$4.8B Shumlin budget slashes human services spending

On Tuesday, January 25, Governor Peter Shumlin gave his budget address to the State of Vermont. Below is an article which outlines some large cuts in the human services area. These cuts, along with others are part of the overall plan to balance the budget. There has been a lot of response to this in the news lately from human service and mental health advocates and those links can also be found below. Source: Burlington Free Press, January 25, Nancy Remsen “MONTPELIER — Gov. Peter Shumlin delivered a $4.8 billion budget plan to lawmakers Tuesday that was both harsh in the reductions he outlined for an array of human services and optimistic in the investments he proposed to create new opportunities for the future… …To close the $176 million gap, Shumlin’s spending plan requires significant belt-tightening including $12 million in labor concessions, a $4.6 million reduction in mental health funding, $4.5 million in shrunken support for the elderly and disabled by $4.5 million and increased assessments on health care providers to raise $28 million. It also puts schools on notice that non-property tax support for education will decrease by $23 million — offset this year only by $19 million in federal funding…” Full Story: $4.8B Shumlin budget slashes human services spending Additional Coverage on Proposed Budget Cuts: WCAX news, January 26: What would proposed cuts mean for the mentally ill? VPR News, January 25: Governor’s Budget Cuts $44 Million From Human Services. VPR News, January 26: Human Services Agency Says Cuts Would Impact Services.

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