Additional members of U.S. House co-sponsor "Mentally Ill Offender Treatment and Crime
Reduction Act of 2003;" support for legislation voiced in editorials
The landmark "Mentally Ill Offender Treatment and Crime Reduction Act of 2003" has attracted the following new co-sponsors in the U.S. House of Representatives:
- Rep. Spencer Bachus (R-AL)
- Rep. Robert E. (Bud) Cramer, Jr. (D-AL)
- Rep. William Delahunt (D-MA)
- Rep. Anna G. Eshoo (D-CA)
- Rep. Tim Holden (D-PA)
- Rep. James R. Langevin (D-RI)
- Rep. James P. McGovern (D-MA)
- Rep. Tim Murphy (R-PA)
- Rep. Grace Napolitano (D-CA)
- Rep. Robert C. Scott (D-VA)
The bill was introduced in the House by Representative Ted Strickland (D-OH), and in the Senate by Sen. Mike DeWine (R-OH).
Editorials urging the passage of the bill have recently appeared in the Mobile Register, Omaha World Herald, and
Cincinnati Enquirer newspapers. Links to those articles and to others addressing the involvement of people with mental illness in the criminal justice system can be found on the Consensus Projects Media Coverage page.
The bill also garnered strong bipartisan support in the Senate, where it was passed by unanimous consent in
October 2003. It was then referred to the House Judiciary Committee, and in December 2003 to the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security.
Download the text of the bill here (PDF file).
Additional information on this legislation can be found in the announcement of its introduction or the announcement of its passage by the Senate.
