Lawmaker pushes mental health reform bill in the wake of recent Calif. shooting

Rep. Tim Murphy, R-Pa., held a forum Thursday in an effort to build momentum and consensus around this legislation.

NPR: Rep. Murphy Aims For Mental Health Bill To Pass Before Next Shooting
The latest mass shooting has lawmakers on Capitol Hill talking again about overhauling the mental health system. On Thursday, psychologists and others urged Congress to do more (Sullivan, 5/30).

The Hill: Republican Pushes Mental Health After Calif. Mass Shooting
A House Republican lawmaker is pushing his stalled mental health reform bill after a young man killed six people and then himself in Santa Barbara, Calif., over the weekend. Rep. Tim Murphy (R-Pa.) convened a forum Thursday intended to build momentum for his reform legislation, which House leaders have failed to green-light despite its standing as the GOP's policy response to mass shootings (Viebeck, 5/29).

In other news -

Fox News: House GOP Lawmakers Push For Republican Alternative To Obamacare
As the GOP keeps the pressure on President Obama's signature health care law, some House Republicans are aiming for a vote this year on a GOP health care alternative ObamaCare, in part to show that the party has a position beyond merely repealing the law. Four months after House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, R-Va., promised that the House will vote this year on an alternative to the Affordable Care Act, The Wall Street Journal reports that GOP leaders are working with lawmakers and committee chairmen to reach some sort of consensus on what the plan should include (5/30).