11/08/06: Governor worsens MH/MR funding
Harrisburg
Patriot News Letter to the Editor
Earlier this year, NAMI (National Association on Mental Illness) gave
Pennsylvania
a D+ grade for providing mental health
services. By vetoing the Social Services Funding Bill after assurances
that adequate mental health/mental retardation services would be provided
when plans to close the Harrisburg State Hospital were announced,
the governor seems eager to ensure that Pennsylvania maintains this
grade.
Cutting cost of living increases for MH/MR providers
does not help to provide adequate services to those in need. Costs
to consumers who seek treatment are greater because health plans impose
discriminatory limits on mental health treatment that do not apply
to all other illnesses (see the Paul
Wellstone Mental Health Equitable Treatment Act -- HR
1402). The crisis only gets worse as statistics show that mental illness
is becoming more prevalent.
It has been proven that the costs of not treating mental
illness outweigh the costs of treating it. Untreated mental illness
can result in unemployment, homelessness, incarceration and possibly,
violence.
I'm interested in the governor's decision to veto this
bill. If it has to do with cutting costs, I think he blew it.
-- JANE SMITH-DECKER, Millersburg
11/05/06: The
ARC Action Alert: COLA Bill Passes Overwhelmingly, But Governor
Vetoes. Advocacy with Legislature to Override Veto Needed
Take Action!
Advocacy with Legislature to Override Veto Needed
Thanks to the advocacy efforts of Pennsylvanians with intellectual
disabilities, their families, their community service providers, and
their direct support professionals, the PA General Assembly overwhelmingly
passed HB 1813, which would require that the annual executive branch
budget proposal include additional funds to account for inflation.
The House passed the bill unanimously, and the Senate passed it 46-3.
However, in spite of the overwhelming support for the COLA bill, PA
Governor Ed Rendell vetoed it.
Advocates are now asking the General Assembly to schedule
a vote to override the veto. Overriding the veto should be well within
reach given the overwhelming margin by which the bill was passed.
A two-thirds majority vote in needed in both the House and the Senate
to override the veto. However, a vote to override has not yet been
scheduled.
Without HB1813 becoming law, budget proposals to provide
annual increases to account for inflation are left to the Governor’s
discretion. History shows that such discretion has led to decades
of inadequate funding for the community system. Inadequate funding
year after year has led to long waiting lists and jeopardized quality
in the community mental retardation system.
Please contact your House member and Senator and urge
them to push for an up or down vote on the veto override, and then
urge them to support the override.
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11/02/06: Harrisburg Patriot News Article on
COLA
Rendell's priorities questioned
Friday, November 03, 2006
BY CHARLES THOMPSON
Of The
Patriot-News
Gov. Ed Rendell's veto of a bill that would have increased
funding for services for the mentally retarded has touched off a fight
with advocates.
Caregivers and parents gathered at the Capitol yesterday
to condemn Rendell's decision, saying it calls into question the governor's
priorities.
The cost-of-living bill would have required the governor
to allocate funding increases in his proposed budgets for mental health
and mental retardation services that are at least equal to a federal
index measuring prices for home-based health care services.
Rendell vetoed it a week ago, saying it violates his
policy against any midyear legislation that "significantly increases
spending or cuts revenue without a specific plan to pay for it."
State grants to county mental health and mental retardation
agencies have gone up 2 percent in each of the past three years, administration
officials said.
But advocates say that doesn't leave enough to reward
staffers in traditionally low-paying jobs with competitive wages,
or to make a significant dent in waiting lists for services such as
job training or adult day care that they say have swelled from 17,000
to 23,000 names over the past five years.
As a result, "the system feeds on itself and kills
capacity, kills quality, and patients and families suffer," said
Stephen Suroviec, executive director of the ARC of Pennsylvania, a
statewide advocacy group for retarded people and their families.
The veto was a bitter blow to parents of those who have
turned 21 and aged out of public school systems.
Parents often assume other services -- group homes,
transportation and employment programs -- will be there for their
adult children, but if their families can't pay for services out of
pocket, they find themselves on waiting lists.
Rendell "doesn't get it," said Nancy Richey,
a Fairview Twp. mother of a teenage boy with retardation and autism.
"If any other segment of our population were devalued as much
as these people are, our society would be outraged."
Nina Rovner of Harrisburg said current funding makes
the special education system's goal of preparing special-needs children
to live as independently as possible seem like "a con. ... They're
saying: 'We're preparing you for life. But we're not going to give
you any money to find a life.'"
Rendell, in his veto message, estimated the cost-of-living
mandate would increase state spending by $1.2 billion over five years.
Rep. Jerry Nailor, R-Mechanicsburg, said he's already
asked House Republican leadership to call for an override vote when
that chamber reconvenes Nov. 13 for two weeks. The Senate is scheduled
to return Nov. 20.
"Money is always a problem, but I think we just
have to prioritize how we're spending," Nailor said. "It
wasn't an issue [for Rendell] when $42 million went back to Philadelphia
as a tax credit for a Comcast office tower."
