<\/a>State Senator Catherine Young had several of her sponsored bills pass on Monday in Albany.<\/p><\/div>\n
ALBANY – Lawmakers in Albany will try to address several issues before wrapping up their regular session and entering summer recess.<\/p>\n
Among the issues on the agenda are medical marijuana, a higher minimum wage and efforts to combat heroin addiction. Legislators are also expected to consider hundreds of other bills before Thursday’s planned adjournment.<\/p>\n
Among the measures that were passed in the Senate on Monday was a bill sponsored by Senator Cathy Young<\/strong> intended to strengthen \u201cKendra\u2019s Law<\/strong>.\u201d The measure requires all inmates with mental illness be given a psychiatric evaluation to see if Kendra\u2019s Law is appropriate, before they are released.<\/p>\nAccording to Senator young, the bill would apply to cases like the recent one in Brooklyn, where a paranoid schizophrenic with a history of violence who refused treatment in prison, was released without counseling or medication, and days later allegedly stabbed two young children, killing one and injuring the other.<\/p>\n
Currently, Kendra\u2019s Law directs prison officials to evaluate mentally ill inmates before they\u2019re discharged, and, if necessary, recommend that inmates be ordered into the Assisted Outpatient Treatment (AOT) program once they\u2019re released. \u00a0However, that current requirement does not apply if the inmate refuses mental health services, as in the case in Brooklyn.<\/p>\n
The legislation passed Monday by the Senate would close that loophole by requiring all inmates diagnosed with mental illness to be evaluated prior to release and placed in AOT.\u00a0 Kendra\u2019s Law is named in honor of Kendra Webdale<\/strong>, who grew up in Fredonia. In 1999, a man with a long history of schizophrenia stepped onto a busy subway platform in New York City and pushed Kendra in front of a train. The bill was sent to the Assembly.<\/p>\nThe New York State Senate also passed legislation sponsored by Senator Young that would expand work release programs to allow eligible inmates, deemed not to be dangerous, to help with not-for-profit organizations and public service projects. The bill utilizes this work force productively to help communities while giving inmates job-training opportunities.<\/p>\n
The bill has been sent to the Assembly.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
ALBANY – Lawmakers in Albany will try to address several issues before wrapping up their regular session and entering summer recess. Among the issues on the agenda are medical marijuana, a higher minimum wage and efforts to combat heroin addiction. Legislators are also expected to consider hundreds of other bills before Thursday’s planned adjournment. Among […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":22,"featured_media":8485,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"State Lawmakes Look to Pass Dozens of Bills During Final Week of Regular Voting Session http:\/\/wp.me\/p3YlJ4-2Mp","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false}}},"categories":[4],"tags":[78,358,1349,1350,2091,2103],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.wrfalp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/Young.png?fit=332%2C190&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p3YlJ4-2Mp","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":21519,"url":"https:\/\/www.wrfalp.com\/members-of-state-senate-walk-away-from-negotiations-as-budget-deal-falls-apart\/","url_meta":{"origin":10689,"position":0},"title":"Members of State Senate Walk Away from Negotiations as Budget Deal Falls Apart","author":"WRFA Radio","date":"April 6, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"ALBANY - It appears that a deal has not been reached in the effort to pass a new state budget, now nearly a week overdue. Budget talks between the legislature and governor collapsed Wednesday night after members of the Senate left the Capitol, with lawmakers from both parties blaming Gov.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Local News"","block_context":{"text":"Local News","link":"https:\/\/www.wrfalp.com\/category\/news\/local-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.wrfalp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/State-Capitol-Albany-NY.jpg?fit=1200%2C401&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.wrfalp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/State-Capitol-Albany-NY.jpg?fit=1200%2C401&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.wrfalp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/State-Capitol-Albany-NY.jpg?fit=1200%2C401&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.wrfalp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/State-Capitol-Albany-NY.jpg?fit=1200%2C401&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.wrfalp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/State-Capitol-Albany-NY.jpg?fit=1200%2C401&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":4809,"url":"https:\/\/www.wrfalp.com\/morning-news-senate-begins-approving-budget-assembly-to-wait-until-thursday\/","url_meta":{"origin":10689,"position":1},"title":"MORNING NEWS: Senate Begins Approving Budget, Assembly to Wait Until Thursday","author":"WRFA Radio","date":"March 25, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"ALBANY - State lawmakers arrived in Albany yesterday to begin work on passing a state budget, but one group was conspicuously absent from the capitol.