Massachusetts House Votes To Restore Funding for Mental Health, Mental Retardation Departments

The Massachusetts House on May 8 voted unanimously to restore nearly $93 million in funding for the departments of Mental Health and Mental Retardation that lawmakers originally had cut in their fiscal year 2003 budget plan, the Worcester Telegram & Gazette reports (Sutner, Worcester Telegram & Gazette, 5/9). Two weeks ago, House Democrats unveiled a FY 2003 budget proposal that made deep cuts in both departments' budgets (Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, 4/29). However, the House last week approved a $1 billion package of taxes, allowing legislators this week to restore funding to many of the programs they had planned to cut. On May 8, the House restored $45.6 million to the mental health department's FY 2003 budget blueprint, bringing the total proposed budget to $607 million, nearly its current level. Lawmakers also restored $47 million to the FY 2003 Department of Mental Retardation budget, bringing that department's total proposed budget to $1 billion, a $35.3 million increase over this year's allocation (Worcester Telegram & Gazette, 5/9).