III 

116TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. RES. 726 

Honoring Rosalynn Smith Carter’s 50 years of mental health advocacy. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

SEPTEMBER 29, 2020 

Mr. PERDUE (for himself, Mrs. LOEFFLER, and Mr. MURPHY) submitted the 

following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary 

RESOLUTION 

Honoring Rosalynn Smith Carter’s 50 years of mental health 

advocacy. 

Whereas Rosalynn Smith Carter, since 1970, when her husband, future President of the United States Jimmy Carter, was a candidate for Governor of Georgia, has been 

a leading advocate for raising awareness about mental 

health and the ability of people with mental health disorders to recover and live happy and fulfilling lives; 

Whereas Mrs. Carter emerged as a national driving force for 

mental health when, during Jimmy Carter’s presidential 

administration, Mrs. Carter became the active honorary 

chair of the President’s Commission on Mental Health; 

Whereas the work of President Carter’s Commission on Mental Health resulted in passage of the Mental Health SysVerDate Sep 11 2014 04:42 Sep 30, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR726.IS SR726

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tems Act of 1980, which offered reforms to publicly funded mental health programs; 

Whereas, in 1982, President and Mrs. Carter founded The 

Carter Center, which is dedicated to improving the quality of life for people in the United States and in the developing world through programs that promote peace and 

health; 

Whereas, from 1985 to 2016, Mrs. Carter hosted the annual 

Rosalynn Carter Symposium on Mental Health Policy, 

bringing together national leaders in the mental health 

community to discuss a specific topic each year, including 

promoting access to appropriate and affordable behavioral health care services, improving the quality of such 

services, and reducing the stigma and isolation associated 

with mental health disorders and substance use disorders; 

Whereas The Carter Center’s Mental Health Program, established in 1990 and continuing under the leadership and 

guidance of Mrs. Carter, strives to build consensus in 

order to effect positive change in mental health and substance use policy and systems, with a focus on vulnerable 

populations, including children and the elderly; 

Whereas, in 1996, Mrs. Carter established the Rosalynn Carter Fellowships for Mental Health Journalism, which 

have provided training and support to more than 220 

journalists in the United States and abroad to report accurately and sensitively about and reduce the stigma surrounding mental health disorders, mental health care, 

mental health law and policy, and related issues; 

Whereas Mrs. Carter, in 2008, played a key role in supporting the passage of the Paul Wellstone and Pete 

Domenici Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity 


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Act, which helps ensure that mental health disorders and 

substance use disorders are covered by insurance at parity with other illnesses; 

Whereas Mrs. Carter, who has long been a champion of the 

physical and mental health, strength, and resilience of 

family caregivers, established the Rosalynn Carter Institute for Caregiving in 1987, where she continues to serve 

as President of the Board of Directors; 

Whereas, throughout Mrs. Carter’s 50 years of advocacy for 

mental health, she has been an effective champion for the 

elimination of stigma and discrimination against people 

with mental health disorders, which are among the most 

common health conditions around the world; and 

Whereas, at 93 years of age, Mrs. Carter continues her devoted work to improving the lives of those affected by 

mental health disorders and substance use disorders in 

the United States and around the world: Now, therefore, 

be it 

1 Resolved, That the Senate— 

2 (1) hereby expresses its profound gratitude, on 

3 behalf of the people of the United States, to 

4 Rosalynn Smith Carter for her lifetime of accom5 plishments and commitment on behalf of those af6 fected by mental health disorders and substance use 

7 disorders; 

8 (2) recognizes, praises, and appreciates the im9 provements in wellbeing and the betterment of soci10 ety Mrs. Carter’s contributions have engendered; 

11 and 


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1 (3) encourages all people of the United States 

2 to follow Mrs. Carter’s example of putting compas3 sion into action through a lifetime of service to hu4 manity. 

Æ 


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