A short time ago, top NYS legislative leaders identified a total of $15 million for the legislature’s mental hygiene chairs and committee members to add to the Governor’s budget proposal for the coming year. By comparison, this number was $12 million last year but $19 million the previous year.
NYAPRS joins all of the mental hygiene budget committee members’ fervid protests about how little has been granted here, especially given the hundreds of millions that are afforded other state interests like education.
Some of the priorities identified by committee chairs and members at today’s meeting included housing, crisis intervention teams, veterans’ services and opioid treatment.
We have no word yet about the amount of funds that have been set aside for nonprofit investments to fund a minimum wage hike, a large number that would come from the leaders’ table, rather than any one table like mental hygiene.
Stay tuned for more details, as we have them.