Kaine Signs Set of Bills To Modernize Mental Health

Va. Tech Shootings Gave Proposals New Urgency

RICHMOND, April 9 -- Gov. Timothy M. Kaine signed bills Wednesday that will make it easier for Virginians to receive treatment as part of the first significant overhaul of the state's mental health system in three decades.

Some of the proposals had been sought for years but did not get approval until a Virginia Tech student from Fairfax County with a history of mental health problems fatally shot 32 students and teachers before killing himself on campus a year ago next Wednesday.

Kaine (D) told a packed room of legislators, mental health advocates and state employees that the changes will "benefit generations of Virginians to come."

"It has been a difficult year, but it has been a year where people haven't [shrunk] from trying to learn and improve," he said. "The Tech tragedy reminded us . . . we have a significant need to improve mental health services."

The changes will bring Virginia in line with nearly every other state in several key ways, including lowering the standard under which a mentally ill person can be forced into treatment.

"It's the most sweeping overhaul in 30 years," Del. Robert B. Bell (R-Charlottesville) said. "We talk a lot about things being a big deal. This one actually is."

The 26 bills expand the criteria under which a mentally ill person can be barred from buying guns, require mental health officials to more closely monitor people in community-based treatment and allow the sharing of information among providers and court officials to keep better track of people in treatment.

"It's a terrible shame that it took something as terrible as Virginia Tech and the incident there to bring to light so many inadequacies in the mental health system," said Andrew Goddard of Richmond, whose son Colin was shot four times and survived. "I'm sure many people were crying out about these for a long time. It didn't get the spotlight that it deserved."

Kaine signed the bills surrounded by Attorney General Robert F. McDonnell (R) and 10 legislators who helped write the legislation. They applauded after he finished.

"It was a very good day," said Sen. Janet D. Howell (D-Fairfax), who has worked on some of the proposals for years. "We now have a solid legal framework to deal with persons with mental illness. We did not have one before."

The Virginia Tech killer, Seung Hui Cho, had been ruled a danger to himself in 2005 and was ordered to receive mental health treatment but never did.

"It takes care of the mental health problems that allowed Cho to work his way through this labyrinth of what existed in the way of mental health services and get in a position of creating havoc," said Del. C. Charles Caputo (D-Fairfax), whose district is home to the families of two Virginia Tech victims. "The risk of that happening again as a result of this legislation is extremely minimized."