Ed Thomas Act: Preventing Crimes by the Mentally Ill

Building on the ignorance and fear of his fellow Iowan's, Representative Bruce Braley (D) is working on a federal version of Iowa's "Ed Thomas Act," which, following the murder of a popular football coach, promises to stop crime committed by people living with mental illness by allowing hospitals to notify police when they discharge patients who have received services within their mental wards.  H.R. 5733 would allow sharing of "officially protected health information" about people who have been "accompanied by law enforcement at the time such individual seeks care" from, presumably, a mental health unit.  According to Braley, the new legislation would help "ensure the future safety of schools and communities not just here in Iowa, but across America."  To read more . . .