The funding bill passed the Senate 46-3 last month and
received a 195-0 vote in the House.
But that doesn't guarantee the success of an override
attempt, which requires two-thirds majorities in both chambers to
succeed.
A top House Democratic staffer said yesterday that with
2007-08 budget negotiations months away, his caucus leaders would
likely ask their members to oppose an override attempt out of respect
for Rendell.
"We're going back to the budget table with this
and try to get it in next year's budget," said Mike Manzo, chief
of staff to House Minority Leader H.
William DeWeese, D-Greene.
Rendell, Manzo said, did say in his veto message that
he would consider a similar increase during the budget negotiations.
Advocates hope the bill's supporters hold their ground
for an override vote.
"This bill represents an opportunity to demonstrate
that these services are a priority for state government," said
George Kimes of the Pennsylvania Community Providers Association.
CHARLES THOMPSON: 705-5724 or cthompson@patriot-news.com
©2006 The
Patriot-News
© 2006 PennLive.com
All Rights Reserved.
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10/25/06: Harrisburg Patriot News Editorial
An Overlooked Issue
Mental services waiting lists would be pared under measure awaiting
governor’s signature
One of the problems in the way election campaigns unwind is that one
or two issues tend to attract most of the attention, often ad nauseam.
Meanwhile, serious issues go undiscussed and unrecognized,
at great loss to the public discourse.
One such issue is mental health and mental retardation
services. The crux of the issue is that far too many Pennsylvanians
are on waiting lists to obtain professional help, meaning they are
not being treated. In too many cases, individuals who otherwise could
function in society are being held in jails.
This is not a healthy situation for those going untreated,
and it is not healthy for society to have so many people with problems
that are devastating to them individually but can manifest themselves
in severe difficulties for their families and, sometimes, in the larger
community.
But give credit to the state House of Representatives and the state
Senate for supporting at least one modest step to improve the situation.
In January the House unanimously approved House Bill 1813, which would
tie community mental health funding to the rate of inflation as determined
by the Home Health Market Basket Index. The Senate approved the bill,
46-3, last week.
There is some concern in the mental health/mental retardation
community that Gov. Ed Rendell is not sympathetic to its cause. But
helping people cope with mental disabilities should be everyone’s
cause.
We urge the governor to remove any doubts about his
resolve in addressing this serious matter by signing HB 1813.
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10/31/06: Governor
Rendell vetoes COLA Legislation:
Governor Rendell's statement on the veto:
(to
access the statement on the Governor's Website, click here.)
"October 27, 2006
To the Honorable, the House of Representatives of the Commonwealth
of Pennsylvania:
I am returning House Bill 1813 without my approval.
I am vetoing this bill because, without regard for fluctuations in
state revenues or growth in other, mandated obligations, the legislation
establishes an annual increase in the obligation of state funds for
reimbursement to mental health and mental retardation providers. Enactment
of this bill will increase state expenditures by $75 million in the
first year and cumulatively by $1.2 billion over five years. None
of this funding is included in our current budget projections.
The providers impacted by House Bill 1813 have received a 2% cost
of living increase in their grants in each of the last three years,
resulting in an actual increase in the level of these grants of 6.1%
since July 1, 2004. The annual 2% cost of living increase is entirely
consistent with the annual increase level paid to these providers
in the second term of the Ridge/Schweiker Administration.
Overall, between the base funding increase and increase in funds to
enable the expansion of services, providers of mental health and mental
retardation services have received a 19.24% increase in funding—$338
million in new funds—since July 1, 2003. These funding increases
have enabled providers to remove almost 3,000 individuals from the
waiting lists. In spite of these improvements, I remain concerned
that waiting lists for these critical services persist, and I believe
a more substantial increase in the grants is warranted. In the coming
year, if our revenues and other expenditure demands permit us to increase
the reimbursement rate more than 2% next year, I will propose doing
so.
I am entirely sympathetic to the plight of these providers and very
much value the extraordinary work they do. But, I do find it perplexing
that so many members of the legislature who advocated for the passage
of legislation imposing annual caps on state spending voted for this
automatic five year growth in state expenditures of more than $1 billion
in the middle of the fiscal year.
I have proven over the past four years that the commonwealth can be
fiscally responsible, maintain a balanced budget, and still make steady
progress toward meeting the needs of the most vulnerable Pennsylvanians.
I have, in the past, and will continue, in the future, to provide
additional funding for vital human services. But, I have consistently
enforced a “pay as you go policy” when it comes to the
state budget—expenditure increases must not be legislated on
an ad-hoc basis during the fiscal year. I will not sign legislation
that either significantly increases spending or reduces revenue without
a specific plan to pay for it. Such legislation should be passed in
the disciplined context of building our annual comprehensive balanced
budget.
For these reasons I must withhold my signature for House Bill 1813.
I reiterate that I remain hopeful we can achieve progress toward this
goal in our next budget.
Sincerely,
Edward G. Rendell
Governor"
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10/23/06:
ACTION ALERT!!!
