Bentley: Over 1,000 Alabamians could lose 'life-sustaining services' if spending is cut

MOBILE, Ala. — Taking part in a state-wide mental health disability campaign event in Mobile Monday morning, Alabama Governor Robert Bentley told attendees that more than 1,000 Alabamians could lose “life-sustaining services,” if the state Legislature does not pass his proposed $541 million tax hike.

“We are facing a tremendous crisis in our General Fund Budget that will impact every Alabama County if not addressed by the Legislature,” the governor said. “I am committed to finding new revenue so our state agencies can continue to provide essential services to Alabamians. For decades, we have failed to address the way our non-education state agencies are funded. With no one-time money available to support the General Fund and debts that are owed, we have a real crisis on our hands. I encourage Alabamians to let their elected representatives know that these cuts are unacceptable.”

Governor Bentley has spent the months following his reelection urging voters who overwhelmingly elected a slate of anti-tax Republicans to now ask those same legislators to raise taxes.

According to the Governor’s office, across-the-board budget cuts could result in a $35.2 million cut to the Department of Mental Health, which would cause the state to also lose $64 million in matching funds from the federal government.

A press release from Bentley’s office outlines the following ramifications of the cuts.

Community Mental Illness Services impacted:

– Over 24,000 people with mental illness will lose or experience reductions in services.
– 589 consumers will lose residential services (group homes, supported housing, MOM apartments, etc.).
– 4,840 consumers will lose intensive outpatient services (case management, in-home intervention, assertive community treatment, day treatment, partial hospitalization programs, peer services, etc.).
– 16,274 consumers will lose routine outpatient services (individual and group therapy, family counseling, psychiatric services, medications, etc.).
– 2,598 consumers will be unable to access psychiatric stabilization services (crisis residential units, psychiatric inpatient units, etc.).
– 1,080 community mental health center employees in various counties will lose their jobs.
– Closure of county satellite treatment programs will result in no community mental health services for those counties.
– $6 million in federal funding tied to the SAMHSA Mental Health Block Grant will be lost.

Community Intellectual Disability Services impacted:

– Approximately 1,127 people in the current waiver programs will lose their life-sustaining services, and/or
– Approximately 2,000 people will lose supported employment and day program supports, and
– As a result, many of the family members (approximately 2,000+) of these individuals could lose their jobs because they will have to stay home to care for these individuals, further adversely affecting the economy in loss of revenue and productivity, and/or
– All 5,829 individuals who are currently receiving waiver services could lose approximately 21% of the services they currently receive.
– A majority of small providers who provide residential and day habilitation programs around the state will go out of business.
– Over 3,000 individuals currently on the waiting list for waiver services will not receive them.

Some lawmakers have accused the Bentley Administration of fear mongering.

“Using a political tactic to take advantage of the most vulnerable among us is the lowest thing I’ve seen in all the years I’ve served,” Sen. Harri Anne Smith (I-Slocomb) said of the administration’s decision to tell elderly Alabamians their services are in imminent danger of being cut unless lawmakers support tax increases.

But some legislators, including a group of Republicans, have come around to the Governor’s position that more tax revenue is needed.

House GOP leaders rolled out a plan last week that included over $100 million in tax increases, to go along with cuts and reforms.

In his speech Monday, Gov. Bentley applauded lawmakers for “agreeing with [him] that tax increases are needed to address the revenue shortfall in the General Fund,” but added that their proposals are not enough.

While the Governor, and now some House Republicans, are adamant the state needs to raise taxes, others are much more skeptical.

Senate leadership recently proposed expanding gambling in the state and instituting a lottery, instead of raising taxes. A bloc of conservative House Republicans is also pushing a plan to overhaul the state’s dysfunctional budgeting framework.