DES MOINES - AFSCME Iowa Council 61 President Danny Homan issued the following statement about the item-vetoes announced by Governor Branstad today:
"Governor Branstad shamefully announced these disastrous item-vetoes at 4:45 PM on the day before a holiday weekend. He's clearly hoping Iowans will not notice the decisions he has made.
"The governor's decision to veto a bipartisan agreement on Mt. Pleasant and Clarinda Mental Health Institutes harms Iowa's mental health safety net. Patients, their families, legislators, mental health professionals, community leaders, employees, and the public at large all told Governor Branstad to keep these facilities open. The governor simply refused to listen anyone. He ignored both the views of Iowans and the laws of Iowa and decided to close these facilities.
"Governor Branstad has turned his back on Iowa students by item-vetoing funding for school districts, community colleges, and Iowa's public universities. Education is clearly not a priority for this governor.
"These item-vetoes are wrong for those struggling with mental illness, wrong for Iowa's students, and wrong for Iowa."
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