Monday, January 26, 2004

State facing repeat of budget issues (Connecticut)
New Haven Register story - "When the General Assembly comes back into session Feb. 4, it will revisit many of the same budget issues as last year, including the millionaire’s tax, social service cuts and a deficit. ... State Rep. Patricia Dillion, D-New Haven, worries about the hammering social programs, particularly funds for the mentally ill, have taken in the last year. She said that has already been compounded by the $12 million in recisions the administration ordered last month, with 25 percent directed at the Department of Social Services and 16 percent at the Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services."  
  

Inmates Would Be Screened For Suicide Risks, Mental Health Under Senate Plan (Kentucky)
WAVE3TV story - "Jail inmates would be screened over the telephone for possible mental illnesses or suicide risks while they're being booked, under a plan a Senate panel approved Thursday. It's an attempt to prevent depressed inmates from committing suicide and to help others with mental illnesses, said Senate Majority Floor Leader Dan Kelly, the bill's sponsor. In recent years, Kentucky has had a number of inmates commit suicide, and this is an attempt to prevent future incidents, Kelly said..."