{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["http://www.speaker.gov/press-release/weekly-republican-address-sandy-hook-mental-health", "Weekly Republican Address: Sandy Hook and the Story of Mental Health Reform", "2016-12-22", "2016", "2016-12", "Republican", "House", "WI", "Paul Ryan", "R000570", "www.speaker.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON\u2014In this week\u2019s Republican address, Rep. Tim Murphy (R-PA) discusses a new law\u00a0that will bring the most\u00a0significant reforms to our mental health system\u00a0in more than a generation.\u00a0\u201cAs a practicing psychologist, I have seen firsthand how difficult it is for families to navigate our broken mental health system. Outdated laws prevent the families and caregivers from being a part of the treatment team\u2014too often this has fatal consequences. We need treatment before tragedy, and care before crisis,\u201d said. Rep. Murphy. He continued, \u201cWith this new law, we are finally breaking down the wall between physical health and mental health. Now federal agencies will be moving from vague feel-good programs to ones that emphasize evidence-based care for those at the highest risk.\u201d\nNOTE: The audio of the weekly address is available here.\nRemarks of Representative Tim Murphy of Pennsylvania\n\tWeekly Republican Address\n\tThursday, December 22, 2016\n\tWashington, DC\n\u201cThis picture means so much to me. I keep it on my desk in my congressional office. It was given to me by a proud parent. This is Daniel. Daniel\u2014just seven years old\u2014was at Sandy Hook Elementary School on December 14, 2012, when a troubled young man took his life and those of 25 others, and ultimately his own.\n\u201cYou know, if there\u2019s one thing we cherish at Christmas, it is the comfort and joy of being surrounded by the people we love. But every day, 959 lives are taken\u2014directly or indirectly\u2014by mental illness. Last year alone, 350,000 lives were lost because our broken mental health system continues to fail American families. Rather than getting those who need help most into treatment, we leave them out on the streets or throw them in jail. This is heartbreaking\u2014and it\u2019s unacceptable.\n\u201cAs a practicing psychologist, I have seen firsthand how difficult it is for families to navigate our broken mental health system. Outdated laws prevent the families and caregivers from being a part of the treatment team\u2014too often this has fatal consequences. We need treatment before tragedy, and care before crisis.\n\u201cAfter Sandy Hook, we launched an investigation into our nation\u2019s broken mental health system. Courageous families stepped forward to tell their stories. And we started to understand the real problems\u2014over 110 federal programs and a $130 billion investment that did little but stand by and watch rising rates of suicide, incarceration, and homelessness. But we needed to do more than just talk about this problem. We needed to start solving this problem. \n\u201cBy the start of 2016, we had pushed mental health reform towards the top of Washington\u2019s to-do list. And last week, one day before the Sandy Hook anniversary, President Obama signed into law the most significant mental health reform in 50 years. With this new law, we are finally breaking down the wall between physical health and mental health.\n\u201cNow federal agencies will be moving from vague feel-good programs to ones that emphasize evidence-based care for those at the highest risk. For the first time, there will be an Assistant Secretary for Mental Health and Substance Use who will lead the way, evaluating and improving the system.\u201cWe\u2019ll be investing in services for the most difficult-to-treat cases and ensuring that family members are a part of the care delivery team. \n\u201cWe\u2019ll be training people to recognize the signs and symptoms of mental illness, including law enforcement officers for how to best respond to a potentially violent situation. \u00a0\n\u201cWe\u2019ll be providing real resources to combat substance abuse, and specifically for the opioid crisis.\n\u201cWe\u2019ll be addressing, head on, the number 10 killer in our nation\u2014suicide, which disproportionately affects our veterans; and for the first time ever, Congress is stepping in to help those with an eating disorder get access to real medical care.\n\u201cAnd we\u2019ll be expanding our mental health workforce, because today, half the counties in America do not have a single psychologist or psychiatrist. \n\u201cOne bill won't solve everything, but these desperately needed reforms will bring help. And where there is help, there is hope.\u00a0 \n\u201cTo the Sandy Hook families and all those who made this possible, who gave their time and took a stand, thank you. To anyone out there struggling, looking for answers, know that you are not alone. We are with you. We are fighting for you. \n\u201cAlthough many doubted we would make it this far, here we are. And in a new year, with a new administration, we will keep working to get real treatment to those who need it.\n\u201cThis is what Christmas is all about: peace, goodwill, and above all, love. So God bless our caregivers, our doctors, our nurses. And God bless our troops, their families, and the nation they serve. And God bless the United States of America.\u201d", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["http://www.speaker.gov/press-release/weekly-republican-address-sandy-hook-mental-health"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.5904030296951532, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}