ATLANTA - Governor Barnes has signed new legislation aimed at improving the quality of mental heath services in Georgia. <br>
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The new law overhauls the existing system -- transferring control from 13 regional boards to the state Department of Human Resources. <br>
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The legislation seeks to streamline a bureaucracy blamed for poor oversight of 173,000 Georgians in programs for mental illness, mental retardation and substance abuse. <br>
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Regional boards were not directly accountable to state officials in Atlanta. Now, responsibility for the one billion dollar annual budget for those programs lies with the state Department of Human Resources. <br>
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Barnes signed the legislation Thursday. <br>
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The 13 regional boards had assumed control of those services under a 1993 law that was hailed as a national model that would give users of the services more say. The new law preserves the regional boards as advisory bodies.