On Monday, October 16, 2006 the PA Senate passed HB
1813 (MH/MR COLA bill).
Last night, the PA House of Representatives unanimously passed H.B.
1813
and sent it to the Governor, and he has indicated that he will veto
it.
CALL THE GOVERNOR TODAY
- (717) 787-2500
URGE HIM TO SIGN H.B.1813
THEN CALL ALL OF YOUR FRIENDS, NEIGHBORS, CO-WORKERS
AND FAMILY MEMBERS
AND ASK EACH OF THEM TO CALL
BACKGROUND:
Thursday, October 19, 2006
To: NAMI PA Members and Friends
Subject: HB 1813 Passes - Contact Governor!
VICTORY (AGAIN!!) IN PA LEGISLATURE FOR MH-MR SERVICES
NAMI PA MEMBERS MUST CALL ON GOVERNOR & HIS REGIONAL DIRECTORS
PA HOUSE CONCURS WITH SENATE ON HB 1813
HOUSE OFFERS SUPPORT IN UNANIMOUS VOTE - 195-0
GOVERNOR RENDELL TO ACT SOON
On October 17, the Pennsylvania House of Representatives approved
HB 1813 PN 4619 in a unanimous vote of 195-0.
In concurring with the action of the PA Senate of the previous day,
the House took final action on the bill, sending it to the Governor
for his approval.
In the House debate on the Senate-approved bill, Representative George
Kenney (R-Philadelphia), chief sponsor and architect of HB 1813, spoke
eloquently in requesting approval of the legislation. The bill would
assure that proposed funding for mental health and mental retardation
services would be indexed annually. The most recent version of the
bill and the bill history are available on website of the Pennsylvania
General Assembly at www.legis.state.pa.us by entering bill number
HB 1813
on the site.
In its progress through the legislature in 2006, the bill won overwhelming
support. Only three legislators voted against the bill. On January
24, the House approved H.B. 1813 without amendment in a 194-0 vote.
The bill was amended in the Senate and approved on October 16 in a
46-3 vote. The only legislators to oppose the bill were Senators Jim
Ferlo (D- Allegheny), Vincent Fumo (D- Philadelphia) and Robert Mellow
(D- Lackawanna). On the very next day, the House concurred with the
Senate in a 195-0 vote.
Next, the Governor will sign or veto the bill. The Governor has indicated
that he will veto this bill. That action could come any day now, and
NAMI PA joins PARF and other advocacy organizations in urging all
members and supporters to act immediately:
Phone, e-mail or talk to the Governor and his regional directors (see
below) as soon as possible!
PLEASE USE THE CONTACT POINTS IN YOUR AREA BELOW:
Demand that Gov. Ed Rendell sign HB
1813 and make it a law.
GOVERNOR EDWARD RENDELL
225 Main Capitol Building
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania 17120
Telephonc: (717) 787-2500
Email: governor@state.pa.us
See http://sites.state.pa.us/PA_Exec/Governor/govmail.html
GOVERNOR’S NORTHEAST OFFICE
JOHN P. BLAKE, DIRECTOR
Oppenheim Building 3rd floor, 409 Lackawanna Avenue, Scranton, PA
18503
Phone: 570-614-2090; Fax: 570-614-2094
Counties Served; Tioga, Bradford, Susquehanna, Wayne, Wyoming, Lackawanna,
Pike,
Lycoming, Sullivan, Luzerne, Columbia, Montour, Schuylkill, Carbon
and Monroe
GOVERNOR’S SOUTHEAST OFFICE
JOSEPH CERTAINE, DIRECTOR
200 South Broad Street, 11th Floor, Philadelphia, PA 19102
Phone: 215-560-2640; Fax: 215-560-3458
Counties Served: Berks, Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Lehigh, Northampton,
Montgomery
and Philadelphia
GOVERNOR’S NORTHWEST OFFICE
HOWARD BRUSH, DIRECTOR
Suite 202, 100 State Street, Erie, PA 16507
Phone: 814-878-5719; Fax: 814-455-3709
Counties Served: Erie, Crawford, Mercer, Venango, Forest, Clarion,
Jefferson, Elk,
Warren, McKean, Potter, Cameron, Clinton, Clearfield and Centre
GOVERNOR’S SOUTHWEST OFFICE
ALLEN KUKOVICH, DIRECTOR
14th Floor, State Office Bldg., 300 Liberty Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA
15222
Phone: 412-565-5700; Fax: 412-565-2445
Counties Served: Greene, Washington, Fayette, Allegheny, Westmoreland,
Somerset,
Beaver, Butler, Lawrence, Armstrong, Indiana, Cambria, Blair, Bedford,
Fulton and
Huntingdon
LANCE SIMMENS - SPECIAL ASSISTANT TO THE GOVERNOR
Office of the Governor, Main Capitol, Harrisburg, PA 17120
Phone: (717) 787-2500
Counties Served: Northumberland, Union, Snyder, Mifflin, Juniata,
Perry, Dauphin,
Lebanon, Cumberland, Franklin, Adams, York, Lancaster
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