Help us create meaningful change by staying up-to-date and informed about all our latest policy news and actions.
May / 2025
May 16, 2025 / Alliance for Rights and Recovery ↗
Alliance Releases Statement on New York State FY 2025-26 Enacted Budget
May 15, 2025 / Spectrum News ↗
Critical of involuntary commitment changes, N.Y. advocates see steps toward Daniel’s Law as budget bright spot
April / 2025
Apr 23, 2025 / Alliance for Rights and Recovery ↗
Family Members, Law Enforcement, Housing Advocates Call for Expansion of Engaging Services not Coercion
Apr 15, 2025 / Alliance for Rights and Recovery ↗
TODAY: NYS Faith Leaders Join the Call for a Budget Deal That Expands Services not Involuntary Treatment!
Apr 15, 2025 / State of Politics ↗
Forced treatment is not the answer’: After discovery battle, mental health debate expected to take state budget stage
Apr 1, 2025 / Alliance for Rights and Recovery ↗
Fund More Voluntary Mental Health Services in the NYS Budget, Not More Coercion!
March / 2025
Commentary: We have better mental health options than involuntary treatment
We Know How to Solve the Mental Health Crisis. Will We Actually Do it?
Mar 24, 2025 / Buffalo Toronto Public media ↗
Road to Reform: Mental Health Advocates Take the Fight to Albany
Mar 24, 2025 / New York City Council ↗
NYC Council Releases Report Raising Questions about Effectiveness of Mayor’s Involuntary Removal Policy and How Focus on It Diverts Support from Impactful Mental Health Programs
Mar 24, 2025 / Alliance for Rights and Recovery ↗
URGENT ACTION NEEDED TODAY! Support Individuals with Mental Health / Substance Use Conditions
Mar 20, 2025 / Alliance for Rights and Recovery ↗
Alliance Joins Legislative Champions to Keep Up the Fight Against Involuntary Treatment Expansion!
Mar 19, 2025 / Alliance for Rights and Recovery ↗
Today at 10:30, Mental Health Committee Chairs Joined Advocates in Rejecting Involuntary Treatment, Supporting Alternatives
Mar 18, 2025 / Alliance for Rights and Recovery ↗
All Hands on Deck! THIS WEDNESDAY Join Legislative Leaders at Albany News Conference to Press for Expansion of Voluntary Services, Rejection of Involuntary Approaches!
Mar 14, 2025 / Alliance for Rights and Recovery ↗
Daniel’s Law Coalition Thanks Legislature for Start Up Funding in One House Budgets, Announces March 23-29 Week of Action
Mar 14, 2025 / New York Post ↗
Albany Dems reject Gov. Hochul’s plan to tackle NYC’s mental health crisis
Mar 13, 2025 / Crain's New York Business ↗
Legislature rejects Hochul’s involuntary commitment push in budget proposals
Mar 11, 2025 / Alliance for Rights and Recovery ↗
NYS Assembly and Senate Budgets Fund 7.8% Rate Hike, Reject Expansion of Involuntary Treatment, Expand Voluntary Community Services!
Racial disparities persist in New York’s court-ordered mental health treatment program
Mar 4, 2025 / Alliance for Rights and Recovery ↗
Breaking: Racial Disparities Persist In New York’s Court-Ordered Outpatient Commitment Program
How does it feel to be involuntarily committed? NY advocates condemn Gov. Hochul plan
Mar 3, 2025 / Alliance for Rights and Recovery ↗
Advisory: Advocates and Legislators to Back Alternatives to Expansions of Involuntary Treatment at 9:30 Capital News Conference
February / 2025
Feb 21, 2025 / The New York Times ↗
Will New York Force More Mentally Ill People Into Treatment?
Feb 11, 2025 / Alliance for Rights and Recovery ↗
NYS Cross Sector Advocacy Groups Urge Legislative Leaders to Establish Incident Review Panels, Expand Voluntary Services not Coercion
Feb 11, 2025 / Alliance for Rights and Recovery ↗
MHW: NYS Advocates Seek MH Investments, Voluntary Community Supports
The Alternative for Hochul’s Involuntary Commitment Expansion
Hochul plan to increase commitments of mentally ill raises specters of the past
NYS Anti Force Coalition Letter to legislative leaders: Letter-to-Majority-Leader-and-Speaker-re-Forced-Mental-Health-Commitments.pdf
Feb 6, 2025 / HealthBeat New York ↗
Lawmakers, advocates spar over Gov. Hochul’s proposal to expand involuntary commitment criteria
Lawmakers torn on Hochul’s involuntary commitment agenda
N.Y. mental health advocates offer alternative solutions to involuntary commitment
Hochul, some N.Y. lawmakers at odds on mental health spending
Involuntary commitments start far more often in NYC’s homes than public spaces, data shows
January / 2025
Expanding involuntary commitment won’t make us safer
Mental Health Advocates Prepare to Meet Legislators in Albany for Legislative Day 2025
Jan 29, 2025 / Binghamton Homepage ↗
Join local mental health advocates on Legislative Day
Alliance for Rights and Recovery hosts forum, prepares for Legislative Day 2025
Jan 23, 2025 / Alliance for Rights and Recovery ↗
Alliance Releases Second Look Assessment of Gov Hochul’s Executive Budget Proposal
Disabilities Beat: Why is Hochul’s involuntary commitment proposal controversial?
