Mental Health Reforms Clear Senate Committee

By: Associated Press | WSLS 10
Published: January 28, 2008

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RICHMOND, Va. (AP) - A package of bills to reform the state's mental health system in the wake of the Virginia Tech tragedy passed unanimously out of a Senate committee Monday.
The omnibus bill would loosen Virginia's tough standards for involuntary commitment, require better monitoring and treatment for outpatient cases and allow better sharing of mental health records, among other things.
The legislation and others in both the Senate and the House are attempts to reform a mental health system that has come under increased scrutiny since a mentally disturbed Virginia Tech student killed 32 people and himself in April at the Blacksburg school.
Gov. Timothy M. Kaine has proposed nearly $42 million in his two-year budget to bolster local mental health centers and urgent care for people in mental health crises.