Virginia Autistic Inmate Gets Pardon and Treatment

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) - Gov. Terry McAuliffe has granted a conditional pardon that will allow a Virginia inmate to get treatment for his autism.
 
McAuliffe spokesman Brian Coy says the governor signed the pardon Tuesday, clearing the way for Reginald Latson's transfer to a secure treatment center in Florida.
 
The Stafford County man was sentenced earlier this month to six months in jail for assaulting a correctional officer, one of three clashes he has had with law enforcement since 2010. He's been jailed twice and held for long periods in solitary confinement. The 23-year-old Latson's supporters attribute the incidents to an autism-related "fight or flight" reflex.
 
In a petition last week, attorneys said it's wrong to keep Latson locked up for his disabilities. Mental health and civil liberties advocates supported the pardon request.
 
     MEDICAID EXPANSION
 
     Republicans criticize Va. governor's mental health care plan
 
     RICHMOND, Va. (AP) - House Republicans say Gov. Terry McAuliffe has implemented a poorly conceived plan to provide health care coverage for low-income Virginians with severe mental illnesses.
 
     Republicans said on the House floor on Tuesday that McAuliffe's plan is a political ploy that was implemented without General Assembly approval by improperly invoking emergency authority. Their criticism signals the latest chapter in a long-running battle with McAuliffe over public health care spending for poor.
 
     The McAuliffe administration recently began enrolling individuals with severe mental disabilities into a limited program that provides only out-patient care. McAuliffe said the program, known as the Governor's Access Plan, is legal and necessary because the General Assembly won't agree to expand Medicaid to cover as many as 400,000 low-income Virginians.