Find Out What Idaho’s Gov. Little is Dumping $50 Million Into

Earlier this week, Governor Little took a moment to recognize Krista Gneiting (a teacher at Rigby Middle School), who talked an active school shooter out of continuing their fire. She held the shooter in her arms until officials arrived. 

Like many mass shootings, a lot of it can be attributed to a mental illness suffered by the shooter. This has opened up more information about mental health resources in the state and what Idaho is doing to curb the mental illness crisis.

Here is some footage from the Rigby Middle School shooting:

After recognizing Krista, Governor Little attributed the shooting (and ones like it) to mental illness. He pointed out that we need better access to care and help for individuals in Idaho struggling with mental illness. 

Then, Governer Little unveiled his proposed behavioral health investment in the 2022-2023 state budget. 

Here’s what is in Governer Little’s proposed behavioral health plan:

How much does Governor Little want to invest in spending for these resources? $50 million. He said, “As I know Krista can attest, there is a strong connection between safe communities and access to behavioral health resources for Idahoans of all ages.”

He added that it is a preventative measure to curb mental illness and possible future horrors while also building and protecting our community.