Gov. Walker wants to boost mental-health funding
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Gov. Scott Walker said Wednesday he will propose increasing funding for mental health services across the state by nearly $29 million, a move motivated in response to mass shootings in recent months including two in Wisconsin.
Walker told the annual meeting of the Wisconsin Counties Association that he’s been looking into the state’s mental health needs for more than a year, but the effort took on added urgency following the shootings.
There were two mass shootings in Wisconsin last year — one at a Brookfield spa in which three people were killed and another at a Sikh temple in Oak Creek in which six worshippers were slain. In each case, the assailant killed himself. The December attack in which a gunman killed 20 children and six educators at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., brought even more attention to issues related to mental health services and gun control.
While President Barack Obama proposed a series of gun control measures now before Congress, Republicans and others including Walker said there needed to be more of a focus on getting mental health services to troubled people before they turn violent.
Republican Assembly Speaker Robin Vos planned to announce a new mental health task force on Wednesday.
Walker met last month with mental health professionals, advocates and consumers from around Wisconsin. The governor said he thought his proposal for additional funding would improve public safety.
“It was real clear these were the areas that needed the focus,” Walker said of where he was directing more money. “I just felt that was an area that often gets overlooked.”
The funding request will be a part of Walker’s budget that he will introduce to the Republican-controlled Legislature on Feb. 20. The Legislature will consider Walker’s proposal for months and likely vote on it sometime in June. His proposal would:
— Expand statewide community-based care for adults and children with severe mental illness under the Comprehensive Community Services program.
— Establish a state government Office of Children’s Mental Health that will assist other agencies in developing and delivering services.
— Expand statewide the Coordinated Services Team program, which helps children with behavioral mental health issues and their families when the children are in two or more systems of care.
— Increase funding for peer-run respite centers that deal with emergency services for those in crisis or have difficulty coping with their mental illness.
— Increase funding for in-home counseling services.
— Add two units at the Mendota Mental Health Institute to meet the growing demand for inpatient evaluation and treatment services.
Democratic legislative leaders did not immediately return messages seeking comment.
Feb 11, 2013 at 9:36 a.m.
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Truth is, 2112, the "uneducated" are those who believe that guns themselves are NOT part of the problem.
Feb 7, 2013 at 11:59 a.m.
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Point is, a gun law banning a particular gun will do nothing to prevent these situations from happening. So it's a perfect comparison to drunk driving laws. You may not care what a particular gun looks like, but the liberal government does because they are uneducated on the topic.
Feb 7, 2013 at 9:59 a.m.
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Actually 2112, I don't see any point in comparing guns to anything. Gun laws are about reducing gun violence, not preventing drunk drivers. Rexkramer made the comparison, I just helped complete the analogy, so evidently he's the genius.
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Personally, I could care less what the shell of the gun looks like. If gun aficionados want to run around with a 12ga shotgun that looks like an AK47, who cares.
Feb 7, 2013 at 8:25 a.m.
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Panama - In your first post you clearly stated that semi-automatic weapons are the problem and need to be addressed. No where did you state mental health was the issue which this story is about. My problem is, the weapon being addressed for a ban is not an assault rifle and WAS NOT used in Sandy Hook. My problem is semi-auto is way to vague and doesn't classify an assault rifle. An AR15 is the same smaller caliber rifle as many hunting rifles. The outer shell is just built to appear different. A majority of hand guns are semi-auto, shotguns semi-auto. Banning one particular gun will do nothing.
How well have drunk driving laws worked to stop those deaths? Drug laws? That's right, they haven't. I am all for better background checks. That is it.
Fordfan- Retesting every 8 years? Ok, I want that same thing for people and their drivers licenses. Drug testing for all jobs. Drug testing for any welfare recipient, etc, etc. Yearly inspection of homes for drugs, well being, etc? You get the drift. Not practical, unconstitutional and not going to happen. If we want to compare cars to guns? You do realize more people are killed by drunk drivers than by guns by a long shot every year right genius?
Feb 7, 2013 at 2:31 a.m.
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He more than likely eventually figure out a way to Privatize these services like the Public School funds slashed...to hand out MILLIONS to Charter Private Schools with NO accountability! We all have been watching the Koch Scooter Show...Scott Walker always has an angle. Switch and bait Scooter!
Feb 7, 2013 at 1:20 a.m.
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To answer your question PanamaRed, here are SOME mass murders NOT involving guns. I know you specifically asked over 10 people killed in a mall/ school blah blah blah, but I think this gets the point across.
Worst School Massacre in US history: Bath, Michigan School Massacre. 1927. Murder accomplished with explosives. 44 victims (equal to the Columbine and Virginia Tech massacres combined).
Worst Domestic Terrorist Attack in US History: Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building bombing. 4/19/95. Murder accomplished with a rental truck full of fertilizer based explosives. 168 dead (including many children in an onsite day care).
Worst Foreign based Terrorist Attack in US History: September 11, 2001 attacks on NYC, PA, Pentagon. Murder accomplished with box cutters and commerical airliners. ~3,000 people dead.
Arson, Stabbing Rampage in Seoul South Korea : 10/20/2008. 6 people dead, 5 from stabbing. 7 others wounded, 4 seriously. An angry man felt people “looked down on him.”
Anti-police stabbing spree in Shanghai, China: 7/2008. 6 Police Officers stabbed to death, 4 wounded. 28 year old man angry at police attacked a police station with a knife.
