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Senate committee advances bill that would make county mental-health funding discretionary after hours of testimony
Summary
The Senate Appropriations Committee voted 8–5 to advance Senate Bill 4, which among other items would remove a statutory CMHC distribution formula and change county CMHC funding from a required ('shall') contribution to discretionary ('may'). Community mental health center leaders warned the change could reduce services for hundreds of thousands of Hoosiers.
The Senate Appropriations Committee advanced Senate Bill 4 after hours of testimony from county officials and leaders of community mental health centers who said the bill’s change from a statutory funding formula and from a mandatory county contribution ('shall') to a discretionary one ('may') could jeopardize services.
Supporters on the bill — including the Association of Indiana Counties — said the change provides counties greater flexibility and a seat at the table for negotiating local arrangements. Jeff Plasterer, who said he serves as president of the Wayne County Commissioners and chairs the legislative committee for the Association of Indiana Counties, told the committee that the association…
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