DES MOINES – After Governor Terry Branstad’s decision to close to Iowa mental health institutes, nearly two dozen legislators have banded together to file a lawsuit.
According to a statement from American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), 20 legislators and AFSCME Iowa Council 61 president Danny Homan filed the suit in the Iowa District Court for Polk County.
The lawsuit is filed against Branstad and Director Charles Palmer, looking to compel them to reopen the Mt. Pleasant and Clarinda Mental Health Institutes.
The institutes were closed after Branstad vetoed a move by legislators to keep them open for a period of time. The bill allowed counties to increase property taxes and enlarge entitlement programs to help modernize Iowa’s mental health system.
However, a part of that bill called for $6 million from the general fund to keep the Mt. Pleasant Mental Health Institute open. Patients at Clarinda were then transferred over to Mt. Pleasant. Earlier in July, Branstad vetoed that section of the bill, saying the institute wasn’t necessary.
“In the 1800s, Iowa opened four mental health institutions. At their peak, they served more than 6,600 people on any given day combined,” Branstad wrote in his veto message. “However, modern mental health care has come a long way and best practices rightfully no longer include the warehousing of mental health patients. In fact, the average daily bed census at the Mount Pleasant Mental Health Institute over the past four years is only 61 patients. In fiscal year 2014, this came at the high cost to state taxpayers of $126,791 per patient. These resources can best be used to provide better, more modern mental health services to more Iowans.”
Now, the suit filed by AFSCME says Branstad is breaking the law.
“Iowa law clearly states that the State of Iowa shall operate Mental Health Institutes in Mt. Pleasant and Clarinda,” says AFSCME Iowa Council 61 President Danny Homan. “This was the law when the governor announced his decision to close these facilities. This was the law when the legislature passed, with bipartisan support, the funding to keep these facilities open. This was the law when he closed these two facilities. It is still the law today.”
The 20 legislators taking part in the suit alongside Homan include:
Senator Rich Taylor
Representative Jerry Kearns
Representative Mark Smith
Senator Thomas Courtney
Senator Janet Petersen
Representative Bruce Hunter
Representative Curt Hanson
Senator Tony Bisignano
Senator Herman Quirmbach
Senator Dick Dearden
Representative Art Staed
Representative Ako Abdul-Samad
Representative Jo Oldson
Representative Ruth Ann Gaines
Representative Sharon Steckman
Representative Todd Taylor
Representative Mary Gaskill
Representative Kirsten Running-Marquardt
Representative Timi Brown-Powers
Representative Dave Jacoby
