IL Senate Oks Restoration of $63 Million for Drug Treatment, Mental Health; Advocates Urge Governor Blagojevich to Sign Legislation
Posted by Frank Anselmo on September 24, 2008
(Springfield, IL) – The Illinois Senate yesterday voted to restore $55 million to the state’s alcohol and drug treatment budget and $8 million to mental health care which had been originally vetoed by Governor Rod Blagojevich.
The Senate voted, 55-0, to restore the $63 million to state addiction treatment services and mental health care to halt the elimination of care for 42,000 across Illinois as part of $219 million supplement budget bill (SB 1103) to restore other state programs and services also vetoed by the Governor.
The House voted, 113-3, last week to restore the money.
“The Governor should the approve the funding immediately to halt the on-going elimination of care across the state,” said Frank Anselmo, CEO, Community Behavioral Healthcare Association of Illinois.
On July 9, Blagojevich cut $55 million from addiction treatment services and also line-item vetoed money from specific programs: victims of domestic violence, women returning from incarceration, youth treatment, youth in the court system, and women receiving federal Temporary Assistance to Needy Families who require treatment to be employed.
The legislation now goes to the Governor’s desk for approval.
coffee fiend said
Blagojevich has been so successful at making himself and his office look ridiculous that about a million people are now able to remember and maybe even spell his crazy name — that’s sort of like an accomplishment, right?