E-News from Congressman Murphy 5/8/15

Statement

Murphy Joins 911th Families Before Deployment

Today, Congressman Murphy was on hand to see off the 911th Airlift Wing operation and maintenance personnel, who are being deployed to support operations in Southwest Asia. The Pittsburgh unit will support operations within the United States Central Command by delivering supplies and equipment to various locations in the Mid-East over the next four months. It is the eleventh time the reservists have been deployed since the September 11th terrorist attacks.

More than 1,300 reservists and 300 civilian employees are stationed at the 911th Airlift Wing, which houses eight C-130 Hercules transport planes and is one of the most efficient, skilled, and mission-ready airlift units in the country. Recently, the 911th Airlift Wing was selected for being the 2015 Commander-in-Chief's Annual Award for Installation

When the Air Force proposed to retire 65 C-130 air cargo planes nationwide and close the 911th Airlift Wing as part of a "cost-cutting" effort, Rep. Murphy led the successful effort to prevent the 911th's closure. Working with the Pennsylvania delegation and other lawmakers, Murphy successfully passed legislation to prevent closure of the base through March 2013. The base contributes $125 million to the local economy and the base has unique cost saving measures like a long term lease with the local airport authority, which provides runway maintenance, emergency services, air traffic control, snow removal, and other benefits for only $20,000 a year. The effort to preserve the 911th began in 2004 when Murphy successfully fought the Pentagon, which had marked the base on its recommended list of closures, to keep the airlift wing open.

Greeting the families this morning from the Pittsburgh International Airport Air Reserve Station, Congressman Murphy wished them safe travels and mission. The 911th Airlift wing is currently under the command of Colonel Jeff Van Dootingh, who last week updated Murphy on the recent accomplishment and needs of the base as Congress is set to soon vote on the National Defense Authorization Act.

Murphy Recognized As "Champion" For Advancing Children's Mental Health

On Monday, Congressman Tim Murphy accepted the inaugural Champion Award at the 1st Annual Child Mind Institute Change Maker Awards. ABC News' Chief Anchor, George Stephanopoulos, presented the award to Mr. Murphy for his work in advancing his landmark legislation, the Helping Families in Mental Health Crisis Act.

The Child Mind Institute, founded by Dr. Harold S. Koplewicz and Brooke Garber Neidich, is committed to finding more effective treatments for childhood psychiatric and learning disorders, building the science of healthy brain development, and empowering children and their families with help, hope, and answers.

"I am humbled and honored to have been awarded the inaugural Champion Award by the Child Mind Institute. But truly the champions in children's mental health are those who are in the trenches each and every day working to further research, treatment and services for kids with mental illness," said Congressman Murphy.

In his acceptance speech, Murphy told the audience he was weeks away from introducing the latest version on his Helping Families in Mental Health Crisis Act.

The Child Mind Institute's Change Maker Awards celebrates the work of individuals and organizations that give voice to children's mental health. First Lady of New York City Chirlane McCray, Bloomingdales CEO Tony Spring, Founder and Executive Director of Active Minds Alison Malmon, and New York City public schools social worker Angela Renz were also honored during the ceremony.

The award comes a week after Congressman Murphy introduced a bipartisan congressional resolution designating May as Mental Health Month, which will help remove the stigma associated with mental illness and promote public awareness of mental health.

As Rep. Murphy told Sirius XM's Morning Briefing host Tim Farley, "I have heard from hundreds of thousands of families across America who deal with severe mental illness and they've told us about a whole host of problems they encounter. This isn't just an attitudinal issue. We have to recognize mental illness is a brain disease and attack it like a cancer, or diabetes, or AIDS, and say we can indeed treat mental illness if we are serious and stop those tragedies."

Documentary Film on the Needs of Veterans' Mental Health Premieres in Pittsburgh

Congressman Murphy joined the cast of the documentary "That Which I Love Destroys Me" at SouthSide Works Cinema for the Pittsburgh premiere. The film follows two Special Forces veterans -- Tyler Grey and Jayson Floyd -- and charts their journey of healing through their struggle to rebuild relationships with family and exploring the trauma up close. The movie, which also includes Rep. Murphy, premiered on Pivot TV channel on Veterans Day last fall.

Initially, the film was going to follow Grey and Floyd for a few months, but filmmakers saw a powerful story behind the veterans' transition home. Consequently, director Roman Waugh taped both veterans over the course of a few years. The Pittsburgh premiere is part of a ten-city screening tour across the country.

Congressman Murphy appears at the end of the documentary, discussing post-traumatic stress and veterans' mental health. Murphy is also a Lt. Commander in the Navy Reserve Medical Service Corps and works with servicemembers dealing with post-traumatic stress and traumatic brain injury at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Md.

