Tony Mantor

Embracing Autism and Mental Health Worldwide.

This is our special event, Crafting Justice, Embracing Autism and Mental Health Through Legislation.

Joining us today is Tim Murphy, a former U.S.

representative for Pennsylvania and a dedicated psychologist who leveraged his expertise to champion transformative mental health legislation

during his 2003 to 2017 tenure.

Fueled by a deep commitment to addressing the challenges faced by those with serious mental illness, he authored the Helping Families in Mental Health Crisis Act.

This landmark legislation revolutionized America's mental health system by expanding access to critical care, improving coordination of federal resources,

and prioritizing evidence-based treatments for conditions like schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, offering hope and support to countless families.

It's a pleasure to have him join us today.

Thanks for coming on.

Yeah, I think that's awesome.

If you would, tell me a little bit about how being a doctor before you were elected to the House of Representatives helped you in creating some legislation.

Each one influenced the other.

Yes, I definitely want that to be part of our conversation.

I think it's very important that people understand.

As a legislator, you have so many people that you represent, and of course they all want changes.

Of course they all think that their changes are the most important.

Then how you decide on which ones you can put together to create a bill that helps the masses.

So let's expand on that a bit.

Some people, or most people, do not understand what you have to go through in order to get a bill passed.