Alabama Statehouse week in review: May 12-14
Thursday was Day 22 of the Alabama Legislative Session, which means lawmakers have just eight days left to pass budgets for public education and the general fund. Gov. Robert Bentley told The Huntsville Times this week that “the only constitutional duty that the Legislature has is to pass budgets … All this other stuff is just extra. If they fail at that job, then they’ve had a failed session – even though we’ve passed a lot of good bills.” House Republicans did pass a general fund budget out of the Ways and Means Committee on Thursday. The budget includes cuts to Medicaid, prisons and mental health. The proposal includes no tax increases, since House GOP members successfully pulled those from consideration Tuesday. Ways and Means General Fund Chairman Steve Clouse said in a prepared statement that that the budget package is simply a vehicle to send to the Senate so lawmakers there can send back their own budget proposal. On the heels of Clouse’s statement, Bentley issued his own strong language to the Legislature via reporters: “This budget is unworkable, it’s irresponsible, it really hurts people. The people who depend on the general fund for services – and that really includes everybody in the state of Alabama – will be hurt by this budget.” The governor also said that a Special Session is “certainly more likely.” Meanwhile, the Senate Committee on Tourism and Marketing cleared Sen. Del Marsh’s gambling proposal by a 5-3 vote. Several items not related to budget moved out of the Alabama statehouse this week. Here are a few that we’ve been watching: Funding for the Children First Trust Fund (House Bill 129) was approved by the House Ways and Means Committee by a unanimous voice vote. As money from the landmark tobacco settlement comes to Alabama, legislators appropriate a portion to the Children First Trust Fund to cover juvenile services, mental health and substance abuse programs, and child abuse and neglect. • • • Lawmakers gave a favorable report to House Bill 563 this week, though bill sponsor Rep. Patricia Todd told AL.com that the bill may not get much farther. She and Rep. Howard Sanderford sponsored the legislation to ensure that only licensed veterinarians can make medical or surgical decisions on the treatment of animals. The bill also says spay and neuter clinics would be regulated as veterinary facilities. • • • A bill to give judges, ministers and other officiants the right to refuse to perform marriage ceremonies is inching closer to becoming law, after a favorable report by the Senate Judiciary Committee this week. House Bill 56 passed the House in mid-March after four hours of emotional debate, AL.com reported. Bill sponsor Rep. Jim Hill said he brought the legislation after hearing from judges and ministers concerned about being forced to perform marriage ceremonies for gay couples. • • • The Senate Judiciary Committee also gave a favorable report to House Bill 237, a bill that would give grandparents the right to petition for visitation with their grandchildren. • • • Lawmakers voted down a bill that would impose term limits on the State Board of Education. The Montgomery Advertiser reported that committee members were concerned about the potential loss of institutional knowledge. • • • The Senate Committee on Fiscal Responsibility and Economic Development voted in favor of Senate Bill 452, legislation brought forth by Sen. Bill Holtzclaw to allow brewpubs to sell beer for off-premise (as well as on-premise) consumption. Keep checking ALToday.com for updates.
House sends budget to Senate: You’re up.
Let me paraphrase the House message to the Senate on Thursday: “Thanks for nothing, guys. Here you go. Here’s a budget. You fix it.” That may be a slight over simplification but only slight. If you want to read the actual statement you can find it here: Clouse Statement on General Fund What happened in a nutshell is the House saw a revolt this week from fiscally conservative members who wouldn’t increase taxes, as the governor and speaker wanted them to do. So in light of the clear standstill, they are punting to the Senate to see what they propose. Stay tuned for more posts throughout the day on budget discussions.
Gaming moves forward
It was a busy morning at the Statehouse and Capitol Thursday. Sen. Del Marsh‘s gambling bill has cleared the Senate Tourism and Marketing Committee by a 5-3 vote. That means the conversation will continue as the Legislature attempts to find more revenue sources that don’t include tax increases. The bill allows voters to choose to accept gaming expansion or not. We’ll report on reactions as we get them.
