In January 2009 Congressman Tim Murphy will begin serving his fourth term in Congress representing the 18th District of Pennsylvania, encompassing the South Hills of Pittsburgh and portions of Washington and Westmoreland counties. When elected to Congress in 2002, Tim vowed to be the most visible Congressman the region had ever seen. To this day, he is actively connected throughout the district, whether it is at a community day, meeting with employees at a local business, speaking to school children, or walking the neighborhoods and talking with people.
Congressman Murphy relies on his three decades as a child psychologist to advocate for meaningful reforms in the U.S. healthcare system. As one of only a handful of members of Congress with a background in healthcare, Tim quickly established himself as a leader on the issue. He is Co-chair of the 21st Century Healthcare Caucus, Mental Health Caucus and Men’s Health Caucus, giving him a platform to educate other members of Congress and the public on ways to make healthcare more affordable and accessible for all families.
Tim is a leading proponent of the use of healthcare information technology to improve patient safety and reduce wasteful costs in healthcare. He established a grant program to make electronic medical records and electronic prescribing available to Medicaid families, and has led a bipartisan effort to increase the use of health IT across the nation. These efforts reduce the number of medication and medical errors, eliminate costly duplicative tests, ensure a patient has a complete medical file, and ultimately save lives.
With his healthcare experience, Congressman Murphy recognized the need to eliminate healthcare-acquired infections, and before the national MRSA outbreak in the summer of 2007, Tim introduced the Healthy Hospitals Act requiring the public reporting of healthcare-acquired infections so patients can make better informed decisions on their healthcare and hospitals can bring down their infection rates. This language was adopted on March 13, 2008, as part of the House budget resolution. The Department of Health and Human Services used Congressman Murphy’s recommendations, instituting a policy where the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) will no longer provide reimbursement over and above the typical rate to treat several types of hospital acquired infections. As a result, hospitals are taking the necessary steps to eliminate infections.
To further reduce infection risks, as part of the Medical Device User Fee and Modernization Act, Congressman Murphy required the federal government to investigate whether the use of medical devices led to healthcare-acquired infections and to understand the cause of some of these infections and what better can be done to prevent them in the future.
The National Association of Community Health Centers has recognized Congressman Murphy as a champion for leading the effort in Congress to ensure doctors are available to all American families. Congressman Murphy introduced the Family Health Care Accessibility Act to expand the number of doctors at Community Health Centers to keep costs down so parents can sleep easier at night knowing there is a neighborhood doctor they can use. Murphy’s bill was included in the House passed version of the Community Health Centers Renewal Act.
As a national leading advocate on mental health issues, Dr. Murphy has worked in a bipartisan manner to raise awareness and reduce the stigma associated with mental illness. To draw attention to how mental health services are not covered equally to other healthcare services, Congressman Murphy authored legislation, the Seniors Access to Mental Health Act, to increase Medicare’s mental health coverage benefits for seniors to equal its regular healthcare coverage. The Seniors Access to Mental Health Act became federal law as part of the Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act of 2008, on July 15, 2008.
Congressman Murphy also introduced the Mental Health Security for American Families in Education Act and passed legislation into law to get college students suffering from depression or other mental illnesses the help they need before tragedy strikes. Previously, legal barriers prevented schools from notifying parents if a student needed help and was in danger of hurting himself or others. Congressman Murphy broke down these barriers so parents can take an active role in getting their child help.
Tim led the Pennsylvania Congressional delegation’s efforts to fix the Medicare prescription drug bill so that Pennsylvania’s prescription drug program, PACE, would be properly integrated with Medicare. This has allowed Pennsylvanians to save $170 million which has allowed PACE to extend its coverage and may lead to additional savings in the future.
In addition, earlier this year when the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced new regulations that would cut Medicaid services to those most in need: children, and the mentally and physically disabled, Congressman Murphy worked with House Energy and Commerce Chairman John Dingell and drafted legislation preventing these cuts to crucial Medicaid services. H.R. 5613, the Protecting Medicaid Safety Net Act, became law on June 30, 2008, as part of the Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Act. This legislation will maintain the following: payments provided to public safety net institutions; coverage of rehabilitation services for people with disabilities; as well as specialized medical transportation to school for children covered by Medicaid. Further, this bill will save money and prevent fraud by requiring all States to electronically verify the financial disclosures of Medicaid applicants to ensure that they are eligible to receive Medicaid.
