BILL NUMBER: AB 1969 VETOED DATE: 09/14/2000 To Members of the California Assembly: I am returning Assembly Bill No. 1969 without my signature. This bill would require a long-term care mental health working group to develop a specific plan for the development of certain long-term care facilities. The 2000-01 Budget, as signed, did not include funds for this purpose. While this working group may have merit, it should compete with the many other good proposals that will be suggested next year for adoption in the Budget Act of 2001. This bill also duplicates existing law, which already requires the Department of Mental Health to conduct an independent evaluation of Mental Health Rehabilitation Centers and develop a state-level plan for a streamlined and consolidated evaluation and monitoring program for the review of MHRCs and Skilled Nursing Facilities with special treatment programs for mentally ill patients. Sincerely, GRAY DAVIS