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E-News from Congressman Murphy

E-News from Congressman Murphy

News from Representative Murphy

   


October 21, 2016
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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.
OFFICE LOCATIONS
Washington D.C. Office
2332 Rayburn HOB
Washington, DC 20515
Phone: (202) 225-2301
Fax: (202) 225-1844
Mt. Lebanon Office
504 Washington Road
Pittsburgh, PA 15228
Phone: (412) 344-5583
Fax: (412) 429-5092
Greensburg Office
2040 Frederickson Place
Greensburg, PA 15601
Phone: (724) 850-7312
Fax: (724) 850-7315

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  • Office Locations

    Office Name Location Image Map URL
    Washington DC 2332 Rayburn House Office Bldg.
    Washington, DC 20515
    Phone: (202) 225-2301
    Fax: (202) 225-1844
    http://goo.gl/maps/mskhT
    Mt. Lebanon Office
    504 Washington Road
    Pittsburgh, PA 15228
    Phone: (412) 344-5583
    Fax: (412) 429-5092
    http://goo.gl/maps/wSZBo
    Greensburg Office
    2040 Frederickson Place
    Greensburg, PA 15601
    Phone: (724) 850-7312
    Fax: (724) 850-7315
    http://goo.gl/maps/sR2hU
           
           
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    repName Tim Murphy  
    helpWithFedAgencyAddress District Office
    504 Washington Road
    Pittsburgh, PA 15228
     
    district 18th District of Pennsylvania  
    academyUSCitizenDate July 1, 2012  
    academyAgeDate July 1, 2012  
    academyApplicationDueDate October 20, 2012  
    repStateABBR PA  
    repDistrict 18  
    repState Pennsylvania  
    repDistrictText 18th  
    repPhoto  
    SponsoredBills Sponsored Bills  
    CoSponsoredBills Co-Sponsored Bills