Patty Murray

No one is immune from gun violence, whether you are a Congresswoman trying to meet with your constituents named Gabby Gifford, whether you are children going to elementary school in a wonderful suburban community called Sandy Hook.

I do support the President's measure on guns. He is within his constitutional authority to act.

I am particularly interested in strengthening the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS).

I hope that all of my colleagues can agree that we can and must do more, more to address this critical issue and more to keep our communities safe.

We do need to change our Nation's culture of violence. We do need to stop guns from getting into the wrong hands, the criminals, those with mental illness, without infringing on the right of law-abiding citizens to purchase firearms.

Will it really help the American people? Are we within our constitutional boundaries?

I'm particularly concerned about the availability of crisis response services in areas with low population density.

We talked about making sure communities have access to mental health professionals, integrating the primary care with mental health care, prioritizing research, and breaking down barriers.

This has been a really important hearing, and I really want to thank all of our witnesses today.

So they go back out into the community?

We're seeing a lot more press and discussion of that in my State right now.

Resources in the community that they feel comfortable accessing.

Your message that people aren't defined by their mental illness is really a powerful one, and I appreciate that.

If we are going to confront the challenges I've laid out today and many others within our mental health system, we have to break down the barriers that stigma creates for those suffering from mental illness.

It is heartbreaking, especially because when someone does get treatment and support, it can truly make a difference.

I am really glad that we have this opportunity today to continue our discussion about ways to improve our mental health care system.

How are you working with States to make sure that, as they implement the new quality and safety provisions, children and families don't lose access to child care?

That is why my colleague, the ranking member of the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, and I, as ranking member of the Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, urge the Consumer Product Safety Commission, CPSC…

I expect the Departments to do better than that.

I would say we need to be doing that because if we are just putting people into a job and it is not effective because we are not doing it right, then the transition is not working the way we expect it to.

Together Senator Cantwell and I commend Mayor Haggerton for his long-standing dedication to public service. Over the past 30 years, Mayor Haggerton has always been an unwavering partner for the citizens of Tukwila, available with a…

This includes oversight and coordination of care.

I refuse to let substandard care be the status quo.

OK. I am out of time, but I did want to ask you, Secretary Gibson, how are you going to make sure that the care veterans receive in the private sector is high quality, timely, and coordinated? How do you do oversight of that?

That may be concerning to veterans who want to use the VA facilities, and cutting out that much work, I think could have serious consequences for our VA hospitals and our providers.