Gov. Cathy Hochul on Friday promised to stop rampant subway violence by making it easier to treat involuntary offenders and treat dangerously mentally ill New Yorkers, but critics said the same deal with few details would help. They were quick to criticize the governor's plans as too little, too late.
In a vaguely worded statement, Hochul said he would introduce legislation in New York State's next budget to “finally change New York State's involuntary commitment standards.”
“Currently, hospitals can admit people whose mental illness puts them at risk of serious harm to themselves or others, but this law expands that definition and allows more people to meet their needs. It will make sure they have access to care,” she said.
The governor also introduced another bill that would amend Kendra's Law to “improve the process by which courts can order certain individuals to participate in outpatient assisted treatment, while also making it easier for individuals to voluntarily apply for this treatment.” “I will make it happen,” he said.
The governor did not say whether he would support existing legislation or announce new legislation. A spokeswoman for Hochul said more details would be released when he presents his executive budget on January 21.
“This has been rejected by Congress in the past,” Hochul said at an unrelated news conference. “I sincerely hope that members of Congress pay attention to what is happening in our city and state and make sure that people suffering from severe mental illness get the care they need.
“I'll take it on again. I hope it's successful.”
Mr. Hochul's vague plan for recent subway attacks (including the horrific incident of burning a sleeping woman to death, allegedly by an illegal immigrant, and sticking a strap in front of a train) has caused confusion, if not totality. I invited you. hostility.
City Councilman Robert Holden (D-Queens) accused Hochul of failing to properly utilize the Kendra Act, implying that it, rather than new legislation, could help solve the problem. Ta.
For years, Holden has lobbied Mayor Eric Adams and his predecessor, Bill de Blasio, to adopt a law that would allow families to petition the courts to place their mentally ill loved ones in outpatient treatment. , ended in failure. He also tried to obtain data on its frequency of use, but was unsuccessful.
“Governor Hochul is gaslighting the public by calling out the mental health crisis to the state legislature under the guise of needing to reform the Kendra Act,” he said. “The truth is that Kendra's Law works when properly enforced, but city and state agencies have failed to comply, and the governor has failed to allocate the necessary resources to make the law effective.” .”
Kendra's Law is named after author Kendra Webdale, who died in 1999 after being shoved to death in front of a Manhattan subway by a schizophrenic man.
During his 2021 mayoral campaign, Adams promised to use Kendra's Law to remove mentally ill people from subways.
But after Michelle Go was shoved to death on the subway in 2022, Kendra's brother Ralph Webdale Jr. lamented that the law doesn't protect New Yorkers and needs to be strengthened.
Brian Stettin, the mayor's senior advisor on serious mental illness and co-author of Kendra's Law, said the biggest problem with the law is that it would give more people access to care. said.
Stettin said too many poor people are subjected to a “revolving door” of mental health care, where people are arrested or arrested after they stop taking medication or treatment.
The Adams administration has said it wants to require that each person receiving psychiatric treatment be tested to see if they qualify for Kendra Law before being released. That's because many people can't participate in the program because they don't have a referral from a hospital, he said.
“I don't know what she's proposing today regarding Kendra's Law because her statements were vague, but I hope this is one of them,” Stettin said. “The devil is in the details and we wait anxiously to see what she will propose.”
Mr Hochul told reporters that more needs to be done to ensure that unwell people with a history of violence can actually participate in the activities set out in the Kendra Act. . Outpatient treatment assistance.
“There has to be consequences,” she said. “We have to put more teeth into these laws.”
The governor also said his proposal would eliminate ambiguity in the state's existing involuntary commitment law, although he was vague on exactly how.
“It only refers to situations where they are harming themselves or others,” she said of the current law. “We are proposing another language and will introduce it within two weeks.”
Adams, who launched the city's own involuntary commitment plan more than two years ago, echoed Hochul's repeated calls for state reform to help homeless New Yorkers with severe, untreated mental illness. He praised him for “finally” listening to him.
“With today's announcement, we are especially grateful to Governor Hochul for heeding our calls and the calls of everyday New Yorkers, and we look forward to working with her on the next steps to finally codify these changes. I look forward to working together to develop it,” he said. statement.
“There is no dignity in letting people languish in the street without being able to help themselves, and there is no moral superiority in just passing them by without doing anything. We have to stop becoming so unrealistic.”
As a solution, Adams proposed the Support Intervention Act, a state bill introduced by Sen. Edward Brownstein (D-Queens) and supported by the mayor.
But Hochul spokeswoman Avi Small told the Post that the mayor's priority bill is not the one the governor is pushing.
The governor's office declined to reveal details of Hochul's proposal ahead of a formal proposal, but sources say his plan incorporates aspects of Brownstein's failed bill. There is a possibility that there are.
The bill would give more medical professionals, such as psychiatric nurses, psychologists and social workers, the power to recommend involuntary offenses.
One source suggested that Hochul supports including only psychiatric nurses.
Officials said the governor is also considering adjustments to the law that would allow individuals to access services available under Kendra Law without being required to do so under the law.
In his statement, Hochul also touted the $1 billion in mental health funding he and the state Legislature approved in 2023.
She also supported claims that deploying hundreds of National Guard troops to the metro has reduced concerns about underground crime, but provided no data or evidence.
Hochul's approach puzzled many lawmakers and advocates.
Glenn Liebman, CEO of the New York Mental Health Association, opposed Mr. Hochul's vague proposal, arguing that he is missing the forest for the trees.
He said a more multifaceted response was needed, including strengthening the mental health workforce, serious incident review boards and funding for institutional health services.
“I don’t think tweaking existing laws through Kendra’s Law or other mechanisms is the most beneficial strategy,” he said. “I know these tragedies are terrible, but we need a strong response across our organization.”
Republican city council members blamed lax criminal laws and the closure of psychiatric facilities for the subway chaos.
“This is all just smoke and mirrors from Albany,” said Joanne Arriola (R-Queens). “It sounds nice to have people come and pick us up, but we can only hold them for 72 hours and then they're back on the streets wreaking havoc. There's a three-day timeout before we can release these people again. Instead, states need to work to reopen psychiatric facilities so they can receive authentic long-term care.”
City Councilman David Carr (R-Staten Island) said Hochul's limp action came at the expense of New York City's safety.
“When people with mental health problems do not follow prescribed treatment, they are a danger to themselves and others,” he said. “That's all it takes to get these people off the streets and protect both them and the public. It's absurd that this hasn't been done before.”
U.S. Rep. Richie Torres (D-Bronx), who is running for governor, slammed Hochul for dragging his feet in addressing New York's mental health crisis.
“In the three years since the shocking murder of Michelle Go, who was thrown in front of a subway car by a schizophrenic, the governor has done nothing to protect the public from people with severe mental illness.” he stated. I wrote to X. Governing is not about waiting years for more tragedies to occur. ”
The governor's proposal also drew criticism from Donna Lieberman, executive director of the New York Civil Liberties Union.
She claimed that involuntary involvement is routinely done by police and other city employees.
“What exactly happens to these New Yorkers after they unwittingly commit the crime is unclear and has not been made public,” she said. “Research shows that forcing people to seek mental health care is generally ineffective and does little to improve people's mental health.”
“The real problem is that there are almost never enough mental health care resources available, especially for those most in need and those subject to involuntary commitment.”
