Collins Speaks on Mental Health Reform Bill Moving Through Congress

A bill with language from 9th District U.S. Representative Doug Collins is moving through the House of Representatives.

This week, the House passed the 21st Century Cures Act.

The bill models its mental health reform on Congressman Tim Murphy’s Helping Families in Mental Health Crisis Act and includes language from Congressman Doug Collins’ Comprehensive Justice and Mental Health Act. The Senate passed companion legislation for the Mental Health Act last year.

Collins said the bill would accelerate medical innovation, empower patients to take part in development efforts, and reform mental health care.

He added that the House Committee on Energy and Commerce worked across the aisle and with the medical community to develop the legislation.

According to Collins, he and Senator Al Franken have been collaborating to address mental health issues as part of criminal justice reform measures since 2015, bringing legislation to the table in both houses.

The Hall County Republican said the ongoing mental health crisis affects all communities, and they designed this legislation to bring relief to a system in which jails care for more mental health patients than medical facilities do.

He said that by supporting mental health courts and intervention teams and increasing training for law enforcement officers who are often the first to engage individuals with mental health conditions, they can better identify and treat people with these illnesses.

Collins went on to say that the common-sense approach to mental health treatment complements criminal justice reform efforts and ultimately serves the law enforcement community, over-burdened court systems, mental health sufferers, and the taxpayers whose money goes to public health and safety measures.

The Senate HELP Committee has passed several individual companion bills to the Cures Act and is expected to vote on a package next week.