In the final weeks of the 114th Congress, there is still some unfinished business to accomplish in Washington. And this week, the House moved forward with two of the most substantial and innovative legislative ideas to come out of the Congress this year.

The 21st Century Cures Act provides critical funding in a deficit-reducing manner to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and ensures that great research institutions like Little Rock’s University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences and Arkansas Children’s Hospital can sustain their search for cures to the diseases that cost our health care system and hardworking Americans billions of dollars and take millions of lives each year.

NIH basic research has led to breakthroughs and advancements in our understanding of rare diseases and disorders, as well as historically prevalent diseases such as Alzheimer’s, cancer, Parkinson’s, HIV/AIDS, diabetes, ALS, and Multiple Sclerosis, among others. 

As someone who lost my mother to cancer and my mother-in-law to Alzheimer’s, I know first-hand the devastating affect these diseases can have on families. Providing this funding to NIH will move us closer to finally curing these diseases and potentially saving millions of lives.

Moreover, this legislation contained the Helping Families in Mental Health Crisis Act. A major reform bill that refocuses and retools mental health programs and creates a Senate-confirmed assistant secretary position within the Department of Health and Human Services to oversee and coordinate mental health programs and policies.

It also addresses severe shortages in our mental health workforce and treatment facilities, increasing the inpatient bed space to ensure patients have access to quality mental health care. This bill also aims to clarify privacy laws to ensure that health care professionals can communicate with caregivers of persons with serious mental illness when necessary.

This bill is an important first step in reforming our outdated mental health care system at the federal level, but states can also reevaluate their civil commitment laws to ensure those in psychiatric crisis can get treatment. Most states require an individual to be an imminent danger to himself or others to be eligible for civil commitment—a very high standard to meet.

A need-for-treatment standard can help those who are persistently disabled by their untreated mental illness. By recognizing additional standards—and different levels of commitment—states could help the severely mentally ill get treatment before reaching the point of imminent danger.

These two bills are measures that have been worked on for over two years and are the positive outcomes that can happen when all parties in Washington work together to address the needs of the people. As I wrote two weeks ago, I remain very optimistic about the future of our great country and the opportunity to enact policies to get our economy growing and help our fellow citizens thrive in their pursuits of happiness.

Sincerely,

Representative French Hill

President Barack Obama released his semi-annual regulatory agenda, giving insight into what additional regulations the president plans to propose prior to leaving office in January of next year.

After sending his letter to the President-elect, Rep. Hill stated:

“Even in the waning moments of his presidency, President Obama still wants to press forward with the regulatory proposals that have stymied economic growth over the past eight years. This type of deafness to the negative effects of the administration’s burdensome regulatory policy is —in large part— what galvanized the American people to overwhelmingly support the pro-growth, pro-jobs agenda of House Republicans.”

Tuesday, the House passed H.Con.Res.165, expressing the sense of Congress and reaffirming longstanding U.S. policy in support of a direct, bilaterally negotiated settlement of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and opposition to United Nations Security Council resolutions imposing a solution to the conflict.

Rep. Hill said of the importance of this bill in helping to create a two state solution: "The House voted to reaffirm its support for a direct bilateral negotiation between Israel and Palestine. As a cosponsor of this bill, I support a two-state solution; however, history has shown that only Israel has been willing to make the tough compromises and concessions that are necessary for peace. It is my belief that only through direct negotiations will the two parties be able to resolve their differences. The idea that the United Nations Security Council is the vehicle to accomplish a resolution will not yield the best results, and I am proud to have been joined by colleagues on both sides of the aisle to commit our support for direct negotiations between Israel and Palestine in order to bring peace to this conflict."