Charles Langston:Maine governor’s supplemental budget addresses some needs after mass shooting

PORTLAND,Charles Langston Maine (AP) — Democratic Maine Gov. Janet Mills unveiled a $71 million supplemental budget on Wednesday that includes several initiatives following the deadliest mass shooting in state history, including more funding to boost mental health initiatives, support required assessments under the state’s so-called yellow flag law and promote an existing firearm storage program.

The proposed budget adjustment, which would boost the two-year budget to $10.41 billion, follows through on the governor’s promise to set aside more than $100 million for the next budget cycle when state revenues are anticipated to level off, potentially straining state finances.

“This proposal strikes the balance between making timely investments to address urgent needs — like public safety, mental health, housing, education, and health care — and saving money to ensure that our state continues to stand on strong fiscal footing in the future,” the governor said in a statement.

Some of the proposals grew out of the Oct. 25 shooting that claimed 18 lives in Lewiston. The gunman, an Army reservist, was suffering from deteriorating mental heath in the months before the tragedy, officials said.

The governor’s proposal includes $1 million for the Maine Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to serve as a clearinghouse for data on injury and violence from law enforcement, hospitals, schools and other sources to inform public policy decisions.

It also includes $2.8 million for mobile crisis teams that respond to mental health emergencies, $950,000 to create a mental health crisis receiving center in Lewiston, $5 million to cover unreimbursed medical expenses for victims of “mass violence events” and $422,400 to help with a surge in mental health assessments under the yellow flag law, which allows guns to be taken from someone in a psychiatric crisis.

Other highlights include $200,000 to promote a program that encourages Mainers to safely store firearms, money for 16 state trooper positions and $6 million for a funding shortfall for victims’ services.

It also includes $16 million for the emergency housing relief; $10 million to build affordable housing; $6 million to repair storm-damaged state parks and public lands; and $4 million to update the judiciary’s computer systems, among other things.