Senator Rob Hogg of Cedar Rapids, chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee and a member of the interim committee on mental health, issued the following statement late last week:
“At Tuesday’s interim committee meeting on mental health, the Iowa Department of Human Services revealed that it was not requesting ‘equalization funding’ for mental health and disability services in its FY15 budget request. This would be a $30 million cut to essential services for Iowa families dealing with mental illness and disabilities. Such a blow to mental health care would also threaten public safety, according to legislative testimony presented earlier this year by Iowa law enforcement officials from across the state.
“Last June, Governor Branstad vetoed almost $22 million in funding for the mental health safety net ($13 million for the at-risk pool and $8.7 million for home and community based services for the disabled).
“Governor Branstad should stop attacking mental health services. Instead, he should join with legislative Democrats and Republicans in working together to improve mental health services for Iowa families and for the public safety of all Iowans. He can do this by including ‘equalization funding’ for mental health and disability services in his FY15 budget proposal.
