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Congressman Paul Tonko today voted in favor of H.R. 2646, the Helping Families in Mental Health Crisis Act, a bill that passed the U.S. House of Representatives by a vote of 422-2. H.R. 2646 includes language based on Tonko-authored legislation (H.R. 4349, the Coordinating Crisis Care Act) that would authorize a new grant program with the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) to fund the development of real-time bed registry systems that will provide individuals in crisis the appropriate care they need in a timely fashion.

“While this bill is not perfect, it is a good first step in making the improvements desperately needed in the way our nation looks at mental health,” said Tonko. “This long and passionate debate has spanned multiple sessions of Congress, and I believe both sides of the aisle have strengthened this legislation.

“Moving forward, Congress must do more to heal a broken mental health system, including enforcement of mental health parity laws and strengthening substance use coverage for Medicaid and Medicare beneficiaries. We must acknowledge that the dysfunction that lies before us exists, at least in part, from decades of broken promises and chronic underinvestment in community-based mental health services. And that cannot be solved by a single bill. It requires a comprehensive plan with a robust focus on giving our communities the resources they need to help people.

“Finally, as the debate on gun violence prevention continues in Congress and across the nation, I urge my colleagues to avoid pointing to passage of this bill as an appropriate response to recent tragedies. Linking all mass shootings to mental illness does nothing to prevent the violence that rips apart our families and communities, and it only serves to strengthen the stigma of seeking help.”

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