Fighting for mental health funding is very important to me, and I’m glad to see that the Assembly Budget Resolution and the Senate Budget Resolution both have proposed to restore the $120 million of funding for developmental disability services that Gov. Cuomo proposed to cut. That money goes a long way in providing services to help individuals and their families, and it’s nice to see that the other legislators agree with the people rather than the Governor.

No matter what the political stakes, I will always stand with the New Yorkers who need it most. This is a line in the sand we will not budge from. This is one of my foremost priorities, and I will see to it that the Assembly and Senate restoration of these funds is not stricken from the final budget. These are the programs that legislators should protect, and I’m glad to say I stood there for the developmentally disabled and, at least on this issue, I have the support of my colleagues.