Tim’s efforts as a healthcare leader are a continuation of his work in the Pennsylvania State Senate where he served from 1997-2002. There he penned the state’s historic Patient Bill of Rights and increased funding for medical research, while consistently supporting responsible fiscal management of government to promote job creation and reduce the tax burden on families.
After the 911th Airlift Wing was put on the Pentagon’s list of base closures, Congressman Murphy led the effort in Congress to get it removed, saving 1,600 jobs, and ensuring a strong military presence in the region.
With tens of thousands of veterans living in Southwestern Pennsylvania, Congressman Murphy has worked to ensure each and every veteran gets the benefits they were promised and deserve. Tim also secured a total of $12.2 million in federal funds to build a new commissary in Southwestern Pennsylvania that will serve more than 160,000 veterans, military personnel, and their families. He continues his work with local, state, and community leaders, as well as local veterans to make the new commissary a reality.
Congressmen Murphy continues to work on ensuring the VA meets its obligations to providing local veterans with the healthcare benefits they were promised. Joining with other members of the Pennsylvania delegation, Tim introduced legislation to provide the necessary federal funds to keep the renovation and construction of the Pittsburgh VA facilities on schedule after the VA in Washington shifted money to other facilities where renovations were over-budget and further behind schedule. This legislation was incorporated in the Medical Facility Authorization and Lease Act, H.R. 5856, which passed overwhelmingly on May 21, 2008 in the House. This funding is critical to bringing quality health services to veterans in state-of-the-art facilities.
Having earned a PhD in psychology, Tim worked at a number of hospitals across Western Pennsylvania, opened his own practice, consulted for schools and Head Start, and taught at the University of Pittsburgh. He authored several publications, including two books: the award-winning “The Angry Child,” and "Overcoming Passive-Aggression." During this time, he became widely known as “Dr. Tim” through regular appearances on local and national radio and television.
When dealing with education issues in Congress, Tim relies on this experience to do what is best for children. Using his more than three decades of evaluating children’s academic performance, Congressman Murphy has worked closely with officials at the Department of Education and leaders in Congress to improve and strengthen No Child Left Behind and to change how student achievement is measured to more accurately reflect the success of individual students.
Since coming to Congress, Tim has shown the ability of finding federal solutions to local issues. After a local family’s house was destroyed and their children injured when a ruptured gas line caused an explosion, Congressman Murphy introduced Marc and Chelsea’s Law and passed legislation to establish a consistent, national standard to follow in the event of pipeline damage.
Following the massive flooding in the region in 2004, Congressman Murphy has worked hard to help businesses and homeowners recover. As part of the Water Resources and Development Act (WRDA), Congressman Murphy directed the Army Corps of Engineers to conduct a study of flood control projects in the Chartiers/Fulton, Chartiers/Houston and Burgettstown flood control plains that were damaged. Tim also held a Congressional field hearing in Carnegie to ensure the availability of Community Development Block Grants for the region. He has also directed federal funds to repair sewer systems and roads damaged by the floods.
Tim has worked with local farmers to keep the Farm Service Agency office in Washington County open. This helped earn him the Friend of the Farmer award by the Pennsylvania Farm Bureau.
Congressman Murphy has been appointed as the Vice-Chair of the Congressional Steel Caucus for the 111th Congress. Tim has served on the Caucus since being elected to Congress. As Vice Chair, Murphy will utilize his leadership role, along with Chairman Pete Visclosky (D-IN) to ensure that steel is part of economic revitalization efforts. Two priorities in 2009 will be enacting the American Steel First Act, a bill to require the use of domestic steel in federally-funded infrastructure projects, and enforcing fair trade laws. The initiatives together will help increase demand for domestic steel and create better opportunities for American producers to compete in the international market.
Congressman Murphy serves on the Energy and Commerce Committee, where he sits on three subcommittees: Health; Oversight and Investigations; and Environment and Hazardous Materials.
Tim was one of eleven children, born to working class parents who stressed the importance of family, education and self-reliance. He and his wife Nan now reside in Upper St. Clair with their daughter, Bevin, who is currently attending college. They attend St. Thomas More Catholic Church in Bethel Park.
He earned a bachelors degree from Wheeling Jesuit University, a master’s degree from Cleveland State University, and his PhD from the University of Pittsburgh.
A fierce proponent of community involvement, he is a strong advocate of the Rails to Trails programs, an active participant in events for Habitat to Humanity and member of several Rotary Clubs and Chambers of Commerce.
