On Tuesday, July 14th members of the J1 Committee voted in favor of HB 137: Capital Procedure/Severe Mental Disability which would exclude individuals with mental illness from from the death penalty if they had a severe disability at the time the crime was committed.
This bill would also allow defendants a "guilty" verdict - whereas currently, they must enter a plea of not guilty and move into full court proceedings.
This is a great step on the progression of this bill and it is because of the many calls from NAMI NC membership that helped the HB 137 make it through Committee. The bill will now move on to Appropriations and then to House.
| Today, July 15th, the Continuing Resolution allowing legislators to continue budget negotiations will expire. Unfortunately, they have still not come to agreement on the budget and don't seem any closer to an agreement then they were two weeks ago. It's almost certain that they will pass another Continuing Resolution before Wednesday, so that negotiations can continue.
The Governor also released a tax plan last week that represents a combination of the House and Senate plans. The plan adds up to $1.6 billion in new revenue this fiscal year and $1.7 billion next fiscal year. It's unclear what impact the Governor's announcement will have on negotiations between the House and the Senate.
While it's obviously important for the Legislature to create the best budget possible, functioning without a permanent budget for a long period of time can be very damaging. It puts local governments and state departments (like HHS) in a difficult holding pattern during which they must make large discretionary cuts that will invariably change once the Legislature passes its more specific budget.
Furthermore, everyday we fail to pass a revenue package, we lose millions of dollars. If we had passed a budget by the July 1 deadline, the state would be collecting new revenues right now. The only way to make up for this lost time is to increase tax rates more than we're already going to.
Our state leaders must take a balanced approach to the current budget shortfall, and that means raising revenues. Without new revenues, legislators will be forced to make massive cuts that will cause tremendous pain in the short-term, and jeopardize our long-term prosperity. The Governor, the Senate, and the House have all proposed budgets that include new revenues, and that's progress. The Governor has called on the House and Senate to raise $1.5 billion in new revenues. Now it's time for our state leaders to come together and agree on a budget that's good for all North Carolinians.
What can you do to help? Time is short. Legislators need to hear from you today. Email your legislators and tell them to say "NO" to devastating budget cuts and "YES" to a balanced solution for the state budget that enacts smart cuts and raises new revenue. If we pull together, we can get through this budget crisis. Let's get to work! Susan King Cope
Development and Special Events Director
NAMI North Carolina
| Don't forget to nominate someone that has made a difference in your life! Right now, NAMI North Carolina members have 2 opportunities to give recognition to those who go the extra mile for individuals and family members with mental illness:
1) NAMI North Carolina Awards - to be presented at the 2009 Annual Conference
2) Heroes in the Fight - a partnership with Eli Lily and other mental health organizations in North Carolina - and across the country
- for more information, go the the Heroes in the Fight website and download application or get it off of the NAMI North Carolina site: Due August 27th
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