Gov. vetoes Judi Scanlon Bill

By SHERRY HALBROOK
The governor’s veto in July of the Judi Scanlon Bill (S.207/A.2570) was a bitter disappointment for PEF and members of Judi’s family who have fought hard for this legislation since Scanlon was murdered by her client, Diane Wylie on November 24, 1998.

The bill would have required the state Office of Mental Health to increase safety for staff by allowing caseworkers to go in pairs when making home visits to clients with serious mental illness, and by providing staff safety training and means of emergency communication such as cell phones.

PEF President Roger Benson, Kelly Scanlon-North, Sen. George Maziarz — and Erie County District Attorney Frank Clark held a joint press conference in Buffalo in July to highlight the need for this legislation to prevent another tragedy.

“Judi Scanlon (a PEF member) told co-workers of her concerns about safety on the very morning she was murdered,” Benson said. “She raised the red flag and questioned why intensive case managers should have to go to a client’s home alone.”

“Signing this bill into law will protect hardworking case managers whose workplaces are not only supervised office settings, but also houses and apartments where, for caution’s sake, you have to expect the unexpected,” Maziarz said. “Looking back, these protections should have been on the books years ago, before Judi Scanlon ever knocked on Diane Wylie’s door.”

“The veto of this legislation is a serious disappointment,” said Ken Brynien, who took office August 1 as the president of PEF. “It took eight years of intense effort to get this bill through both houses of the Legislature, but we finally did it. Whether we get an override in 2006, or have to resubmit the bill in 2007, we will keep working until it is enacted.”

PEF’s Workplace Violence Prevention bill was signed into law earlier this year, and a third bill — the Workplace Injury and Accountability Bill (A.9692/S.6480) — was passed by both houses and is waiting (at Communicator press time in early August) to be sent to the governor for his signature or veto.

Other Bills
The Geographic Reassignment bill (A.10274/S.6477) also was vetoed in July. It would have required involuntarily reassigned state employees be given 12 months prior notice and the opportunity to transfer to other state jobs for which they are qualified.

Another very important PEF bill that was passed in both houses, is the Cost-Benefit Analysis Bill (A.1259/S.6575), which was sent to the governor on August 4.

The last of PEF’s four accountability bills featured in the union’s Go Public campaign, this bill would require state agencies to determine whether it would be more cost-effective to do work in-house, before handing it off to private consultants or contractors.