Senate Majority Leader Joseph L. Bruno today announced he has selected Senator Thomas P. Morahan to serve as Chairman of the Senate Budget Sub-Committee on Mental Hygiene. Morahan presently chairs the Senate Committee on Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities, as well as holding a leadership post as Senate Liaison to the Executive Branch.

As Chair of the Senate’s Mental Hygiene Budget Sub-Committee, Senator Morahan will lead the Senate’s review of the Governor’s proposed budget as it relates to all mental health programs. Morahan, and his colleagues on the Sub-Committee, will make recommendations to the rest of the Senate Majority for changes in mental health funding and programs that will be carried into the budget negotiations.

"I am pleased to announce that Senator Morahan will serve as Chairman of the Mental Hygiene Budget Conference Committee, giving him an important voice in ensuring that we maximize available State resources where we can make a positive and lasting impact on people's lives. Senator Morahan is a leading and respected voice in dealing with issues pertaining to the mental health of all New Yorkers, and he has the trust of his colleagues to head up this important Budget committee," said Senate Majority Leader Joseph L. Bruno.