\u00a0 State Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver is not convening the Assembly until Thursday, March 28 \u2013 just a few days prior to the state budget deadline\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Local News"","block_context":{"text":"Local News","link":"https:\/\/www.wrfalp.com\/category\/news\/local-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":3712,"url":"https:\/\/www.wrfalp.com\/morning-news-young-calls-for-strenghtening-kendras-law-in-wake-of-nyc-tragedy\/","url_meta":{"origin":10689,"position":2},"title":"MORNING NEWS: Young Calls for Strenghtening Kendra’s Law in Wake of NYC Tragedy","author":"WRFA Radio","date":"December 6, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"ALBANY - Senator Catharine Young (R,C,I- Olean) is again calling for strengthening Kendra\u2019s Law, a law that was put in place to help people with mental illness receive outpatient treatment, after a deranged man killed a Queens resident by pushing him in front of an oncoming subway near Times Square.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Local News"","block_context":{"text":"Local News","link":"https:\/\/www.wrfalp.com\/category\/news\/local-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":12369,"url":"https:\/\/www.wrfalp.com\/youngs-mental-health-treatment-legislation-signed-into-law\/","url_meta":{"origin":10689,"position":3},"title":"Young’s Mental Health Treatment Legislation Signed into Law","author":"WRFA Radio","date":"January 15, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"ALBANY - bill sponsored by Senator Cathy Young (R-Olean) designed to improve mental health treatment and increase public protection has been signed into law by the governor. The new law was put into place on Wednesday and will ensure that mentally ill inmates are no longer released from a state\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Local News"","block_context":{"text":"Local News","link":"https:\/\/www.wrfalp.com\/category\/news\/local-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.wrfalp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/09\/young2520headshot-ret-221x300.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":10726,"url":"https:\/\/www.wrfalp.com\/state-lawmakers-approve-series-of-bills-addressing-heroin-opiod-abuse\/","url_meta":{"origin":10689,"position":4},"title":"State Lawmakers Approve Series of Bills Addressing Heroin, Opiod Abuse","author":"WRFA Radio","date":"June 19, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"ALBANY - New York State is continuing its effort to crack down on the use of Heroin and other Opioids. On Wednesday, Governor Andrew Cuomo and legislative leaders announced an agreement on a series of bills to help address the growing drug epidemic, as well as prescription drug abuse, in\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Local News"","block_context":{"text":"Local News","link":"https:\/\/www.wrfalp.com\/category\/news\/local-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":14118,"url":"https:\/\/www.wrfalp.com\/senator-young-among-six-lawmakers-who-received-recent-death-threat\/","url_meta":{"origin":10689,"position":5},"title":"Senator Young Among Six Lawmakers who Received Recent Death Threat","author":"WRFA Radio","date":"June 3, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"ALBANY - A half-dozen female members of the State Legislature \u2013 including Senator Cathy Young of Olean - have received death threats that are being investigated by the State Police and FBI. That\u2019s according to a report in the Buffalo News this week that said the threats were sent out\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Local News"","block_context":{"text":"Local News","link":"https:\/\/www.wrfalp.com\/category\/news\/local-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.wrfalp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/09\/young2520headshot-ret.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wrfalp.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10689"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wrfalp.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wrfalp.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wrfalp.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/22"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wrfalp.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10689"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.wrfalp.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10689\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10692,"href":"https:\/\/www.wrfalp.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10689\/revisions\/10692"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wrfalp.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8485"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wrfalp.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10689"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wrfalp.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10689"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wrfalp.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10689"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}