Rep. Murphy Stands With Disability Advocates to Protect Constitutional, Civil Rights

WASHINGTON, Feb. 3 -- Rep. Tim Murphy, R-Pa., issued the following news release:

Last night the House voted on H.J. Res. 40, which would repeal the rule submitted by the Social Security Administration to send information to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System on all individuals who receive Disability Insurance benefits or Supplemental Security Income payments and have those payments made through a representative payee.

Following House passage of H.J. Res. 40, Congressman Tim Murphy (PA-18) released the following statement:

"As a psychologist, I understand and am in full support of ensuring that someone who suffers from serious mental illness and has demonstrated risk for violence should not have access to a firearm. However, the regulation passed yesterday in the House did not address that issue.

"Yesterday, the House passed a regulation which had nothing to do with gun rights and everything to do with federal bureaucrats suddenly being deemed to have the expertise and authority to render a medical diagnosis. Specifically, under the rule, government employees were allowed to go after Social Security recipients with a disability requesting help to manage their financial affairs and categorize them as 'mentally defective.'

"This rule was unethical, shameful and wrong. The administration gave Social Security employees with no training, no certification and no license to practice the same power and authority as a mental health professional, who spends years studying and training in the field. Such diagnoses of incompetency and involuntary commitment are to be done by mental health professionals, not federal bureaucrats.

"Knowing the truth of the matter, organizations from the American Civil Liberties Union to the Disability Rights Network joined together condemning this harmful government regulation and urged Congress to strip federal bureaucrats of this unethical power.

"Above all, I am extraordinarily disappointed at the inflammatory and false headlines that ran on nearly every single media outlet after this vote. In near unison voice, this inaccurate and stigmatizing coverage only furthers the lie that there is a connection between mental illness and a propensity for violence. The vast majority of mentally ill persons are not violent and, in fact, the mentally ill are eleven times more likely to be a victim of violence than someone who is not mentally ill.

"I stand in full support of my vote to stop federal bureaucrats from labeling individuals as 'mentally defective,' and urge my colleagues in the Senate to vote to overturn this rule immediately."

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