Lois Capps: “I wish to address two pressing issues before our country today; substance abuse and mental health. This week, I…”

“I wish to address two pressing issues before our country today; substance abuse and mental health. This week, I introduced H.R. 4867, the Youth Drug and Mental Health Services Act, along with my colleagues the gentleman from New York (Mr. Rangel), the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Dingell), the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Brown), and the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Barrett). This bill reauthorizes the Substance and Mental Health Services Administration which provides State mental health and substance abuse prevention grants throughout this country. Drug addiction is often an intergenerational family problem with future use by children of addicts a very common occurrence. Sadly, this is a pattern I regularly saw as a school nurse, but I have also seen the success of SAMHSA prevention programs in my own district, particularly with Santa Barbara's Fighting Back. This program provides successful public awareness initiatives, mentoring, criminal justice partnerships and health care intervention programs. Mr. Speaker, I call on my colleagues to move H.R. 4867 as soon as it is possible. This reauthorization is the best way to comprehensively address the problems of substance abuse confronting our communities. These problems are just too great for us to treat in a piecemeal fashion.”