Lawmakers are talking about how to improve Florida's struggling mental health system in the wake of recent mass shootings.
House Speaker Will Weatherford said the tragedy in Newtown, Connecticut had brought mental health to light.
"We're going to look very closely at the mental health challenges we have in Florida", said Weatherford. "We want to make sure, obviously, we protect our children so that never happens here what happened in Connecticut."
A House panel on Thursday heard from experts on the need for better policy and more funding for early mental health screening and diagnosis.
They said the state should maintain its mental health system all the time, not just focus on it when calamity strikes.