[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 146 (2000), Part 11]
[House]
[Page 15257]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



  SUBSTANCE AND MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES ADMINISTRATION REAUTHORIZATION

  (Mrs. CAPPS asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute.)
  Mrs. CAPPS. Mr. Speaker, I wish to address two pressing issues before 
our country today; substance abuse and mental health.
  This week, I introduced H.R. 4867, the Youth Drug and Mental Health 
Services Act, along with my colleagues the gentleman from New York (Mr. 
Rangel), the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Dingell), the gentleman from 
Ohio (Mr. Brown), and the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Barrett).
  This bill reauthorizes the Substance and Mental Health Services 
Administration which provides State mental health and substance abuse 
prevention grants throughout this country.
  Drug addiction is often an intergenerational family problem with 
future use by children of addicts a very common occurrence. Sadly, this 
is a pattern I regularly saw as a school nurse, but I have also seen 
the success of SAMHSA prevention programs in my own district, 
particularly with Santa Barbara's Fighting Back.
  This program provides successful public awareness initiatives, 
mentoring, criminal justice partnerships and health care intervention 
programs.
  Mr. Speaker, I call on my colleagues to move H.R. 4867 as soon as it 
is possible. This reauthorization is the best way to comprehensively 
address the problems of substance abuse confronting our communities. 
These problems are just too great for us to treat in a piecemeal 
fashion.

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