From WisPolitics.com/WisBusiness.com …
— Sen. Jesse James, who chairs the Mental Health, Substance Abuse Prevention, Children and Families Committee, says he’s “not waiting for Washington to fix things” after $8 million in federal grant money aimed at boosting youth mental health was canceled.
The Department of Public Instruction announced earlier this month the Trump administration had cut the funding from a $10 million grant to support school-based mental health professionals. State Superintendent Jill Underly called the decision “indefensible.”
James, R-Thorp, in a statement to WisPolitics responding to the cut said he’s fighting to ensure Wisconsin youth get the care and support they need at the state level, but didn’t directly address whether he thought the cut was the right decision.
James instead touted his work chairing the Legislative Study Committee on Emergency Detention and Civil Commitment of Minors, which crafted bills to help youth in mental health crises. He said a key priority was creating state-funded psychiatric residential treatment facilities so parents don’t have to send their kids outside Wisconsin.
James said he’s introduced legislation to create a pilot program for school-centered mental health and is advocating for budget funding to support initiatives such as the 988 crisis line and grants for recovery schools to help students with substance use or mental health issues.
“Mental health is complex, and addressing it requires both financial investment and a thoughtful framework to ensure our communities have the resources they need,” James said.
After announcing the $8 million cut, Under said the funds “were helping districts and our higher education partners develop new mental health professionals, providing a career opportunity for our current high schoolers.”
“This action takes resources away from Wisconsin and disrupts the success efforts we’ve made to ensure qualified individuals are serving our kids,” she added.
— Gov. Tony Evers joined 22 of his fellow Dem governors in opposing options congressional Republicans are considering to cut Medicaid and food stamps.
GOP lawmakers in Washington, D.C. are considering a series of options as they look to reduce federal spending.
“The notion that states will respond to massive cuts to federally appropriated dollars by backfilling with state resources is simply inaccurate and impossible,” the Dem guvs said in a statement. “These proposals are not just a ‘cost shift’ to states, they are cuts to Medicaid, SNAP, and the social safety net that supports millions of Americans.”
See the release below.
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