A bill (HR 2646) proposed by Congressman Tim Murphy is facing scrutiny among mental health advocates. Included in the bill is a provision that would all but do away with much of the legal advocacy which current law allows for those who live with mental illness, such as is provided by the Disability Rights Center in Kansas and led to the investigation and prosecution of the notorious Kaufman House operators in southeast Kansas a few years ago.
This bill also nullifies provisions in the Protection and Advocacy for Individuals with Mental Illness Act, signed into law by President Ronald Reagan in 1986. HR 2646 would prevent organizations like the DRC from helping veterans and the homeless – two populations prone to mental illness.
The Disability Rights Center of Kansas prepared an action alert which details why they believe the bill should be stopped in its tracks until appropriately amended.
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