New York’s responsibility to provide mental health services could be changing if a proposed tweak is made to the state Constitution.
Language being pushed by Democratic state lawmakers and mental health advocates would mandate care and treatment, rather than just empowering the state government to help people.
James Norton with the New York affiliate to the National Alliance on Mental Illness said the constitutional amendment is intended to maintain the emphasis on mental health supports and services in recent years.
"Right now," Norton said, "New York state has the 'may' or the ability to do things to address mental health of its citizens, and we're hoping to change that to a 'shall.' New York state has an obligation to address the mental health of its citizens."
The proposed amendment has been approved by the New York state Assembly in the past, but it has yet to move through either house of the state Legislature in 2026.