[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 7]
[House]
[Page 8853]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1945
                HELPING FAMILIES IN MENTAL HEALTH CRISIS

  (Ms. KAPTUR asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute.)
  Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, earlier today, I noted with particular joy 
that the House Energy and Commerce Committee moved through, by 
unanimous vote and complete bipartisanship, the Helping Families in 
Mental Health Crisis Act, H.R. 2426.
  Without question, it is one of the most important pieces of 
legislation to address the serious mental illness crisis that has 
plagued our Nation since de-institutionialization turned millions of 
seriously ill citizens out on our streets, assuming they could function 
in the community in the second half of the 20th century. That proved 
not to be possible for millions of our fellow citizens.
  Lacking effective treatment, many froze to death in back alleys, sat 
in their own excrement on the sidewalks of our cities, sought refuge 
under bridges and in doorways and street grates, became victims of 
abuse, and, too often, disappeared into the vapors of life, propelled 
by the force of their own unquiet minds.
  Let me thank profusely and recognize Congressman Tim Murphy of 
Pennsylvania, a psychologist who relied on his three decades of 
experience, and Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson of Texas, a 
psychiatric nurse with two decades of experience in practice, for their 
visionary and unrelenting efforts to move the plight of the mentally 
ill into the main arena of this Congress.
  I urge the Speaker to swiftly allocate time for its advancement to 
the House floor for a vote. Let us do something in our time and 
generation worthy of being remembered. This bill is it.

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