One of the long arms of psychiatry was whacked off in Tx. Let's hope a similar action comes to the other arm...the BM Industry.
Dear CCHR Supporters,
Below is a message from CCHR US President Bruce Wiseman about a very important bill in the US Senate which supports recent actions taken in
Texas. On June 20th, Governor Perry signed historic legislation into law in our state which prohibits school personnel from recommending ANY
psychiatric drug or diagnosis for a child. A second new law prohibits school personnel from turning in parents on a charge of medical neglect
for refusing ANY psychiatric drug or treatment. Both these laws passed unanimously through the Texas legislature this spring, due to a
tremendous amount of work by CCHR Texas.
Senate Bill 1390 in the US Senate now backs these laws up, by stating that schools cannot take actions to pressure parents to drug their
children. It passed with an overwhelming majority in the US House of Representatives recently (425 votes to 1). Please take the time to read
Mr. Wiseman's message, and call or fax your Senator per his instructions.
These new Texas laws are going to keep Tens of Thousands of Texas children off of psychiatric drugs. Imagine what a national law will
accomplish.
Andy Prough
Executive Director
CCHR Texas
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dear Friends,
Occasionally I send an e mail to a wide distribution - I try to keep such traffic to a minimum, to those matters that are of key importance. This is such an e mail. Last month the US House of Representatives passed the HR 1170, the Child Medication Safety Act (425-1) mandating that schools cannot coerce parents into putting their child on a psychotropic drug as a condition of being in school.
Last week the Senate introduced the companion bill - SB 1390 (below).
It is critical that each and every one of us contact our Senators (regardless of the state you live in, you have two) and urge them to support and co sponsor SB 1390 introduced by Senators Ensign and Alexander.
This is historic legislation folks. The federal government is weighing in on the issue of parents being coerced into putting their children on mind altering drugs. Do your part. Contact your Senators NOW and get them to support this bill.
The best way is to call. The second best way is to fax. You can also e mail, but it does not have the same impact as the first two.
I have pasted a link to the Congressional website just below. Once there, click the link on top for Senators and find your Senators contact numbers and call or fax. You want to talk to the Education Policy Aide if they have one or the Legislative Aide. The bottom line is that 1- You are a constituent and 2- you want your Senator to support and cosponsor this legislation.
This is something that will really make a difference in the lives of future generations. Act now.
http://thomas.loc.gov/home/thomas.html Also, many of you have friends, clients other contacts, big e mail lists ----Please get this out far and wide. Children are our future.
Best,
Bruce
------------------------------------------------
Bill 5 of 50
GPO's PDF version of this bill References to this bill in the Congressional Record Link to the Bill Summary & Status file. Printer Friendly Display - 3,627 bytes.[Help]
-------------------------------------------------
Child Medication Safety Act of 2003 (Introduced in Senate)
S 1390 IS
108th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. 1390
To protect children and their parents from being coerced into administering a controlled substance in order to attend school, and for other purposes.
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
July 10, 2003
Mr. ENSIGN (for himself and Mr. ALEXANDER) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
-------------------------------------------
A BILL
To protect children and their parents from being coerced into administering a controlled substance in order to attend school, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the `Child Medication Safety Act of 2003'.
SEC. 2. REQUIRED POLICIES AND PROCEDURES.
(a) IN GENERAL- As a condition of receiving funds under any program or activity administered by the Secretary of Education, not later than 1 year after the date of the enactment of this Act , each State shall develop and implement policies and procedures prohibiting school personnel from requiring a child to obtain a prescription for substances covered by section 202(c) of the Controlled Substances Act (21 U.S.C. 812(c)) as a condition of attending school or receiving services.
(b) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION- Nothing in subsection (a) shall be construed to create a Federal prohibition against teachers and other school personnel consulting or sharing classroom-based observations with parents or guardians regarding a student's academic performance or behavior in the classroom or school, or regarding the need for evaluation for special education or related services under section 612(a)(3) of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (20 U.S.C. 1412(a)(3)).
SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act :
(1) CHILD - The term `child' means any person within the age limits for which the State provides free public education.
(2) STATE- The term `State' means each of the 50 States, the District of Columbia, and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.
SEC. 4. GAO STUDY AND REVIEW.
(a) REVIEW- The Comptroller General of the United States shall conduct a review of--
(1) the variation among States in definitions of psychotropic medication as used in regard to State jurisdiction over public education;
(2) the prescription rates of medications used in public schools to treat children diagnosed with attention deficit disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and other disorders or illnesses;
(3) which medications used to treat such children in public schools are listed under the Controlled Substances Act ; and
(4) which medications used to treat such children in public schools are not listed under the Controlled Substances Act , including the properties and effects of any such medications and whether such medications have been considered for listing under the Controlled Substances Act .
(b) REPORT- Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act , the Comptroller General of the United States shall prepare and submit a report that contains the results of the review under subsection (a).
