Tom Harkin: “I rise to speak in support of amendment No. 730, which I have offered along with Senator Alexander and a bipartisan…”

“I rise to speak in support of amendment No. 730, which I have offered along with Senator Alexander and a bipartisan group of colleagues. This amendment would reauthorize and improve programs administered by both the Department of Education and Health and Human Services related to awareness, intervention, prevention of mental health conditions, and the promotion of linkages to appropriate services for children and youth. Basically, title I focuses on school settings by promoting schoolwide prevention through the development of positive behavioral interventions and supports. Title II focuses on suicide prevention and also helping children recover from traumatic events. I wish to make it clear this amendment passed our committee last week unanimously--unanimously. It has a number of Republican and Democratic cosponsors, so I hope, regardless of how we might agree or disagree on all the stuff about guns and the stuff that has come up, we can all agree we need to do a better job of early identification, intervention, and providing support services for the mental health of our children in this country. With that, I yield to Senator Alexander.”