On Wed. evening, the House Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee passed HR 2646, the Helping Families in Mental Health Crisis Act of 2015, by an 18-12 vote. The Act, introduced by Reps. Tim Murphy (R-Pa.) and Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-Texas), will now move on to the full committee for consideration. The bill has 161 other co-sponsors from both parties. The American Psychiatric Association (APA) has joined with many leading mental health organizations to urge Congress to pass bipartisan legislation reforming the mental health system. APA has endorsed both HR 2646 and similar legislation introduced in the Senate.
“We are quite pleased by the passage of HR 2646 by the House Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee Wednesday night,” said Steve Jewell, MD, OPPA President. “Our nation’s mental health system is broken, and this bill helps address the shortcomings that our patients face every day. We encourage the full committee to act on this bill soon so it can be passed by the House.”