Following the premiere Murphy participated in a panel with Grey, the Armed Forces Foundation, and Justice For Vets for a Q& A session where panelists discussed the critical issues facing the post-9/11 generation of veterans.

The premiere topped off a week of Murphy continuing his efforts to advance veterans' issues. Last week the Congressman introduced The Enhancing Veterans Access to Treatment Act (EVAT Act), which allows veterans to receive the same lifesaving medication they accessed while on active-duty.
In addition to Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, Armed Forces Foundation, One Mind For Research, American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, this week the National Council For Behavioral Health endorsed the legislation.

As Rep. Murphy told KDKA-TV, "Whether you are a soldier or the family of a fireman, a policeman or EMT person or just someone who has faced trauma in your life, these are inspirational stories to see. That if these guys can make it, I can make it. And I want our veterans, who are very often reticent, to go out and get help, to go out and see this and realize they can get help, they can get better, and their life can turn around."

Honoring George Washington, A Man of Prayer

On April 30, 1789, after being sworn in at Federal Hall, President George Washington, accompanied by Congress, proceeded to St. Paul's Chapel where he offered a prayer of dedication to God on America's behalf.

To commemorate this historic event, a tribute called "Washington A Man of Prayer" convened in the United States Capitol with Congressman Murphy's participation. Against a backdrop of the prestigious Statuary Hall, formerly the Old House Chamber, Members of Congress paid tribute to the birth of the great American Experiment and the exceptional man at its center, George Washington.

Rep. Tim Murphy joined colleagues from the House and Senate for an evening of prayer and re-dedication to core principles of faith and freedom.

During the packed ceremony, Murphy spoke to the crowd and asked the members of Congress to pray for those with serious mental illness and disabilities, and for the family members who care for mentally ill.

"We can do a great deal, but we must understand the humbling limits of our mortal actions. We cannot legislate character and we cannot litigate compassion. Our debates and discussions are only meaningful when they are guided by faith and understanding of the laws as the Lord gave us, otherwise we are a ship without a sail or a compass," said Murphy.

The "Washington A Man of Prayer" for the first time was broadcast live via Daystar Television Network and streamed by WorldNetDaily online to homes and churches across the country. Murphy was quoted on WND.com during the ceremony and made participants aware just how important faith is to members of Congress: "We actually pray all the time -- most often in private, but tonight we're here as witnesses to each other before God."

Murphy Visits Mining Facilities in Washington County

On Thursday, Congressman Murphy was in Washington County, visiting with local employees of two of the world's leading manufacturers to the mining industry, Caterpillar Global Mining and Joy Mining. The specialty work performed at the companies' Houston facilities is closely tied to energy production and the demand for coal, which has been under constant attack from Obama Administration.

Murphy, who has been leading the congressional effort to hold the EPA accountable for overstepping authority in an attempt to shut down coal, discussed a recent hearing held in the House Energy& Commerce Committee focusing on the impact and cost of EPA's proposed carbon dioxide rule for existing power plants. The featured witness, President Obama's former constitutional law professor, called the Administration's plan a "power grab" that violates the Constitution. In his testimony the professor said, the "EPA is attempting an unconstitutional trifecta: usurping the prerogatives of the States, Congress and the Federal Courts -- all at once," Tribe says in his prepared remarks for a House Energy and Commerce subcommittee. "Burning the Constitution should not become part of our national energy policy."

Congressman Murphy has been working with his colleagues to stop the EPA from advancing the plan. As Chairman of the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, Murphy has been investigating how the EPA refuses to account for such things as job loss and economic damage caused by regulatory actions that do not substantially improve environmental conditions. Murphy is a sponsor of the Coal Jobs Protection Act (H.R. 5077), requiring the EPA to analyze the impact of proposed regulations on jobs and economic activity. If the analysis shows a loss of jobs and damage to the state's economy, the EPA would be required to hold a public hearing in a place like Greene County that would be most impacted by the proposed action to incorporate that data.

Litigation is currently pending before the U.S. Court of Appeals that challenges whether the EPA has authority to issue regulations requiring individual states to meet costly federally-mandated emissions standards. Congressman Murphy joined House Energy and Power Subcommittee Chairman Ed Whitfield (R-KY) as a co-sponsor of the Ratepayer Protection Act (H.R. 2042) to prohibit the EPA's plan from moving forward until its constitutionality has been decided in federal court. In addition, the legislation also allows individual states to opt-out of the EPA's onerous requirements; if they can demonstrate that the federal action would threaten the state's power grid or will lead to higher power bills for residents.

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