[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 109 (Wednesday, August 5, 1998)]
[House]
[Pages H7181-H7182]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               HOUSE TASK FORCE ON SERIOUS MENTAL ILLNESS

  (Ms. KAPTUR asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, we all know the name Russell Weston, Jr., 
and we all know that he tragically took the lives of two fine 
Americans, Officers Jacob J. Chestnut and John Gibson. But many 
Americans still do not know that this tragedy could have been avoided, 
not by installing even more security here, but by improving the state 
of health care available to the seriously mentally ill among our 
citizens.

[[Page H7182]]

  The state of psychiatric care in our country has spawned growing 
homelessness, more neglect, as well as increasing violence since 
deinstitutionalization of mental patients occurred over 2 decades ago 
with no community follow-up.
  The gentlewoman from New Jersey (Mrs. Roukema) and I are working hard 
to establish a special House task force on serious mental illness. This 
task force would be responsible for examining the state of our mental 
health system, especially those who are not being adequately treated. 
This task force would gather testimony about what America can and 
should do.
  Please support our effort to establish a task force on mental 
illness. Contact the leadership. Urge them to move so we can begin to 
repair the tattered dreams of millions of American families.

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