TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — Mental health advocates are giving Gov. Chris Christie's $32.9 billion budget mostly high marks.
The governor is being praised before the Senate Budget Committee for expanding Medicaid and adding $4.5 million to expand drug court in the next fiscal year.
However, Phil Lubitz of the National Alliance of Mental Illness says the state's mental health system is still significantly underfunded and cannot handle additional demands.
Mary Coogan, a lawyer with Advocated for Children of New Jersey, says the governor's $6.4 million increased investment in Familycare has helped reduce the number of uninsured children to around 5 percent. The health insurance program is for low-income families,
Earlier, East Windsor Mayor Janice Mironov told the panel that municipalities are seeing their costs rise at rates higher than the 2 percent cap.
