State Sen. Thomas Morahan’s had a busy few days, according to his press releases, much of his recent work an extension of his role as chairman of the Senate Committee on Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities. Just this week, he’s passed legislation in the Senate (now headed to the Assembly), he’s reintroduced other legislation and he’s been named to a key budget position, all tied to his work to better the lives of those with mental illness or impairment.
Recent developments:
• He was enlisted by Senate Majority Leader Joseph L. Bruno to serve as Chairman of the Senate Budget Sub-Committee on Mental Hygiene. (He’s already Senate Liaison to the Executive Branch.) Morahan will lead the Senate’s review of the governor’s proposed budget as it relates to all mental health programs. (Considering Rockland is home to Nathan Kline Institute, Rockland Children’s Psychiatric Center and myriad other programs that get state funding, this is a boon for the county.) As a press release states: “Morahan and his colleagues on the Sub-Committee, will make recommendations to the rest of the Senate Majority for changes in mental health funding and programs that will be carried into the budget negotiations.�
• Morahan announced he is again pushing legislation to establish a waiting list for people with mental illnesses seeking community housing and support services bill. In June 2006, a similar bill passed in June 2006, but the governor vetoed it. According to Gov. Eliot Spitzer’s veto message, he expressed concern that there wasn’t enough lead time for OMH to develop a system and ensure all stored electronic data was secure. He also said the legislation didn’t provide a mechanism for evaluation of the person, or the appropriate kind of housing. In a phone call to Ron Levine, Morahan’s spokesman, I was assured that the senator was committed to getting this legislation passed and working to address earlier stumbling blocks.
• Today, the New York State Senate passed Morahan-sponsored legislation that would make it a felony to endanger the welfare of an incompetent or physically disabled person. The legislation (S.3894), is related to Jonathan’s Law, which was enacted last year. Jonathan Carey was a severely developmentally disabled 13-year-old who died when he was improperly restrained during a van ride from a residential facility north of Albany. His parents had tried to get records before this incident, noticing bruises on Jonathan, but were thwarted, receiving a one-page summary instead of the reports they sought. Jonathan’s Law allows parents access to reports relating to abuse and maltreatment of children in residential treatment. The new legislation elevates endangering the welfare of an incompetent or physically disabled person to a class E felony, which carries a penalty of up to 4 years in prison. Currently, such endangerment charges would be a class A misdemeanor.
“The senator is very passionate about this stuff,� Levine said as we discussed the various developments. He talked about visits with the Carey family, who even before Jonathan’s death had been so disheartened by a system that denied them thorough information about their son’s treatment. “After Jonathan’s Law came through, people are really recognizing that those folks who are under the care of other people may not have the wherewithal to protect themselves. People have to know there’s a penalty that’s more than just a slap on the wrist.