In May 2014, I wrote about a personal encounter with serious mental illness. At the time, there was some hope regarding the issue: Rep. Tim Murphy (R-PA), a practicing psychologist, had recently introduced a humane bill to reform our dysfunctional national mental health system. Murphy had worked tirelessly for over a year to research and craft the bill, and had secured bipartisan support. Unfortunately, I wrote at the time, the Democratic Party’s leadership was trying to scuttle the bill out of crass political opportunism.

Recent events gave me reason to re-read the piece. In the last 18 months, what has happened? Republicans expanded their majority in the House and now have a majority in the Senate. The bill at issue has a new number (H.R. 2646) and we can no longer blame Democrats for stalling.

The new chairman of the relevant committee is Rep. Fred Upton (R-CA), who I will always remember as the man who gave us the ban on incandescent lightbulbs. When he assumed his chairmanship, he rewarded Democratic intransigence by declaring that Murphy’s bill was too “controversial.” What made it controversial? Democratic Party opposition, of course. Murphy has made some minor changes to the bill but — while the problem remains and a well-crafted solution exists — it’s yet to be brought to a vote.

I concluded 18 months ago:

If Nancy Pelosi succeeds in killing the Murphy bill, there will be more shootings and more stabbings and more broken lives. And I will continue to think of Michael Laudor and Carrie Costello. But all of us should now also think of Nancy Pelosi, and the responsibility she and her caucus bear.

Now, it is the GOP that bears the responsibility. Will the Republican Party’s leadership abdicate policy and moral leadership on this issue, as it has on issues from Planned Parenthood to free markets, to the Ex-Im Bank? Or will it demonstrate that it is worthy to lead this nation and act?