[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 146 (Tuesday, September 27, 2016)]
[House]
[Page H5923]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                             MENTAL HEALTH

  (Mr. BILIRAKIS asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. BILIRAKIS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to urge my colleagues in the 
Senate to act on mental health reform legislation. Back in July, the 
House passed H.R. 2646, Representative Murphy's bill, the Helping 
Families in Mental Health Crisis Act, with strong bipartisan support; 
but the Senate has yet to take action on this vital piece of 
legislation.
  There can be no more delay; our Nation has suffered the loss of over 
70,000 lives as a result of mental illness, many of which could have 
been prevented with access to mental health treatment. Mental illness 
devastates our criminal justice system, our communities, and our 
families. We cannot arrest our way out of this problem.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge our Senate colleagues to advance this bill so 
that we can intervene before more Americans lose their lives to this 
treatable disease.

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