House tax plan: Not looking good for Speaker Mike Hubbard
There’s no telling what’s going to happen day to day here in Montgomery. As for passing a long list of taxes on everything from lubrication oils, business fees, car tax fees and rental car fees among other, it looks like its going to take a team of first responders to resuscitate that plan. That’s not to say it won’t happen. There’s a lot of bullying and strong arming happening from those who want everyone to fall in line. From what I’m hearing after good guys have rallied together they stopped the tax package being pushed by House leadership from coming for a vote. For now. The fact is the back room deals that benefit few and raise taxes for nearly everyone wasn’t a smart way to go about this. Members, and I’m crediting a lot of new ones, remember all too well being on the campaign trail not that long ago promising voters that they would not raise taxes. Alabama Today has heard that the only tax still in play right now on the house side is the cigarette tax. This is a pretty fluid discussion so we’ll let you know if anything changes or we get any additional information and report back.
Alabama newspapers editorial roundup
Tuesday: The Anniston Star on being caught up in the crossfire of health care law opposition: Todd Gardenhire and Luis Lang aren’t household names, but their recent experiences with health care speak loud and clear about Obamacare and how it’s perceived by some Americans. Gardenhire is a Tennessee state senator from Chattanooga. This year, he joined his Republican colleagues on the Senate Health and Welfare Committee to kill a proposal to expand Medicaid coverage to 280,000 working Tennessee residents who can’t afford health insurance. When a proponent of the expansion pointed out that “virtually every member of the Tennessee General Assembly receives some form of tax-subsidized health care,” Gardenhire took exception. “I have very nice health care provided to me through my private employer,” he said. “My wife’s on Social Security.” Only later did the senator come to realize that, yes, the state of Tennessee is picking up a big chunk of the costs of his health insurance. According to a new report in The Tennessean, the state has paid almost $31,000 of Gardenhire’s insurance bill since 2008. The senator now says he asked to be dropped from the state coverage. There’s no form, however, to forgo the shame of being an uninformed blowhard. Lang’s story is much more heartbreaking. The Fort Mill, South Carolina, resident is in very real danger of losing his eyesight. Diabetes is the central reason for the bleeding in his eyes and a partially detached retina, according to an article in The Charlotte Observer. The problem is that Lang, 49, doesn’t have health insurance to cover the costs of surgery and the medical bills for treatment has drained his savings. Paying out-of-pocket was fine for Lang and his wife until February when he had a series of small strokes and his vision weakened. “He’s in a very bad situation,” Malcolm Edwards, Lang’s ophthalmologist, said. “The longer he waits, the poorer his results will be.” Several factors are working against Lang: Lang, a Republican, had previously defied the Obamacare mandate to purchase health insurance. By the time he applied for Obamacare, he had missed the enrollment date for this year. Unable to work and earn money as a self-employed handyman, his income is too low to qualify for subsidies to purchase private insurance. South Carolina is one of many states that has thus far refused to expand Medicaid to cover those who are trapped like Lang. (And, yes, Alabama is one of them, as well.) Who’s to blame for this crisis? Is it Lang, who by his own admission is a smoker and hasn’t been diligent in treating his diabetes? Is it South Carolina’s Republican-dominated elected leadership that refuses to expand Medicaid? It’s President Barack Obama and congressional Democrats, say the Langs. “We call it the Not Fair Health Care Act,” said Mary Lang, Luis’ wife. In a larger sense, the culprit is one of political leadership at the top of the Republican Party. It’s House Republicans who voted dozens of times to repeal it. It’s a relentless judicial assault on the law by conservative activists. It’s a slate of 2016 GOP presidential wannabes promising to tear the law apart. It’s members of Congress who won’t make peace with Obamacare and yet won’t offer a viable alternative. By this measure, Gardenhire and Lang are caught in the crossfire of an ideological war that shows no sign of ceasing. Online: https://www.annistonstar.com • • • Tuesday Dothan Eagle on special needs children: There’s been a lot of gloom and doom coming out of Montgomery, where Alabama lawmakers are charged with the task of balancing the state’s General Fund and looking for ways to close a gaping divide between revenue and expenses. We’ve all heard about the possibility of shutting down half of the state parks, decimating the state trooper force and other draconian measures. One