In
this
week's
edition
of
E-News...
Top
Forensic
Experts
Convene
at
Duquesne
University
Murphy
Tours
TrustPoint
Hospital
in
Tennessee
Murphy
Joins
Knights
of
Columbus
in
Bethel
Park
for
Charity
Event
Congress
Weighs
in
Against
Yulin
Dog
Meat
Festival
Town
Hall
Meeting
in
South
Fayette
|
Congressman
Murphy
speaks
on
decriminalizing
mental
illness
at
Duquesne
University. |
Top
Forensic
Experts
Convene
at
Duquesne
University
Established
at
Duquesne
University
in
2000,
the
Cyril
H.
Wecht
Institute
of
Forensic
Science
&
Law
is
a
center
for
education,
training,
and
research
in
applied
forensic
science.
Every
year,
the
Institute
hosts its Forensic
Science
and
Law
Symposium
and this
year
Congressman
Murphy
was
invited
to
speak
on
his
transformational
mental
health
legislation
in
Congress,
the Helping
Families
in
Mental
Health
Crisis
Act.
Entitled
“From
Out
of
the
Shadows:
Illuminating
the
Intersection
of
Mental
Health
and
the
Law”
Murphy
joined
speakers
from
across
the
spectrum
of
forensic
law
on
topics
as
diverse
as
mental
health
needs
in
Veterans
Court
and
utilizing
forensic
experts
in
court
cases.
Murphy
provided
an
update
on
his
multi-year
investigation
of
the
U.S.
mental
health
system
and
his
federal
crisis
mental
health
reform
bill,
the
Helping
Families
in
Mental
Health
Crisis
Act.
“While
mental
health
and
the
law
are
more
closely
intertwined,
we
still
have
a
disconnect,”
said
Murphy.
“The
Helping
Families
in
Mental
Health
Crisis
Act
works
to
bridge
that
gap
and
change
the
way
our
country
addresses
serious
mental
illness
in
the
community.”
Every
day,
newspaper
headlines
reveal
increasing
frequency
of
law
enforcement
responding
to
psychiatric
crises.
Murphy
highlighted
a
few
of
the key
reforms
his
bill
makes,
including
provisions to
ensure
police
officers
interact
appropriately
with
those
experiencing
a
mental
health
crisis
and
are
not
engaged
in
criminal
activity.
Specifically,
H.R.
2646
provides
Crisis
Intervention
Training
(CIT)
grants
to
local
communities
to
train
police
officers
to
recognize
individuals
who
have
mental
illness
and
how
to
properly
intervene.
The
model
allows
police
to
connect
individual
in
crisis
to
appropriate
community-based
treatment
services
rather
than
automatically
transferring
them
to
jail.
Murphy’s
bill
is
endorsed
by
the
Federal
Law
Enforcement
Association
of
America,
as
well
as
50
other
professional
organizations.
To
share
your
thoughts
on
mental
health
&
criminal
justice
reform,
please
click
here.
Murphy
Tours
TrustPoint
Hospital
in
Tennessee
On
Tuesday,
Congressman
Murphy
visited
TrustPoint
Hospital
in
Murfreesboro,
Tennessee.
TrustPoint
is
a
101
bed
acute
care, state-of-the-art
treatment
hospital that
provides
an
array
of
medical
and
psychiatric
services
on
both
an
inpatient
and
outpatient
basis.
Murphy
took
a
tour
of
the
facility
and met with
the
staff
and
the
hospital's
CEO,
Dr.
Jeff
Woods.
As
a
practicing
psychologist
with
over
40
years
of
experience,
Congressman
Murphy
authored
the
most
comprehensive
overhaul
of
the
nation’s
broken
mental
health
system
in
over
half
a
century.
His
mental
health
crisis
reform
bill,
the
Helping
Families
in
Mental
Health
Crisis
Act
(H.R.
2646),
delivers
real
reforms
by
driving
evidence-based
treatments,
providing
more
psychiatric
hospital
beds,
clarifying
privacy
laws
to
empower
patients
and
caregivers,
and
getting
care
to
those
in
need
before
their
illness
spirals
into
a
crisis.
The
bill
passed
the
House
in
July
by
near
unanimous
vote
(422-2)
and
now
awaits
action
in
the
Senate.
|
Congressman
Murphy
with
TrustPoint
Hospital
staff. |
"TrustPoint
is
setting
the
standard
for
the
kind
of
psychiatric
care
facilities
our
nation desperately
needs
and
deserves,"
said
Murphy.
"The
provisions
and
goals
outlined
in
H.R.
2646
cannot
be
executed
without
more
of
these
forward-thinking,
modern
treatment
centers.
I
have
the utmost respect
and
gratitude
for
all
of
TrustPoint's
hardworking
staff."
To
share
your
thoughts
on
H.R.
2646 and mental
health
reform,
click
here.
Murphy
Joins
KOC
in
Bethel
Park
for
Charity
Event
Officially
chartered
in
1882,
the
Knights
of
Columbus
(KOC)
serve
as
a
fraternal
benefit
society
under
the
founding
principles
of
charity,
unity,
and
fraternity.
The
KOC
was
formed
to
provide
financial
aid
to
members
and
their
families
as
well
as
assistance
to
the
sick,
disabled
and
needy
members
and
their
families.
