Richard B. Nugent: “Chairman Wolf, I want to thank you for your leadership and all the years of service to this body, and to the Nation in…”

“Chairman Wolf, I want to thank you for your leadership and all the years of service to this body, and to the Nation in general. Each day, more and more Americans are realizing that we need to take action to deal with mental health issues in this country. You merely need to watch the news. We need to make it a priority. My amendment, in keeping with that sentiment, would provide additional funding for programs under the Mentally Ill Offender Treatment and Crime Reduction Act, or MIOTCRA, and for Veterans Treatment Courts. These programs have a proven track record of effectively addressing some of the important issues associated with mental health illnesses. My amendment would offset this increase by taking $4 million from the periodic censuses and programs account, which I have heard had been hit over and over again. This is less than one-half of 1 percent. Madam Chairman, both of the programs that would receive an increase in funding under my amendment highlight the need for our justice and mental health systems to work together. As a former sheriff, I can tell you cooperation is vital. If our justice and mental health systems are collaborating, we can provide more positive outcomes--not only for those with mental health issues, but for our taxpayers as well.…”