has to wonder if the threats are empty, perhaps simply saber-rattling to make tax hikes and/or gambling expansion seem like the lesser evil. Regardless, turning special needs children into pawns in a political game is unconscionable, but that’s exactly what has happened. On Monday, people gathered at Vivian B. Adams School in Ozark to protest a potential $35 million reduction in mental health funding. The number is misleading, because the loss of that $35 million would mean the state couldn’t receive another $64 million in matching funds from the federal government. Mental health care programs in Alabama would lose a whopping $99 million. Lawmakers should have to see firsthand how their decisions will affect Alabama families. They had an opportunity in Ozark on Monday, but only one of 140 Alabama lawmakers showed up: Rep. Steve Clouse, the chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, who lives in Ozark. We applaud Rep. Clouse for attending the rally and speaking with concerned residents, and appreciate his willingness to deliver their message to his colleagues in Montgomery. We wish he could take the clients of Vivian B. Adams School with him. If Alabama lawmakers had to look into the faces of clients like Diane Kautz‘s daughter, for whom the school is the “happiest place on earth,” they’d surely find a way to keep funding intact. Online: https://www.dothaneagle.com • • • Wednesday Decatur Daily on handguns: There are few public servants we respect more than law enforcement officers. As honest Americans and Alabamians, we have reason to take note of our appreciation to the men and women who patrol our cities, counties and state. Most of us can point to at least one specific instance when an officer responded in a time of need. It’s too bad we don’t think of such moments when we elect politicians who create laws that make their jobs harder and more dangerous. The so-called Second Amendment laws passed by our politicians, who pander to our most base and sometimes irrational fears, are a shining example. It was never hard to buy a gun in Alabama. And no one ever threatened to take them away. Yet some of our least sincere, or
Lawmakers move bills on marriage, children closer to law
In case you missed it, panels in the Alabama House and Senate considered several key bills Wednesday. Here are a few that have been on our radar: •A bill to give judges, ministers and other officiants the right to refuse to perform marriage ceremonies is inching closer to becoming law, after a favorable report by the Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday. House Bill 56 passed the House in mid-March after four hours of emotional debate, AL.com reported. Bill sponsor Rep. Jim Hill said that he brought the legislation after hearing from judges and ministers concerned about being forced to perform marriage ceremonies for gay couples. •The Senate Judiciary Committee also gave a favorable report to House Bill 237, a bill that would give grandparents the right to petition for visitation with their grandchildren. That bill passed the House in late April. •House Bill 129, the appropriations bill for the Children’s First Trust Fund, was approved by the House ways and means committee by a unanimous voice vote. As money from the landmark tobacco settlement comes to Alabama, legislators appropriate a portion to the Children’s First Trust Fund to cover juvenile services, mental health and substance abuse programs, and child abuse and neglect. •Lawmakers gave a favorable report about House Bill 563 on Wednesday, though bill sponsor Rep. Patricia Todd told AL.com that the bill may not get much further. She and Rep. Howard Sanderford sponsored the legislation to ensure that only licensed veterinarians can make medical or surgical decisions on the treatment of animals. The bill also says spay and neuter clinics would be regulated as veterinary facilities. •The Senate committee on Fiscal Responsibility and Economic Development voted in favor of Senate Bill 452, legislation brought forth by Sen. Bill Holtzclaw to allow brewpubs to sell beer for off-premise (as well as on-premise) consumption. •Lawmakers voted down Senate Bill 465, a bill that would impose term limits on the State Board of Education. The Montgomery Advertiser reported that committee members were concerned about the potential loss of institutional knowledge. •A proposal to pool the state’s two major budget funds, the and the General Fund, into a new Alabama Recurring Expense Fund was rejected by a Senate panel. Sen. Paul Sanford said Senate Bill 12 would allow the general fund to share in some of the growth revenue now earmarked for what is essentially a savings account in the Education Trust Fund. We’re still waiting for committee decisions on the education budget and the General Fund budget. Votes on those bills have been rescheduled for at 8:30 a.m. Thursday. Sen. Del Marsh’s gaming legislation is scheduled for committee vote at 9:30 a.m. The full committee schedule is available here.
