Assemblyman Steve Hawley (R,C,I-Batavia) has been named Assembly Minority Conference Representative for the Joint Senate and Assembly Budget Conference Committee on Mental Hygiene. The committee conducted the first of several meetings Monday to outline the Senate and Assembly one-house budgets and discuss the priorities of each conference.

“I am proud to represent the interests of my conference as well as my constituents as we head into more complex budget negotiations,” Hawley said. “When leadership in the Assembly attempted to decrease funding for the Office of People with Developmental Disabilities by $90 million in 2013, I fought hard to restore it. As part of this committee, I will ensure that those with mental illness are treated fairly, and that we fund mental health programs to the best of our abilities in this year’s budget. An initiative I feel strongly about is one included in the Senate one-house budget that increases aid to localities for various mental health initiatives for veterans. As a veteran myself, I feel as though those who sacrifice for our nation deserve the highest quality of care upon retirement from the armed services. I will be fighting for this provision in this year’s enacted budget.”