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Legislative
Summary April 2004 |
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NAMI-Madison County Legislative UpdateApril 28, 2004 |
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House Bill 4827 PASSES THE HOUSE. This is
A Tremendous Victory!
House Bill 4827 amends the Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities
Code and establishes a method for supporting the operation of Mental Health
Courts in Illinois. Through this bill, a county that has established a Mental
Health Court may assess a $10 fee for the processing of criminal cases
(excluding traffic and civil offenses) upon the conviction of an individual in
that court. This fee then can be used to support the establishment and
operation of Mental Health Courts across the state.
The
establishment of Mental Health Courts has been one of NAMI's main advocacy
strategies to address the stark reality that jails and prisons have become
the nation's depository for people with severe mental illnesses. Mental
Health Courts are designed to create effective interactions between the
criminal justice system and mental health systems by putting procedures in
place to divert non-violent offenders with serious mental illness from
jails and place them into appropriate community programs.
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NAMI
Illinois, in agreement with the Illinois Sheriff's Association (ISA)
ardently supports the creation of a "Mental Health Court System.” |
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What can you do to help? |
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If Senator Haine is in
your district (56th District), please call him up to thank him for sponsoring
HB 4827; otherwise, please contact your Senator and ask him to vote "yes" on
this bill. The other senators besides Senator Haine who cover most of
our area are Senators Frank C. Watson (51st District), James F. Clayborne Jr
(57th District), and David Luechtefeld (58th District).
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Capitol Complex Telephone
Numbers
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Information Desks |
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State House |
217-782-2099 |
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Stratton Building -
North Wing |
217-782-6545 |
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Stratton Building -
South Wing |
217-782-6445 |
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Find Your Legislator:
Click Here |
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Committee Action:
HB 4827
was
introduced in the House on Feb. 04, 2004 by
Representative Dave Winters.
HB 4827
passed the House on April 01,
2004, with 91 yeas 24 nays, 2 present.
HB 4827
arrived in the
Senate April 06, 2004, and was placed on the Calendar for First Reading
April 20, 2004.
Sponsors are: Senator William R. Haine and Senator
Dave
Syverson. Co-Sponsor is Senator George P. Shadid. Contact your Senator today
and voice your support for
HB 4827! |
You can
check this bill’s wording and status on the Illinois General Assembly
web site:
http://www.legis.state.il.us\ |
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Any
questions, contact either Sandy Giger at 644-5705,
skgiger@hotmail.com or Mary Gauen
at 288-4376,
katiegauen@aol.com |
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