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While Democrats made it clear they believed that Republicans were avoiding the real problem — lax restrictions on access to guns — Mr. Ryan encouraged lawmakers from both parties to present their ideas to address the problems with mental health care. He expressed support for an ambitious proposal that would make major changes to the mental health care system. The bill would, among other steps, create an assistant secretary post in the Department of Health and Human Services to coordinate the government’s approach and remedy a shortage of beds in psychiatric hospitals. (Huetteman and Perez-Pena, 12/1)

Congressional Republicans have frequently pointed to mental health in their responses to mass shootings, but Ryan and McCarthy’s remarks this week were notable in their endorsement of a specific piece of legislation — one that had seemed to be gaining bipartisan support earlier this year. “The common theme with these kinds of shootings is mental illness, and this is something that we should not be ignoring,” Ryan said. “Congressman Murphy has a very comprehensive effort underway. He’s put years into this, and that is why we want to see this process all the way through, and this is something that requires our attention.” (DeBonis, 12/1)

Murphy's bill — which has had some Democratic support — would also reduce barriers for caregivers to provide information with parents or guardians of their patients, and would boost support for "assisted outpatient treatment" for patients with severe mental illness. AOT is basically a court-ordered treatment regimen, with court-imposed penalties for non-compliance. Mental illness causes tens of thousands of death a year through suicide, drug overdoses, and a range of ailments that afflict homeless people with mental illness, Murphy told USA TODAY Tuesday. (Singer, 12/1)

Mr. Murphy said his bill would enable those with mental illness to receive treatment sooner, making them less likely to become engaged in violent acts. “For those with mental illness, what we ought to be doing is treating the mental illness instead of responding to the crime,” he said in an interview Tuesday. Democrats have called for new gun-control measures and urged Republicans to change their tone against the women’s health organization. (Peterson, 12/1)