NYS Legislative One House Bills Include
Several Positive Inclusions
Senate Bill Includes Paid Family Leave!!!
The New York State Legislature have announced their "One House" Budget Bills and NAMI-NYS believes there are several positive developments:
- NAMI-NYS and our members have been urging the Senate to join Governor Cuomo and the Assembly to recognize the struggle and sacrifice of families who play the role of caregivers and enact a paid family leave. The Senate has heard our cry. The Senate bill includes almost all the elements of the strong paid family leave bill we have been working to accomplish. This is a MAJOR development as it is the first time the Senate has endorsed this. As we know, this will have a tremendous impact for NAMI families. This past weekend at the NAMI Provider Education training, the materials mentioned that when de-institutionalization happens 2/3 of the time the person with mental illness ends up in the care of their family. This is especially timely as the state is still on course to reduce 225 state hospital beds and it does not seem that they will be adding the $92 million to restore the supported housing funds lost to flat funding or the $90 million investment in community services that NAMI-NYS and our advocacy partners are calling for. Without these investments, families will surely be called on to play the role as caregiver. Enacting a Paid Family Leave will make it a little bit easier to serve as the caregiver as we wouldn't have to sacrifice careers or income to help our loved ones when they need it most. There are still differences between the Governor's proposal, the Assembly version and the Senate version, but we are confident those will be worked out during the negotiations taking place in the next few weeks. If this moves forward it will be a major victory for all caregivers of those with chronic illnesses.
- Prescriber Prevails have been restored in both house bills. While it is important that the legislature once again listened to our call it is important we continue to make our voice heard so they remain protected it in negotiations with the Governor over the budget. Click here to read the advocacy letter on this which NAMI-NYS, NAMI-NYC Metro and NAMI Central Suffolk have signed on to.
- The Senate bill also includes $2.5 million to restore the Governor's $5.5 million cut to Community Reinvestment funding.
- The Senate bill includes $500,000 in CIT funding and the Assembly bill re-appropriates the $1 million they still had from last year. This is not a great investment, but it's a positive step (but really just a baby step).
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In regards to minimum wage, the Assembly bill includes a $200 million reserve fund to help offset increased labor costs to nonprofits funded by the Office of Mental Health, Office for People with Developmental Disabilities, Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services, Department of Health, Office of Children and Family Services, Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance, State Office for the Aging and the Department of Labor. NAMI-NYS believes it's important that our loved ones and anyone receiving services from these types of providers have continuity of care and that is only achievable by paying the dedicated staff of these programs a true living wage that is ahead of the minimum wage.
TAKE ACTION!!!
It's important to remember that these positive steps are not guaranteed and we need to make our voices heard now more than ever.
Call Senator Flanagan's Office at 518-455-2071 and Senator Klein's Office at 518-455-3595 and tell them:
- Thank you for including Paid Family Leave.
- Please continue to fight for Prescriber Prevails.
- Thank them for the $2.5 million restoration in Community Reinvestment funding.
- Thank them for $500,000 in CIT funds and please continue to fight for those.
- Honor the Assembly's request to help non-profits that provide recovery services meet the minimum wage.
Call Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie at 518-455-3791 and tell him:
- Please fight for the Assembly version of Paid Family Leave.
- Please continue to fight for Prescriber Prevails.
- Honor the Senate's request for $2.5 million in Community Reinvestment funding.
- Continue to invest in CIT.
- Please fight to help non-profits that provide recovery services meet the minimum wage.
Click here
to contact Governor Cuomo and leave the following message:
Under Subject please use Budget Negotiations
Use this message (feel free to personalize it):
Governor Cuomo,
As a (person living with a mental illness or a family member of someone living with a mental illness), I am encouraged by elements contained in the one-house budget bills. Family members play a vital role as care givers and I am grateful for your leadership to enact paid family leave. I was excited to see the Senate hear our joint pleas on this important issue. I hope you will broker a agreement on this. Both houses understand the importance of ensuring that people receive the medication their doctor believes is most appropriate for them. Please listen to the legislature and restore prescriber prevails in the final budget. Please listen to the Senate and restore some of the desperately needed funding for community mental health services. Both houses recognize the importance of Crisis Intervention Teams in protecting both people living with a mental illness and our dedicated police officers. Please honor their budget requests to advance this valuable program throughout the state.Finally, continuity of care plays an important role in recovery from mental illness. This is only achievable if by paying the staff of recovery programs that receive state funding a true living wage that is ahead of the minimum wage.The work they do is so important and too often undervalued. Please honor the Assembly's request to invest $200 million for these agencies to meet the minimum wage.
Thank you for Taking Action
In Creating A More Mentally Healthy New York State
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