Sheila Jackson Lee: “I rise, first of all, to thank the chairman and to thank the sponsor, my friend from Virginia, Congressman Bobby Scott.…”

“I rise, first of all, to thank the chairman and to thank the sponsor, my friend from Virginia, Congressman Bobby Scott. As I think of my dear friend from Virginia, let me also acknowledge my deep sadness for the loss of our dear friend, Congressman McEachin, and acknowledge the beauty of his service and, of course, his compassion and his true spirit, a true American hero. Mr. Speaker, I will quickly say that any of us who have been engaged in the criminal justice arena, who have engaged with police officers, whether they are local, State, or Federal, those of us who have served as judges, understand the value of this important legislation. It is bipartisan and will build on the success of the JMHCP grant program and make necessary improvements to enable State and local governments to better serve their communities. This reauthorization will make critical improvements to the JMHCP program which supports services for individuals with mental health issues who are involved in the criminal justice system, including expansions in suicide prevention in jails and prisons, co-responder programs that pair law enforcement with mental health professionals and, of course, recognizing that though we give them this responsibility, law enforcement needs to have wraparound services and those that have the expertise to work with those suffering from mental health crises.…”