On the recordJuly 28, 2015
I stand here today mourning Mayci Breaux and Jillian Johnson, buried yesterday by their families following the horrific killings in Louisiana. Yesterday we had a moment of silence to convey our respect and our prayers. But, as a House, we must break the silence because once again we have failed the American people with our broken mental health system. How many more people have to die before we take action? A person with severe mental illness is 15 times less likely to be violent when receiving proper treatment. Over the last 10 years, we have more suicides, more drug overdose deaths. We have replaced the hospital bed with a jail cell, the homeless shelter, and the cemetery. We cannot be silent anymore. The Helping Families in Mental Health Crisis Act, H.R. 2646, provides treatment before tragedy through comprehensive reforms. Let not our offer of comfort be mere silence, but let it move us to comprehensive action. Otherwise, our passivity makes us partners to these tragedies. I urge our Nation to not be silent, but to speak up. I urge my colleagues to cosponsor H.R. 2646. ____________________
