House Speaker: Colorado shooting shows need for mental health reforms

Reuters
U.S. Speaker of the House Paul Ryan (R-WI) answers media questions at a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington November 19, 2015. REUTERS/Gary Cameron

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. House Speaker Paul Ryan said last week's shooting at a Planned Parenthood clinic in Colorado showed that the United States needs to reform mental health care.

"The common theme with these kinds of shootings is mental illness," Ryan told a news briefing on Tuesday. "This is not something we should be ignoring. We need to overhaul our mental health system."

Ryan also said that he expected strong Republican majorities in House votes later this week on a major transportation funding bill and an education reform bill that hands more control back to U.S. states.

(Reporting by David Lawder; Editing by Susan Heavey)