Proposal to revamp state budget structure stalls in Senate
As lawmakers continue to seek common ground to solve the state’s current budget challenges, the public had the chance to weigh in on a controversial proposal to guard against future shortages. Senate Bill 12, sponsored by Sen. Paul Sanford, would pool the state’s two major funds, the Education Trust Fund and the General Fund, into a new Alabama Recurring Expense Fund. According Sanford, the bill allows the general fund to share in some of the growth revenue now earmarked for what is essentially a savings account in the Education Trust Fund. In a presentation to lawmakers in March, the Legislative Fiscal Office projected a $287 million surplus in the Education Trust Fund and a $290 million shortfall in the General Fund. Some have questioned whether the practice of earmarking tax revenue for the Education Trust Fund – then creating a barrier between the education and General Fund – is the root cause of the state’s current budget shortfall. “There’s a crisis in the state of Alabama,” Sanford said. “We’ve tried some one-time fixes. It’s my understanding that the FY16 budget will have an excess of $200-225 million that will be diverted into the stabilization fund. (…) I certainly don’t want to look at families with kids and people with mental health problems and say we’re going to cut funds when we have $200 million sitting in a kitty not to be touched.” Several members of the committee expressed concerns that the proposal would siphon money away from education at a time when reports are that public schools in Alabama are underfunded. “I appreciate Senator Sanford for bringing this up. We’ve had a lengthy discussion on splitting the funding,” Sen. Gerald Dial said. “We don’t fund education as we should. I can’t vote for supporting a fund that’s going to balance the budget on the backs of kids.” Sens. Rodger Smitherman and Hank Sanders also expressed deep concerns about the proposal, citing inadequate funding for textbooks and school resources in the current budget. A favorable vote from the committee would have allowed the bill to go before the full body for a vote and, Sanford argued, a fair debate on all of the options to address the budget concerns. Sanford compared the state’s current fiscal situation to a household with a healthy savings account but in danger of having its lights cut off. “I’ve got a $150 million cork to plug the hole. It might take two or three other ideas, but I’m not going to watch [essential services] get cut off without dipping into my savings. If the taxpayers knew and recognized that there was several million going into a pot that can’t be touched, they might do what we would do in our own households.” “The state is in financial distress,” Sanford said. “But raising taxes is not the only way to plug this hole.” In a speech to lawmakers last year, Gov. Robert Bentley said that the General Fund was stretched thin because the fund covers the cost of prisons, courts, and Medicaid. However, state revenue from income, sales, and utility taxes are earmarked for the Education Trust Fund. The governor has argued for $581 million in tax increases as a way to drive revenue to the General Fund. At the public hearing on Wednesday, Susan Kennedy of the Alabama Education Association spoke in opposition to the proposal and suggested that the panel consider the business taxes that undergird the General Fund. “I applaud him for trying to address a problem we all know is there. But I disagree with the solution,” she said. “When you asked the people where their tax money should go, they said [it should go to] education. There are some taxes out there that the General Fund could take advantage of, and some extremely large tax exemptions. Maybe there will be a will to take advantage of those now.” The committee voted 8 to 5 to postpone the legislation indefinitely.
House delays votes on tax increase proposals
The Alabama House of Representatives on Tuesday delayed debate on proposed tax increases that have divided some Republican legislators, despite being backed by the GOP caucus. The House effort to fill a hole in the General Fund stumbled at least temporarily with just nine meeting days remaining in the Legislative Session. “We are running out of time,” Gov. Robert Bentley said Tuesday. “They’ve got to make up their mind what they’re going to do in the House, because it has to originate in the House, but here again, I’m somewhat optimistic that at least some or maybe all of these bills will pass.” The House Rules Committee had proposed a debate agenda for the GOP proposal, which was anchored by a 25-cent-per-pack cigarette tax increase. The Rules Committee replaced the debate agenda for the day with a slate of unrelated bills, but could bring the tax bills again as soon as Thursday. “Some of the budget bills are being prepared for consideration on the floor. We felt it best today that we want that calendar to be right before we bring it on the floor,” Rules Committee Chairman Mac McCutcheon, a Republican of Capshaw, said. House Minority Leader Craig Ford of Gadsden asked McCutcheon whether that meant they were “still looking for votes.” McCutcheon responded that the budget bills needed to be “right” because the state is facing a “real crisis.” Some Republican legislators have said they oppose the bills that were brought by their caucus. Guntersville Republican Will Ainsworth said he planned to vote against the bills. “I ran on no new taxes,” Ainsworth said. “I’m going to honor that commitment to the voters of my district.” Alabama faces a projected General Fund shortfall of about $280 million in the fiscal year that begins Oct. 1. Bentley proposed a $541 million tax increase to avoid what he has described as draconian cuts to state services, such as the closing state parks and prison facilities, and deep cuts to mental health services. The governor, however, has found limited support. The House GOP caucus last week announced support for a plan to raise $150 million in new revenue. Other bills include proposals to raise the title fee on automobiles from $15 to $25, to raise the business privilege tax, and to change how motor oil is taxed. “It’s about 35 percent of the money that we truly need to solve this problem long term,” Bentley said. “But it is a start in the right direction, and I’m very pleased that they have started that and hopefully they will vote on that on Thursday.” Bentley said he thought the delay in the House vote would allow more time for those against new taxes to reconsider. “I’m not sure that they’ll pass all of them, but I do believe that they will pass at least some of the taxes. … We will have to come back for some more later on in the summer, because we need to solve this once and for all … and we can do that,” he said. Senate President Pro Tem Del Marsh, an Anniston Republican, was less optimistic. “I’ll believe a revenue bill from the House when it comes up from the House,” Marsh said. Republished with permission of The Associated Press.
