Recognizing Sue Abderholden for Her Work on Behalf of Those with Disabilities and Mental Illnesses

Floor Speech

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Ms. MORRISON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize and honor Sue Abderholden for her decades of tireless service and steadfast commitment to Minnesotans living with disabilities and mental illnesses.

For the past 24 years, Ms. Abderholden has served as Executive Director of the Minnesota chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness.

Under her leadership, our state has become more compassionate, more informed, and more responsive to the needs of those facing mental health challenges.

She played a central role in passing over two dozen laws that expanded access to care and improved how we support people with mental illnesses.

Ms. Abderholden's advocacy brought mental health training into our schools, ensured screenings for individuals entering the justice system, and reformed civil commitment laws to emphasize voluntary treatment.

She expanded crisis and early intervention services, championed a more diverse mental health workforce, and worked to strengthen housing and community-based support services.

Her compassion extended to her home where Ms. Abderholden and her family fostered children with disabilities and youth aging out of foster care, offering stability and care when it was most needed.

On behalf of myself and countless Minnesotans, I offer my gratitude to Ms. Abderholden for her decades of hard work and service.

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