Fellowship
is
also
promoted
among
KOC
members
and
their
families
through
educational,
charitable,
religious,
social
welfare,
war
relief,
and
public
relief
works.
|
Members
of
the
South
Hills
KOC
volunteer
in
service
to
communities,
families,
and
young
people. |
This
week,
Congressman
Murphy
accepted
the
KOC's invitation to
join
the
South
Hills
Council
#3084
Knights
of
Columbus
at
St.
Thomas
More
Family
Life
Center
in
Bethel
Park
for
an
evening
of
fellowship
and
charitable
giving.
The
South
Hills
KOC
dispersed
donations
from
the
Charity
Fund
to
approximately
20
Catholic
charities
throughout
Pittsburgh
and
the
South
Hills.
Congressman
Murphy
spoke
to
the
KOC
members
about
efforts
in
Congress
to
preserve
American
foundational
liberties
enshrined
in
the
Constitution
to
freely
exercise
their
rights,
including
pledging
allegiance
to
“One
nation
under
God.”
Murphy
also
discussed
the
First
Amendment
Defense
Act,
which
would
protect
religious
institutions
like
Catholic
schools
from
being
forced
to
adopt
policies
and
practices
that
violate
the
basic
tenets
of
their
faith.
To
share
your
thoughts
on
religious
liberties,
please
click
here.
Congress
Weighs
in
Against
Yulin
Dog
Meat
Festival
Greater
Southwestern
Pennsylvania
boasts
hundreds
of
organizations
dedicated
to
pet
rescue,
adoption,
and
care.
Tragically,
many
other
countries
do
not
follow
basic
standards
of
humane
animal
treatment
and
China
is
now
under
international
scrutiny
for
a
newly-created
festival
that
centers
on
killing
and
eating
dogs.
With
an
estimated
10
to
20
million
dogs
expected
to
be
killed
for
meat
consumption
this
year
in
China,
Congressman
Murphy
signed
on
as
a
co-sponsor
to
a
congressional
resolution
condemning
the
country’s
controversial
Yulin
Dog
Meat
Festival.
|
Yulin
dogs
rounded
up
for
transport
to
slaughter
for
dog
meat
festival.
(Reuters) |
Launched
by
dog
meat
traders
in
2009
as
a
commercial
enterprise
to
boost
lagging
meat
sales,
the
festival
has
generated
untold
profit
for
vendors.
The
earnings
have
been
so
high
that
dog
meat
dealers
engage
in
unscrupulous
practices
to
acquire
dogs
for
sale
in
local
markets,
including
stealing
family
pets.
Worse
yet,
the
dogs
are
typically
tortured
and
killed
for
public
viewing,
while
others
are
beaten
to
death
or
cooked
while
still
alive.
The
House
resolution
co-sponsored
by
Congressman
Murphy
condemns
the
Dog
Meat
Festival
in
Yulin
as
a
spectacle
of
extreme
animal
cruelty
and
a
threat
to
global
public
health.
It
urges
the
National
People's
Congress
of
China
to
enact
an
animal
anti-cruelty
law
with
provisions
banning
the
dog
meat
trade
and
affirms
the
commitment
of
the
United
States
to
the
protection
of
animals.
To
share
your
thoughts
on
the
Yulin
Dog
Meat
Festival,
please
click
here.
Town
Hall
Meeting
in
South
Fayette
|
Congressman
Murphy
&
State
Senator
Guy
Reschenthaler |
Located
within
Allegheny
County’s
South
Fayette
Township,
Hunting
Ridge
is
a
well-known
residential
community
that
spans
the
range
of
young
families,
seniors,
and
retirees.
Last
night,
Congressman
Tim
Murphy
and
State
Senator
Guy
Reschenthaler
spoke
at
Hunting
Ridge’s
Meeting
House
for
a
community
Town
Hall
on
legislative
issues
impacting
Southwestern
Pennsylvania
in
Congress
and
State
Senate.
Murphy
and
Reschenthaler
discussed
their
collaboration
on
crisis
mental
health
reforms
and
community
addiction
treatment
options.
Federal,
state,
and
local
officials
in
Southwestern
Pennsylvania
have
long
pledged
to
bring
treatment
and
recovery
options
for
families.
Towards
that
end,
Murphy
introduced
H.R.
2646
in
Congress
and
Reschenthaler
introduced
a
similar
resolution
(S.
Res
275)
in
the
State Senate
to
advance
treatment
for
serious
mental
illness.
|
Hunting
Ridge
residents
share
ideas
with
Murphy
after
Town
Hall.
|
The
two
legislators
also
discussed
the
importance
of
easing
the
complex
maze
of
red
tape
and
regulatory
obstacles
that
prevents
job
creation
in
Pennsylvania.
“The
regulatory
onslaught
out
of
Washington
and
Harrisburg
is
unlike
any
other
time
in
recent
memory
and
is shutting
down
job
growth,”
said
Murphy.
“But
worst
of
all
is
the
so-called
Affordable
Care
Act
because
the
medical
and
healthcare
costs
of
the
average
Pennsylvanian
is
now
double
what
it
was
just
5
years
ago.”
Murphy
is
a
sponsor
of
the
REINS
Act
(H.R.
427),
requiring
Congress
to
take
an
up-or-down
vote
on
all
new
major
regulations
and
the
SCRUB
Act
(H.R.
1155),
requiring
a
comprehensive
“scrub”
of
existing
federal
regulations
to
identify
decades-old
rules
to
be
repealed.
The
SCRUB
Act
also
prevents
agencies
from
issuing
new
regulations
until
it
has
repealed
ones
identified
as
being
unnecessary.
To
share
your
thoughts
on
obstacles
to
job
growth,
please
click
here. |