Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson Announces the Passage of ‘Helping Families in Mental Health Crisis Act’ out of Energy and Commerce Committee

Washington, DC - (Wednesday, June 15, 2016) - Today, the House Committee on Energy and Commerce held a full committee markup on the amended version of H.R. 2646, the Helping Families in Mental Health Crisis Act. The legislation passed unanimously out of the Committee (53-0). Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson is the lead Democratic cosponsor of H.R. 2646 and worked with Congressman Tim Murphy (R-PA), the bill sponsor, to craft the legislation. Having been passed in the committee, it is now up to the Republican leadership in the House of Representatives to bring this bill before the entire House of Representatives for a vote. The Helping Families in Mental Health Crisis Act is the most significant mental health reform bill in recent memory.

In response to this historic bill passing the committee and becoming eligible for a floor vote, Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson released the following statement:

“As two members of Congress with experience as mental health providers, Congressman Murphy and I have seen firsthand how federal mental health policies have failed mentally ill patients and families dealing with mental illness. The passage of the amended version of H.R. 2646, the Helping Families in Mental Health Crisis Act, by the Committee on Energy and Commerce is a great first step to passing a bill that will go a long way towards reforming our broken mental healthcare system. The Helping Families in Mental Health Crisis Act provides a viable framework that will enable patients to access treatment. The bill also equips families and caregivers with the help they need to access treatment for their mentally ill loved ones.  The next step in moving this legislation forward will be urging House leadership to bring this bill to vote on the House Floor. I strongly believe that these changes to our federal mental health system will have an immediate impact on patients, families, and caregivers.”

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U.S. Representative Eddie Bernice Johnson is the ranking member of the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology and the highest-ranking Texan on the House Committee on Transportation & Infrastructure. She represents the 30th Congressional District of Texas, which includes Downtown Dallas, Fair Park, Kessler Park, Old East Dallas, Pleasant Grove, South Dallas & South Oak Cliff; all of Cedar Hill, DeSoto, Duncanville, Hutchins, Lancaster & Wilmer and parts of Ferris, Glenn Heights, South Grand Prairie, Oak Lawn, Ovilla, Uptown/Victory Park and West Dallas.