PA-18: Murphy’s Mental Health Bill Signed Into Law

Today, President Barack Obama signed the 21st Century Cures Act into law.
Included in the legislation was Rep. Murphy’s mental health bill.
“I am deeply moved that the Helping Families in Mental Health Crisis Act was signed into law just one day shy of the fourth anniversary of the tragedy at Sandy Hook,” the Congressman said. “As I reflect on the day that families of the victims visited my office, I am reminded of why and how we got here: the countless families who never lost their hope that something can change – they motivated my relentless effort to fix the patchwork of antiquated programs and ineffective policies to get care to those in psychiatric crisis.”
“We are turning the tide on the way we treat the mentally ill in this nation,” Rep. Murphy concluded. “Today, we have a new law that will save lives because someone in psychiatric crisis should get treatment in a hospital bed and not locked up in a jail cell or dumped onto the street. To every family member, to the tens of thousands who reached out to me, to those who stepped forward to share their story of serious mental illness and be a voice for change, my deepest gratitude for your courageous stand to help families in mental health crisis.”
The text of the Helping Families in Mental Health Crisis Reform Act of 2016 can be read here.