Mental Health Investments: What we’ve done so far
It is no overstatement that we are facing a mental health crisis in our state. Our hospital emergency rooms are overflowing with people in crisis, our jails are crowded with mentally ill offenders and our families are quietly suffering in search of needed care.
We must step up to this challenge immediately. We must invest in an expanded network of treatment and evaluation centers, in-patient psychiatric facilities and the needed professional workforce to provide care.
We have made some progress in the last two years, including an investment of more than $100 million for community mental health beds, competency restoration wards, suicide threat response, and training and funding for the courts in these cases. We have also enacted bipartisan measures to protect the mentally ill and their families from firearm-related violence, and we have streamlined our behavioral health system by integrating treatment for substance use disorders and mental llness.
We still have a long way to go to restore the cuts made to the budget during the Great Recession. I applaud the governor’s proposal for an additional $300 million, and I am supporting the maximum possible funding for mental health care in the current budget.
Speaker of the House Frank Chopp is one of the key leaders on mental health in the Legislature and I’ll continue to support his efforts to make sure everyone gets effective treatment.
Making small claims court more user friendly
Small claims courts are a low-cost option to settle legal disputes without a lawyer. It sounds like a good option, but the process is complicated. When you get a judgment in small claims court there are extra steps you have to take and fees you have to pay in order to settle a case.
To streamline this process and make it a viable option again, I’ve introduced HB 1196, which will simplify the process and make it easier to collect a judgment.
Learn more about Washington’s small claims courts and how my bill will help streamline the process in this week’s GoodMinute.
All best wishes,
Roger Goodman
Representative, 45th District
Washington State Legislature