NYAPRS Note: NYAPRS celebrates the work and conviction of Glenn Liebman and our friends at MHANYS for their tremendous advocacy efforts leading to the approval of the tax check-off bill for mental health!
N.Y. Lawmakers Approve Tax Check-Off for Mental Illness
Times Union; Claire Hughes, 6/17/2015
When you file your state income taxes, you can now choose to allocate some of your tax money to any of 10 charitable causes, including breast cancer research and wildlife preservation.
Raising public awareness about mental illness could be the 11th option next year if Gov. Andrew Cuomo signs legislation that has passed the state Senate and Assembly to add that option to the tax check-off list.
A bill to make the addition has been kicking around for several years, but the Mental Health Association of New York State put on a big push to get it passed this year, said Glenn Liebman, the organization’s chief executive officer.
MHANYS sees the check-off as a way to address the stigma surrounding mental illness in two ways, Liebman said. First, it will give New Yorkers the sense that their leaders support efforts to promote mental health, just as they do Alzheimer’s disease and prostate cancer, other causes that taxpayers can direct their money to on the form. Second, the money raised will fund a public awareness campaign.
The stigma remains pervasive, Liebman said, especially when violent acts are associated with mentally ill suspects. In reality, 25 percent of Americans face some kind of mental health issue every year, he said.
The main opposition to the bill was that it would draw money away from other funds already on the tax form, Liebman said.
http://www.timesunion.com/news/article/N-Y-lawmakers-approve-tax-check-off-for-mental-6334007.php