Andre Carson: “There were not resources available. As the gentleman from Texas pointed out his experience, unless a child gets into the…”

“There were not resources available. As the gentleman from Texas pointed out his experience, unless a child gets into the juvenile justice system, they are sort of just out there with no kind of support, no emotional support, nobody to talk to, nobody who understands. Their home conditions are such that they really cannot get the kind of help they need through the home. We have an inordinate number of children who are born with substance abuses because their parents were substance abusers and so we have all these little babies being born now who are addicted from the time that they are flushed into the world, if you will. There are not enough services, not enough identification, not enough early prevention and care for those children before they become problems, if you will, for society. That is indeed a problem, and that is why it is imperative for this Congress to recognize the importance of passing the measure that you have introduced. Between 9 percent and 13 percent of children ages 9 to 17 have serious mental and emotional disturbances that substantially interfere with or limit their ability to function in a family, school and community.”