Jan 21, 2025 / Alliance for Rights and Recovery ↗
Alliance Releases Response to Gov Hochul’s Executive Budget Proposal: First Look
Jan 20, 2025 / CBS 6 News Albany ↗
Critics say Hochul’s plan to expand involuntary commitment doesn’t address root issues
Jan 17, 2025 / Alliance for Rights and Recovery ↗
Advocates Respond to Governor Hochul’s State of the State Address
Jan 15, 2025 / Alliance for Rights and Recovery ↗
Alliance for Rights and Recovery’s Response to Governor Hochul’s State of the State Address
Jan 14, 2025 / The New York Times ↗
5 Takeaways from Hochul’s State of the State Address
Jan 14, 2025 / Alliance for Rights and Recovery ↗
Breaking: Advocates Call for Service Investments, Improved Coordination and Accountability; Reject Involuntary Proposals!
Jan 13, 2025 / Spectrum News ↗
New York lawmakers gear up for mental health budget battleYork lawmakers gear up for mental health budget battle
Jan 10, 2025 / Alliance for Rights and Recovery | Crain’s Health Pulse ↗
Advocates Offer Mixed Reactions to Mayor Adams’ Recent Mental Health Proposals | Mayor’s $650M Plan to Reduce Street Homelessness and Mental Illness Met with Mixed Reactions
Jan 9, 2025 / Alliance for Rights and Recovery ↗
National Leaders Share Concerns for the Mental Health Field in 2025!
Jan 3, 2025 / Crain's New York Business ↗
Hochul renews push for involuntary commitment legislation
Jan 3, 2025 / Alliance for Rights and Recovery ↗
Advocates Push Back on Governor Hochul’s Call for Increased Forced Treatment
December / 2024
Dec 20, 2024 / Spectrum News ↗
Mental health experts push back on bill introduced after Manhattan stabbings
February / 2024
Feb 20, 2024 / Alliance for Rights and Recovery ↗
Breaking: Advocates Applaud State Task Force’s Call for Daniel’s Law Styled Health-Led Crisis Response
April / 2023
Apr 21, 2023 / Psychiatry Online Psychiatric News ↗
NYC’s Involuntary Treatment Policy May Backfire, Experts Warn
February / 2023
Involuntary transport of people is truly awful
March / 2022
Kendra’s Law hangs in the balance with little recent discussion among Albany Democrats
Opinion: Coercion and Institutionalization Won’t Fix NY’s Mental Health Crisis
Mar 29, 2022 / Albany Times Union ↗
Changes to Kendra’s Law could expand state’s power to commit the mentally ill. Advocates are concerned.
Another Voice: N.Y. can increase mental health care, not coercion
Budget talks heat up
Mar 27, 2022 / Gotham Gazette ↗
A Critical Opportunity for New York to Increase Care Not Coercion for Those Living with Serious Mental Illness
The one part of Hochul’s public safety plan that progressives don’t hate; Opposition to changing bail reform aside, many Albany Democrats are getting behind gubernatorial efforts to force more people to get mental health treatment.
Hochul wants to force more people with mental illness to get treatment; The governor included a major change to Kendra’s Law alongside a proposed rollback of bail reform in her new public safety plan
Lawmakers seek to double governor’s proposed wage hike for human services providers
Mar 12, 2022 / Rochester Democrat and Chronicle ↗
Advocates against expansion of “Kendra’s Law”
Mental health advocates fear criminalization of vulnerable people
Advocates for mentally ill concerned about changes to forced treatment
Advocates descend on Albany to oppose Kendra’s Law expansion
Clubhouse for New Yorkers with serious mental illness plans $40 million Bronx expansion
February / 2022
Hochul seeks to extend Kendra’s Law, rekindling debate over court-mandated mental health treatment
Feb 14, 2022 / Gotham Gazette ↗
After Subway Shoving, Officials Look to Expand State Laws on Mandatory Treatment for Mental Illness
Governor Hochul Establishes Office of the Chief Disability Officer
Feb 9, 2022 / Gotham Gazette (podcast) ↗
Max Politics Podcast: Addressing the Crisis of Untreated Severe Mental Illness
Governor Hochul Announces $100 Million for Behavioral Health Crisis Stabilization Centers
January / 2022
Jan 30, 2022 / New York Daily News ↗
Coercion is not the answer to NYC’s mental health crisis: Stepping up Kendra’s Law would be a grave mistake
July / 2026
He Was Locked Up in a Psych Ward. It Helped Him Get His Life Together.