Pursuing Equity in Mental Health Act

Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1475) to address mental health issues for youth, particularly youth of color, and for other purposes, as amended.

Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in

which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 1475.

Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 1475, the Pursuing Equity in Mental Health Act.

We have long known that people of color experience inequities in healthcare in the United States. While we have made progress to close these gaps in recent years, including with the passage of the Affordable Care Act, people of color in America continue to experience inequities in care and worse health outcomes compared to White Americans.

These long-term trends are rooted in several social determinants that are often driven by structural discrimination and institutionalized racism, which has created systemic health inequity. The tragic result of these long-term trends is that people of color are more likely to suffer from underlying health conditions; have a much harder time getting access to care; and when they do, they are far more likely to experience bias, discrimination, and poor health outcomes.

The Congressional Black Caucus' Emergency Task Force on Black Youth Suicide and Mental Health reiterated these points in a report last Congress that raised concern about the increasing rates of suicide and mental health trends among Black children.

The bill before us today, H.R. 1475, is aimed specifically at addressing equity in mental health. It is a comprehensive approach to address increasing suicide rates and mental health disorders amongst Black youth. The bill would invest resources into better understanding racial and ethnic minority mental health disparities, improve outreach and support for racial and ethnic minorities, and expand provider support for students of color entering the mental health workforce.

Madam Speaker, I am hopeful that this bill will help reduce the inequities in mental health.

Before I conclude, I would like to thank my colleague, Representative Bonnie Watson Coleman, and her staff for leading this important legislation. She, of course, is in the district immediately next to me and a longtime supporter of these causes. So this is a bill that is significant, and I do want to thank the Congresswoman for being the sponsor.

Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support the bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, first, let me say that Congresswoman Bonnie Watson Coleman has, for years both here and in the State legislature and beyond, gone after issues that many of us have neglected or been unwilling to address. Maybe because they are controversial or whatever. She is always out there looking to help those people who are distressed or don't have someone to look out for them.

Madam Speaker, I yield such time as she may consume to the gentlewoman from New Jersey (Mrs. Watson Coleman).

Madam Speaker, I, too, urge my colleagues to support this very important bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 1475, the Pursuing Equity in Mental Health Act, sponsored by Representative Watson Coleman.

This important bill helps address suicide and mental illness in youth from minority and underserved communities.

Despite improvements in health quality, disparities in mental healthcare persist. The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality has reported that racial and ethnic minority groups in the U.S. are less likely to have access to mental health services, less likely to use community mental health services, more likely to use emergency departments, and more likely to receive lower quality care.

Poor mental healthcare access and quality ultimately contribute to poor outcomes, including suicide among these populations. These issues are especially acute in minority youth populations.

This bill would help address these disparities by authorizing grants targeted at high-poverty communities for culturally and linguistically appropriate mental health services, supporting mental health disparities research, studying the impact of smartphones and social media on adolescents, and reauthorizing the Minority Fellowship Program to support more students of color entering the mental health workforce.

Madam Speaker, I urge a ``yes'' vote for this important initiative, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time for the purpose of closing.

Madam Speaker, again, this is a very important issue, and I am glad we are here today to address it. We need to address it. My hopes and prayers are, as we move forward with this piece of legislation, we get the help that communities needed.

I support this legislation, and I urge my colleagues to support it.

Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague from New Jersey for those kind words, and I thank my colleague from the other side of the aisle for supporting what I think is a very important piece of legislation.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to call on all of my colleagues to support the Pursuing Equity in Mental Health Act.

Over the last several years, data has indicated an alarming increase in the suicide rates for Black children and teenagers, while a recent study has shown that suicide intervention programs--while successful among White, Asian, and Hispanic children--have done little to help African-American and Native-American youth.

Two years ago, I launched the Emergency Task Force on Black Youth Suicide and Mental Health, sponsored by the Congressional Black Caucus. The task force's report that inspired this bill is an urgent call to action.

Regardless of race, gender, and socioeconomic status, every individual should have access to mental health resources and treatment.

This bipartisan bill will provide much-needed grants for culturally competent mental health services, increase funding for the Minority Fellowship Program, and direct research and resources at Federal departments and agencies. I basically am echoing what my colleagues have already shared with you.

We must pursue this equity in mental health because the systems we have in place simply do not address the mental health needs of all communities.

Madam Speaker, I call upon all of my colleagues to support this important piece of legislation.

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to section 6 of House Resolution 380, I move to suspend the rules and pass H.R. 297, H.R. 433, H.R. 478,

Madam Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.