|
|
| Delegates vote to end drug court funding |
| By TASHA KATES – Daily Progress |
| Published: 02/17/2009 |
|
The House of Delegates has voted in favor of ending state support for Virginia’s drug court programs in fiscal 2010, including the Charlottesville/Albemarle Adult Drug Treatment Court. The House voted last week in favor of the budget amendment, which would eliminate nearly $3 million in support to the 14 of the state’s 28 drug court programs that receive money from the general fund. If the amendment is made permanent, local officials say the Charlottesville-area program would lose $182,500, which is more than 60 percent of its budget. “With less than 40 percent of our budget, this court probably will not function,” said Jeff Gould, drug court administrator. “I don’t know if we would be able to transition people out.” This is the second year in a row that legislators have considered cutting state funding for drug courts across Virginia. Del. Rob Bell, R-Albemarle, was one of 61 members of the House to vote in favor of the bill. While Bell said he supports drug court programs that focus on drug users, he said officials need to make $3 billion in cuts to make ends meet. “We were cutting programs for the mentally retarded,” Bell said. “The governor suggested letting out dangerous felons.” Bell cautioned that the budget process is not over, noting that the House and Senate can remove items from each other’s budget. Read more. If link has expired, check the website of the article's original news source. |
MARKETPLACE search vendors | advanced search
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
|
Comments:
No comments have been posted for this article.
Login to let us know what you think