Drew Ferguson: “I would like to thank the chairman and the ranking member for this opportunity, and I rise to support H.R. 3539. Every…”

“I would like to thank the chairman and the ranking member for this opportunity, and I rise to support H.R. 3539. Every American wants to live in a safe community, and children deserve to be able to go to safe schools. But all too often, that safety has been ruined by violence to self or others. The Behavioral Intervention Guidelines, or BIG, Act combats this mental health epidemic head-on by providing local communities and school systems with the tools they need to help identify those most in need. All across the country, schools like Columbus State University in my home State of Georgia and Texas Tech in Lubbock, Texas, have implemented behavioral intervention programs following the 2008 tragedy at Virginia Tech. Dr. Chip Reese at Columbus State University and other university leaders, like Dr. Billy Phillips at Texas Tech, report that, as a result of these programs, they have seen universities' culture change and are helping to get at-risk students back on the right track. This important legislation would foster this approach by providing Federal guidance in the form of best practices. Once established, these best practices will be disseminated on the HHS website, and HHS would provide technical assistance for elementary, secondary, and higher education institutions that are looking to create their own behavioral health intervention teams.…”