Akihabara Massacre, Chiyoda City, Tokyo, Japan: 6/8/2008. 7 people killed (3 struck by car, 4 by stabbing), many more injured. Man slammed into a crowd with his car, then jumped out and began stabbing people to death.
18 year old slashes 4 to death in Sitka, Alaska, US: 3/25/2008. 4 people killed. 18 year old (old enough to purchase a rifle over the counter) kills 4 people, related to him, with a 5 inch knife.
Stabbing Spree kills 2, Tsuchiura, Japan: 3/23/2008. 2 killed, 7 wounded. Man “just wanted to kill anyone.”
Stabbing spree wounds 41, 6 seriously in Berlin Train Station: 5/26/2006. 41 wounded, 6 seriously. Thankfully no one died in this attack, but not for lack of trying on the part of the drunk 16 year old.
4 killed in stabbing spree in London, UK: 9/2004. 4 killed, 2 wounded. Mentally ill man attacks mostly older people.
6 killed over Xbox dispute in Deltona, Florida, US: 8/6/2004. 6 killed. 4 men (all old enough to legally purchase firearms) bludgeon 6 people to death with baseball bats over purloined Xbox.
Daegu subway fire, Daegu, South Korea: 2/18/2003. 198 killed, 147 injured. A 56 year old unemployed taxi driver, dissatisfied with his medical treatment, sets fire to a crowded train.
Osaka School Massacre, Osaka Japan: 6/8/2001. 8 children dead, 13 other children and 2 teachers wounded. Committed by 37 year old former janitor armed with a kitchen knife.
Feb 6, 2013 at 6:31 p.m.
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Panama - retesting every 8 years, liability insurance, in some states yearly weapons inspection, druck shooting laws (Cheney would have violated that one). If these genius types want to compare cars to guns, lets make it a fair compariscn...
Feb 6, 2013 at 5:17 p.m.
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"So how is mental health not an issue?"
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Where did I state that mental health is NOT an issue, 2112? Of course it's an issue as is clip capacity, private sales of firearms, lack of background checks for ALL gun sales, lack of firearms training by ALL who purchase firearms. Gun violence concerns many issues INCLUDING mental health which most definitely needs to be addressed.
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"According to your statement, the gun made them do it."
Obviously you have a problem with comprehension since nothing I stated implied anything of the sort.
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Sure rexkramer lets compare guns with cars. Lets have all individuals who want to buy a gun first take gun training lessons and in the process have their ability to handle a firearm assessed. If they pass the test, then a license would be issued that would allow the individual to purchase a firearm. The firearm would then be registered in their name. If they failed to operate their firearm in a responsible manner, they risk losing their gun ownership privileges. Great idea rexkramer!
Feb 6, 2013 at 4:54 p.m.
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PanamaRed - You can't possibly be serious. You have one thing right and one thing only. All the people that carried out these shootings had something in common, mental health issues that were being ignored and depressions drugs that were being taken. So how is mental health not an issue? According to your statement, the gun made them do it. What is your definition of a semi-auto gun? Many hunters including myself own semi-auto shotguns. The AR the government keeps talking about, wasn't used in Sandy Hook. It was in the trunk of the car. Funny how that has been ignored. The Government had this on their agenda long before Sandy Hook took place. I love it, the Government wants to regulate guns but when the mental issue gets brought up, it's swept under the rug.
Feb 6, 2013 at 4:20 p.m.
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"When was the last time someone who suffered from a mental illness walked into a school, mall or other crowed public space and took the lives of over 10 people with a knife, club or ANY other weapon besides a semi-automatic firearm."
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When was the last time a severely drunk person killed anyone with something other than an automobile? Guess we should take your car away then too, and if memory serves, I don't recall an amendment in the Bill of Rights that mentions cars, hmmm.
Feb 6, 2013 at 3:16 p.m.
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"Scotty"...is Not the brightest candle on the birhtday cake. The Walker Lemmings are following a College Drop-out that now wants to make it easy to get a College education. Sounds very SELF serving. Taking a look back on his college life.........and.....
"Scott Walker College Drop-Out or Kicked Out"
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2012/05/31...
"Walker STILL FUDGES On College Record"
http://uppitywis.org/blogarticle/walker-...
"Which Courses Did College Dropout Scott Walker Flunk"
http://www.waxingamerica.com/2010/08/whi...
"Plain Talk: Our College Dropout Governor Has No Ethics"
http://host.madison.com/news/opinion/col...
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/news/scott...
Feb 6, 2013 at 3:06 p.m.
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When was the last time someone who suffered from a mental illness walked into a school, mall or other crowed public space and took the lives of over 10 people with a knife, club or ANY other weapon besides a semi-automatic firearm. Gee, Rawhide I can't think of that happening before either. So obviously the magnitude of violence is directly attributable to the weapon. Address that!
Feb 6, 2013 at 2:39 p.m.
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Tick tock goes the clock.. Trying to save face a little to late. and the rest of his plans will not be hidden by one attempt to do something right. Those that see Know.
Feb 6, 2013 at 2:07 p.m.
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They need to make sure that insurance companies cannot exclude coverage once there is more state coverage, or we will have a situation like we did where autism therapy was routinely excluded by insurance companies because they said the government would pay and there was such a backlog that the kids could not get treated at an early age and all chance at normal lives was lost.
Feb 6, 2013 at 1:55 p.m.
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I love it when a politician finally attempts something intelligent!
The problem isn't the weapons, it's the person using them. Address that! Good job Scotty!
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