[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 150 (2004), Part 13]
[Senate]
[Pages 18044-18045]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                     GARRETT LEE SMITH MEMORIAL ACT

  Mr. REED. Mr. President, I would like to take this opportunity to 
express my sincere condolences to Senator Smith and his family, as 
yesterday marked the 1-year anniversary of Garrett's passing and today 
would have been his 23rd birthday. The Smith family has endured a 
terrible tragedy, but has taken their loss and their pain and committed 
themselves to raising public awareness about youth suicide and the need 
for appropriate mental health services.
  Senator Smith has also worked tirelessly these past few months to 
move the Garrett Lee Smith Memorial Act. During a time of partisanship 
and divisiveness, a majority of members in the House and Senate have 
been able to set aside those differences to help expeditiously move 
this important legislation.
  I have had the honor and pleasure of working with my colleague from 
Oregon on this very personal tribute since the beginning. As my 
colleagues may recall, this legislation is comprised of two separate 
legislative initiatives that were introduced earlier this year, the 
Youth Suicide Early Intervention and Prevention Expansion Act, 
sponsored by Senators Dodd and DeWine and the Campus Care and 
Counseling Act, which I introduced along with Senator DeWine.
  The legislation takes a comprehensive approach to the increasing 
problem of suicide among our youth as well as providing additional 
resources to our Nation's colleges and universities as they struggle to 
offer the kinds of support students need to grow and achieve 
academically as well as personally. Information, outreach and access to 
mental and behavioral health services is becoming an increasingly 
important part of that equation.
  The Garrett Lee Smith Memorial Act contains many important provisions 
that I hope will help to stem the growing numbers of youth suicides in 
this country. According to the Centers for Disease Control and 
Prevention, suicide and self-inflicted injuries remain a pressing 
public health concern. We hope this legislation will help to change 
this by enabling States, local communities and institutions of higher 
education to implement effective youth suicide prevention and 
intervention strategies.
  Two months ago, a unanimous Senate passed the Garrett Lee Smith 
Memorial Act. Since that time, the bill has undergone what I would 
consider to be considerable changes to address concerns raised by 
Energy and Commerce Chairman Barton and others.
  I have always been willing to entertain and accommodate issues that 
have been raised that have related to the substance of this bill. I am 
deeply concerned, however, by the insistence of some in the other body 
to inject partisan ideology in this bill.
  Just prior to the August recess, a few members of the other body 
scuttled movement on the bill when they insisted on adding language 
that would create a new parental consent standard, layered onto one 
that has been in law, under the General Education Provisions Act, GEPA, 
which was recently updated as part of the No Child Left Behind Act.

[[Page 18045]]

  While the majority has made it clear they will not abide changes in 
other parts of the No Child Left Behind Act, even common sense fixes 
that school administrators, principals, teachers, and parents have been 
called for, they insisted on language--which could prevent the very 
young people we are trying to help from accessing the mental health 
services they need.
  We worked in good faith over the past month to come up with a 
compromise, and while the language has improved from the version 
initially proposed, it still raises some fundamental concerns.
  I am appreciative of the efforts of Senator Smith to add a 
clarification that the language has no impact on the No Child Left 
Behind Act. Unfortunately, the language does not include a similar 
assurance on the standards for parental notice and consent included 
under sections 444 and 445 of the General Education Provisions Act.
  As a result, we have created a different standard for assessments, 
programs, and services in elementary and secondary schools relating to 
youth suicide, as compared to other health and mental health 
assessments, programs, and services that occur in our schools. Not only 
does this language set a new precedent, we are adding a confusing and 
burdensome layer of requirements on school personnel at a time when 
they are struggling to meet the goals of the No Child Left Behind Act 
and trying to do the best they can to help our young people.
  However, in recognizing how important the overall bill is to our 
Nation's young people and college students, and the commitment of the 
Senator from Oregon to address this language in the future. I support 
passage of the Garrett Lee Smith Memorial Act. I praise my colleagues 
in both Chambers for their continued diligence on this bill and 
appreciate the willingness of the majority and minority leaders to set 
aside time so that this important piece of legislation can finally move 
to the President's desk.

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