Rally Held to Defeat Children's Mental Health Bill

July 30, 2006

WNDU 16 News Center, South Bend, Indiana

Last Updated: 07/30/2006 06:44 pm

Story filed by NewsCenter16 Reporter

Stang

Nappanee, IN - A local state legislator is trying to stop a bill in its tracks

before it even gets any support on the Senate or House floor.

Sunday, state representative Jackie Walorski hosted a rally that focused on a

proposed law that revolves around mental health testing for children.

This bill isn't even a bill yet, but it could be one come this January.

Right now, it's just a plan that the Indiana Department of Education put

together called the Children's Social, Emotional and Behavioral Health Plan.

Sunday, more than 300 people gathered in Nappanee to hear about this plan.

The founder of Advance America, , was the keynote speaker.

and Walorski talked about the need to keep this plan from gaining any

support in the Indiana General Assembly.

According to Walorski, the bill paves the way for every Indiana child to undergo

mental health testing.

" The problem with it is it has the ability to steamroll parental rights on

mental health issues. [We've] got to stop it before it gets much steam, " she

says.

agrees. " We believe that issues involving children should be left with

parents. We do not believe government should mandate mental health. We believe

if [parents] know about the problem, then they will be the ones to take care of

that, " he says.

At the rally, people had the chance to sign a petition against the bill.

Walorski says she would like to take a petition with at least 10,000 signatures

to the house speaker this January

++

6792 Total Signatures to date:

high school classmates signed the petition? What about everyone else you can

think of?)

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