Change of hearts, change of calendar: Tax increases pulled from floor
Well, I’ll be! It looks like someone breathed new life (read: reason) into the House GOP and some members (word is it’s a strong group of freshmen) decided to stand up against the impending vote for tax increases. Alabama Today has learned that as many as 20 members were poised to publicly take a stand against the effort to raise taxes. Good for them! As I said Monday, campaigning against tax increases and then passing them is breaking the promise legislators made to voters. The members who do so, or who advocate doing so, should come out individually and explain themselves. There are times when emergencies call for drastic measures such as tax increases but with other options on the table it’s not the time for a solution of last resort. I’m happy to hear that some members aren’t just going along to get along. Among the tax-and-fee increases being pushed by the House speaker were several that would burden Alabama families and businesses. Fiscal conservatives should not be so willing to concede that such tax increases are the best answer yet. We look forward to watching this play out, hearing more about what happened behind closed doors, and reporting on it. Stay tuned to this breaking story.
No vote on gambling proposal from Senate panel
The Senate committee on tourism declined to vote Tuesday on legislation to authorize a state lottery and legalize casino-style gaming in Alabama. Last week, Sen. Del Marsh, committee chair and sponsor of Senate Bill 453, said he expected the committee to vote after Tuesday’s public hearing. Instead, the Senate panel heard extensive debate on the proposal: Eight people signed up to talk in favor of the bill, and nine asked to speak in opposition. SB 453 has been framed by bill supporters as a means for generating revenue in the state without raising taxes. Those in favor of the bill cited its potential to boost the state economy and that of the communities adjacent to casino properties. Frank Wendt, president of the Houston County Development Authority, asked the committee to consider expanding the current plan to include placing a casino in Houston County. In his testimony, he said that adding a casino in Houston County would provide $10 million in revenue to state and create more than 1,000 jobs. However, Katharine Robertson, vice president of the Alabama Policy Institute, pointed out that 20 other states have budget shortfalls even though they have state lotteries. “There is a likelihood of short-term injection in (the) fund,” Robertson said. “But in long-term (gambling) ends up being flat.” An economic impact report commissioned by Marsh’s office projected that his gambling proposal would bring up to $331 million in total revenue and add as many as 13,000 jobs in Alabama. Marsh’s proposal is one of four options lawmakers have at this point to overcome the budget shortage. Other options include adopting Gov. Robert Bentley’s plan to plug the $541 million shortfall using tax increases, approving a $250 million offer from the Poarch Creek Indians in exchange for exclusive rights to manage gaming, or allowing across-the-board budget cuts that could include the loss of up to 1,000 jobs. At a news conference last week, Marsh said that his caucus is largely in favor of the bill and his strategy of seeking a constitutional amendment so that the final decision on expanding gaming would be decided by popular vote. “I’m not hearing a lot of excitement on tax increases,” he said. “What I’m hearing from my caucus is ‘Keep this in play.’” Marsh said Tuesday that he would review comments and work to improve the bill.
