Ryan backs mental health reform

By Paige Winfield Cunningham, Paige Winfield Cunningham

Published December 20, 2015

Newly elected House Speaker Paul Ryan says he's "pushing" for Congress to pass a major bill overhauling mental health policy.

Ryan listed a mental health bill championed by Rep. Tim Murphy, R-Pa., as a top priority now that he's the top Republican in the House, in a "60 Minutes" interview Sunday evening. Dubbed the "Helping Families in Mental Health Crisis Act," the legislation addresses a shortage of inpatient beds for psychiatric patients, improves coordination between government agencies and emphasizes evidence-based care, among other reforms.

"I think we need to improve our mental health laws so we can address these problems before they get out of control because mental health is a component of these shootings that I think we have not looked at seriously enough," Ryan said. "So I think that's an area that we're going to be taking a deep look at."

The next step for the Murphy bill is passage by the full House Energy and Commerce Committee, after a subcommittee approved it last month. Murphy has modified the bill multiple times to keep it bipartisan, in response to some criticisms by Democrats. It has been endorsed by leading mental health groups and has 162 House cosponsors.

Ryan told CBS News he's pushing for an Energy and Commerce vote, but Murphy's office said nothing has been scheduled. Former Speaker John Boehner also had supported the bill but never committed to getting it passed.