Mental Health Reform

I am an advocate in Congress for reforming our mental health care system so that people struggling with mental illness can get the care and treatment they need before a crisis occurs, and that their families and loved ones can be partners in helping to address their illness. In the 115th Congress, I introduced H.R. 2228, the Law Enforcement Mental Health and Wellness Act of 2017, with my colleagues Rep. Val Demings (D-FL), Rep. Doug Collins (R-GA), Rep. Bill Pascrell (D-NJ) and Rep. Dave Reichert (R-WA). This legislation was signed into law in January 2018. This law helps agencies create or improve mental health services for law enforcement officers. Our officers deal with the unthinkable and daily face situations that can be hard to process and impossible to forget. They need the training and resources to protect their own emotional and mental wellbeing in these situations. This law provides law enforcement officers with the skills to handle the stress and anxiety associated with their job as well as the resources to address serious mental health challenges that may arise like depression and PTSD. 

In 2016, I supported critical reforms to our mental healthcare system that were included as part of the 21st Century Cures Act. These reforms include improving coordination of mental health and substance abuse treatment; strengthening communication between providers, families and people with mental health challenges to improve care; expanding care and treatment for people with mental illness; and reinforcing our country’s mental health workforce.

Until recently, the only option for people in the midst of a mental health crisis, like having suicidal or dangerous thoughts, was the emergency room due to a national shortage of 100,000 psychiatric care beds. In 2015, S. 599, the Improving Access to Emergency Psychiatric Care Act, companion legislation to a bill I introduced in the House, H.R. 3681, was signed into law. This legislation helps people experiencing a mental health crisis, such as expressing suicidal or homicidal thoughts, get the care and treatment they need without delay. It is my hope that we can prevent senseless tragedies, improve the continuity of care for patients struggling with mental illness and save taxpayer dollars. I will continue to work in Congress to improve treatment for people struggling with mental illness and reduce the stigma associated with it.

To read a letter to the editor I wrote about the importance of providing mental health services to our law enforcement officers, click here. 

To read an op-ed I wrote about how to fix our mental healthcare system, click here.

To watch a brief statement I made on the House floor about the importance of mental healthcare reform, click here.

To read an op-ed I wrote about how 21st Century Cures will help people get the treatment and care they need, click here. For more information on the 21st Century Cures act, click here.