Press Releases

Congressman Morgan Griffith (R-VA) today issued the following statement after voting in favor of the Helping Families in Mental Health Crisis Act (H.R. 2646), which passed the House of Representatives in a vote of 422-2:

“Coming after years of diligent work, including many hearings and forums about our nation’s mental health care programs as well as much bipartisan negotiation, the Helping Families in Mental Health Crisis Act is an important step forward in strengthening our mental health care system and helping families and loved ones struggling with mental health disorders.  While there is more work to be done, the Helping Families in Mental Health Crisis can have an immediate, meaningful impact on countless patients and their families.  I am pleased to have played a role in the advancement of this legislation, and encourage the Senate to swiftly approve it.”

The Helping Families in Mental Health Crisis Act is the result of a multi-year effort by Congressman Tim Murphy, Ph.D. (R-PA), a clinical psychologist, and members of the House Energy and Commerce Committee to deliver meaningful mental health reform.  Griffith serves on the Energy and Commerce Committee, including its Subcommittee on Health and its Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations.  Many of the hearings and forums on this legislation took place in those subcommittees.

According to an analysis from the Congressional Budget Office, the funding for Helping Families in Mental Health Crisis Act is offset.  Among other things, the bill would award grants to states that improve or implement systems that coordinate their community-based response efforts.  This would include databases of facility beds, so that mental health workers in the states better know in what facilities and locations beds are available.  Additionally, the Helping Families in Mental Health Crisis Act would create a new Assistant Secretary for Mental Health and Substance Use to run the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Agency (SAMSHA) and help coordinate mental health program across the federal government.

###