Earlier this year, the state Legislature unanimously passed a bill requiring the New York State Office of Mental Health to continue operating the Western New York Children’s Psychiatric Center in West Seneca as an independent entity (S4630) (A06505). This important bill was put forward by Assemblyman Michael P. Kearns (D-West Seneca) and myself in an effort to halt plans by the state to merge the facility with the Buffalo Psychiatric Center, which solely houses adults. With the passage of the bill, the Center was one step closer to being funded and able to provide care to vulnerable and sick children.

Last Wednesday, the governor vetoed this bill, which puts the future of the Center in question once more. In a statement released by the governor, he explained that the reasoning behind his decision was because of the millions of dollars in repairs that would have been required to keep the old center open. He felt the better option would be to merge the facilities and to house both children and adults at a new downtown facility.

Moving to a joint facility downtown will directly hurt the most vulnerable members of our community. Removing them from specialized care tailored to their needs puts them in unnecessary danger. Housing them in a joint facility with adults would remove the attention each child deserves individually and overall lower their quality of care. If that isn’t bad enough, it’s an opportunity for the governor to provide kickbacks to his friends and donors. The construction project seeks to utilize a $5.1 million grant to build a joint facility, so instead of protecting and helping vulnerable children in need, the governor would prefer to create business opportunities for his friends. Not to mention disregarding the unanimous wishes of both the Senate and Assembly and the millions of people in western New York we represent.

I personally spearheaded the movement to lock down every vote from my colleagues in under three hours to secure the Center’s future. The vote was a great triumph of bi-partisanship, receiving a unanimous vote in both the Senate and the Assembly. Everyone recognizes the importance and quality of care provided by the Center to children in need. The veto is simply a tyrannical move by the governor taking.

Since the governor’s announcement to veto this bill, many lawmakers, myself included, have spoken out about this disgraceful decision to go against the entire Legislature. Although the bill has been vetoed, there is a still a way to override the veto and enact it. A veto override would allow members of the Legislature to call a special session to vote to override the governor’s veto. This move would surely anger the governor, but following his recent decisions, it’s time for the Legislature to step up and defend the people it serves.

We must take steps together to override the governor’s veto and show him that even if he has no heart, the people of New York State do. Both sides of the aisle, and both the Senate and Assembly realize that providing care and attention to sick children is a greater priority than giving business opportunities to donors. My colleagues and I will continue to fight for what is right, and protecting our children will always come in at the top of the list.