditions.

Together, we can make our communities more welcoming, compassionate, and safe for everyone, and restoring this funding is an essential part of that effort.

Mr. Chairman, I urge my colleagues to support this amendment, and I reserve the balance of my time.

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