LEGAL ACTION CENTER

Need-to-Know News: March 30, 2012

March 30, 2012

LAC was pleased to support a budget deal announced this week that would:
- Allot an additional $1.2 million for alternatives to incarceration and reentry programs;
- Provide $42.3 million for the vital AIDS Drug Assistance Program and increase funding to the Community Service Programs and Multiple Service Agencies initiative; and
- Preserve funding for the New York State Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services.
See our press release for our full statement.
Today and tomorrow are the last days to pre-order the 2012 edition of our highly acclaimed "Confidentiality and Communication: A Guide to the Federal Alcohol and Drug Confidentiality Law and HIPAA" at a 10% discount. Order your copy today!
An article on methadone treatment and driving laws in the April 2 issue of Alcoholism & Drug Abuse Weekly cites our “Know Your Rights” brochure and our "Memorandum on Driving and Psychomotor Studies."

State

The Legislature is poised to pass its second on-time budget in a row, with Governor Cuomo, Senate Majority Leader Skelos and Assembly Speaker Silver steadily touting their $132.6 billion deal since announcing it on Tuesday.
In a shift supported by LAC and its partners in criminal justice advocacy work, incarcerated youths from New York City will be held closer to home, meaning that many upstate facilities may close.
Without an agreement with the Legislature on creating the health insurance exchanges mandated by healthcare reform, Governor Cuomo says he will create one by executive order.

National

The U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments against the Obama administration's healthcare reform law this week, with justices expected to release their decision in June.
Through a program distributing free female condoms, Washington, DC, reports that it has prevented enough infections in one year to save more than $8 million in future medical costs.
Malaysia is now home to the world’s first methadone program operating out of a mosque.
In Georgia, legislation to reform the state's juvenile justice system stalled amid concerns about cost.
In a new blog post, the White House Council on Women and Girls lays out a plan for combating HIV among women of color.

Marc Mauer, executive director of the Sentencing Project, is a featured guest on tonight's edition of "Need to Know" on PBS. Follow this link to check the television listings in your area.
On April 3, NYU Wagner Students for Criminal Justice Reform will present " Collateral Consequences of Criminal Convictions: Barriers to Housing." Follow this link for more information.
A webinar this week -- sponsored by the Alliance for Health Reform, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Association of Health Care Journalists -- examined the status of healthcare reform inplementation in the states. The full webcast is available here.