Politics & Government
Lawmakers Will Meet Again in Tinley to Talk of Mental Health Center Closure
The legislative panel tasked with reviewing state facility closures will soon return to Tinley Park, lawmakers said this week.
Lawmakers will soon hold yet another local forum on the plan to close the .
Members of the Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability announced the meeting on Tuesday while in Springfield, where they were discussing Gov. Pat Quinn's plan to close the local center, as we all as the Jacksonville Developmental Center, according to Triblocal.
The plan——is part of legislators' long-term vision to move residents from Illinois institutions and into community care settings.
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" ... Advocates argue (it) is less expensive and provides a better quality of life," . "Opponents include the state’s largest employee union and lawmakers who fear closing the facilities will wreak havoc on the economy of communities who are supported by the centers."
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The Mental Health Center is slated to shutter its doors in early July under the plan.
During Tuesday’s hearing, the commission heard more detailed testimony from the Department of Human Services officials and the governor’s office about the plan, coined the Active Community Care Transition Plan. DHS Secretary Michelle Saddler said the plan is the same one presented during previous public hearings in the fall, but additional details about how the plan will work have since been developed.
“So what is new? Really, nothing,” Saddler said. “We have the same plan components that we had last fall and included the details you requested.”
, , which he said would help fill a $313 million budget gap. He included —. Lawmakers voted against closing each, including the .
The group then .
"Several commission members said Tuesday during the meeting that they felt ill-equipped to ask questions about the closures because they had only received 120 pages of information detailing the most recent plans on Monday," reports Triblocal.
The local meeting will be held "in the near future," lawmakers said. Check Triblocal for more on the story.
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