A version of HR  2646, the Helping Families in Mental Health Crisis Act bill, was approved 53-0 by the House Energy and Commerce Committee yesterday. The  legislation sets new federal rules for how the United States handles people believed to have serious mental illness. There are two versions under consideration in the Committee: one version, which was introduced by Rep. Tim Murphy (R-Pa.) in June, has attracted 140 Republican and 53 Democratic co-sponsors. Rep. Fred Upton (R-Mich.), the chairman of the House Energy committee, and Rep. Frank Pallone (D-N.J.), the highest-ranking Democrat on the committee, have proposed a second version of the bill. Both versions have  strategies to help families and communities be more active in managing the care of patients who are believed to be unable to make sound decisions about treatment for serious mental health conditions.