[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 108 (Wednesday, July 6, 2016)]
[House]
[Page H4292]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                COMPREHENSIVE MENTAL HEALTH LEGISLATION

  (Mr. LaMALFA asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. LaMALFA. Mr. Speaker, it has been over 2 years since my colleague 
from Pennsylvania, Mr. Tim Murphy, first introduced this comprehensive 
mental health bill. And every day since then, the country watched as 
Representative Murphy, a clinical psychologist, continued his uphill 
battle to overhauling our frequently and significantly broken mental 
health system.
  Slowly but surely, strides were made. Not only did his message 
resonate here in Congress, but it brought a lot of hope to many 
suffering around the country with this illness.
  It is no surprise to anyone here today that we have a mental health 
crisis in this country. Yet, the chaotic system that exists today, 
while may be well-intended, is the exact reason why so many individuals 
are left to fend for themselves, many times finding themselves in 
prison, homeless, or hospitalized.
  The system is broken, but this bill gives us the option to change 
that. By replacing the duplicative and ineffective programs with 
evidence-based care, reforming outdated privacy laws, enhancing 
coordination with oversight from actual experts in psychology, and 
increasing access to psychiatric resources, we can provide hope to 
those suffering that help is on the way for them.
  I ask my colleagues to join me in supporting this extremely important 
bill, H.R. 2646, and thank Congressman Murphy for his diligence and for 
sticking to it.

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