Holly K. Soffer: The value of a licensed public adjuster
Alabama is poised to license public insurance adjusters, and the Legislature can’t act too quickly. Extreme weather has been plaguing many parts of the country, and home and business owners are often left feeling helpless and alone in the aftermath of severe storms, or even after any type of property damage. Public insurance adjusters are licensed in almost every state as advocates for home or business owners who have sustained property damage. They are on the ground every day fighting for policyholders, and have seen the heartbreaking damage that storms can cause as well as the problems people face after such an event. Unfortunately, the claims process can be long and difficult, and the homeowner must navigate many obstacles to recovery. Public insurance adjusters help policy holders, commercial and residential, through the complex process. Why are public insurance adjusters needed by homeowners? And how can the homeowners be made whole if they have to pay a public insurance adjuster a portion of the recovery? The answers to those often-asked questions are simple. After a loss, most people do not have the time and/or expertise to properly evaluate their insurance coverage or to estimate the actual damage and effectively negotiate with the insurance company adjuster who does have such expertise. A policyholder must rely on the insurance company to evaluate the extent of the loss, determine coverage, and provide a prompt and fair financial settlement. The interests of the insurance company in this process are directly opposed to the policyholder, yet the policyholder must rely on the insurance company to perform such services. Most insurance company adjusters act with professionalism and treat the policyholder fairly, yet, the homeowner is still at a great disadvantage. The insurance company adjuster is not an advocate for the homeowner, but is a paid employee of the insurance company, or a third party who has been hired for the purpose of adjusting the claim on behalf of and for the benefit of the insurance company, and will put the interests of the insurance company ahead of the consumer. That inequality leads to the undervaluing of claims. Historically, in Alabama, attorneys have stepped in to help negotiate for those who have suffered property damage, but attorneys aren’t always a cost-effective solution for a homeowner. According to the 2015 Insurance Information Fact Book published by the Insurance Information Institute, the average-size homeowners’ claim nationally from 2008-2012 was $8,384. As a result, the victim of the “average” claim is not often able to hire an attorney for representation, because of the prohibitive cost of paying the attorney on an hourly basis, or finding an attorney to charge a contingent fee on a small claim. Licensed public insurance adjusters provide the necessary, yet cost-effective expertise help these people need to fairly adjust such property damage claims. A few years ago Florida conducted a study and found that homeowners who used public insurance adjusters on non-catastrophic claims received, on average, a 574 percent higher settlement amount than homeowners who did not use a public insurance adjuster (OPPAGA Report No. 10-06, p.8). Those results indicate that the homeowner receives greater value even when having to pay the public adjuster’s fee from the recovery. Therefore, instead of asking how the homeowner can be made whole when using the services of a public insurance adjuster, the question should be whether the homeowner can be made whole without the services of a public insurance adjuster. Empirical evidence suggests that the answer is usually “no”. By enacting legislation to allow for the licensing of public insurance adjusters, Alabama will be doing a great service to its property owners, residential and commercial. For more information of the value of a public insurance adjuster, visit www.aapia.org and click on the video below to view an interview with Gene Veno, president of the American Association of Public Insurance Adjusters. Holly K. Soffer Esq. is the general counsel, American Association of Public Insurance Adjustors
State mental health organizations rally to fight agency cuts
Mental-health service workers and recipients rallied across Alabama on Monday, asking lawmakers to not cut millions in funding for the Alabama Department of Mental Health. The department is at risk of losing $35.2 million in state funds and another $64 million in matching federal funds, which some say would be a severe setback for the thousands who depend on funding. Chris Stewart, president of The Arc of Jefferson County, a nonprofit organization working with the intellectually and developmentally disabled, told hundreds in Birmingham that Alabama ranks last in funding for the disabled. “How do you cut a percentage of a person’s health care? How do you cut a percentage of a person’s residential services? How do you cut a percentage of a person’s food? People are not something that can be dealt with in percentages,” Stewart said. The Legislature is considering a number of measures for how to fill a $290 million deficit in the state’s general fund budget. Gov. Robert Bentley has proposed a $541 million tax package to address both short-term and long-term budget issues, but lawmakers have been slower to consider raising new revenue. This past week, House Republicans unveiled their plan for new taxes that would raise less than a third of the revenue the governor has requested. In an April memo to legislators, Bentley said more than 24,000 people with mental illness would lose or experience reductions in services, and 1,080 community mental-health employees would lose their jobs. Speaking in Mobile at one of several rallies statewide, Bentley said outpatient mental-health services provide better and more financially efficient results than inpatient hospitals. However, many of those services would be reduced if budget cuts are enacted, he said. “People with intellectual disabilities should not be in institutions,” Bentley said. Cindy Smith, whose son Julian was diagnosed with schizophrenia at 19 during his first year at Brown University, said her son, now 43, depends on mental-health services from the state. He depends on funding from Medicare and Medicaid to pay for medication, which she said costs $5,000 a month. In an interview after the Birmingham rally, Smith said she worries what will happen to her son if he loses outpatient services: He would lose his place to live. He would lose his psychiatrist. He would be on his own, she said. “Hopefully he will come home and live with me, but what he does is, he goes in the front door and out the back door and I have no idea where he is,” she said. “And then he doesn’t take his medicine, and he would either be dead, in jail, in prison. It wouldn’t be good.” Republished with permission of The Associated Press.
