Political Quotes

“we took an important step today to improve the lives of millions of Americans who deal with mental illness. I am talking about the Excellence in Mental Health Act, which was included in the provisions of the legislation we just passed this evening. I thank my colleagues, Senators Stabenow and Blunt, for their leadership on this bill. Senator Stabenow just gave a very passionate history of why she has been so involved with this issue. People may not realize that she has been working on this since 2005. So I thank her for that leadership because around here it takes time to get things done, and she has never forgotten how important this is for those with mental illness and the loved ones and family members who care about them. This legislation was bipartisan legislation, and that certainly helped us get the bill passed. It was something I was happy to cosponsor with Senator Stabenow when we worked it through the committee and then also when we tried to get it included in this latest package. So I am proud to be here tonight to thank her and Senator Blunt for their leadership in getting this done. This legislation improves access to community health centers and leads to better quality of care. It will give access to those participating States that are fortunate enough to be in this first phase of a pilot program, and it will help local governments and health care systems that are all plagued by these challenges. Most importantly, it will help save lives.…”