Moving forward, vol. 10, no. 4 (2005 January 28)

Volume 10, Issue 4
Governor's Council on Developmental Disabilities ~ Unlock the Waiting Lists! Campaign

January 28, 2005

This week, appropriations subcommittees began meeting on the FY'05 and FY'06 budgets. On Tuesday the 25th, Commissioner BJ Walker presented the DHR budget to the House Health and Human Services Subcommittee of Appropriations, chaired by Representative Jeff Brown. Public testimony was heard from 3:30 to 5:30. Two advocates spoke to supporting the slots for 925 people on the waiting list and the 3% provider rate increase. Individuals also presented concerns about the room and board decrease. On Thursday, Commissioner Tim Burgess presented the DCH budget to Rep. Brown's subcommittee. The public hearing on this budget is scheduled for Tuesday, February 1st, upon adjournment for 3 hours in room 341 of the Capitol. Individuals wishing to testify should sign up in Room 245 of the Capitol. Persons with disabilities can sign up to speak by phone, 404-463-2247. The DCH budget includes the ICWP, Katie Beckett and disease management for aged, blind and disabled population items. The House hopes to vote the FY'05 (supplemental) budget out by next Thursday.

SB 23: Establish Dekalb County Commission on Disability: to bring about full inclusion of all DeKalb County residents, whether disabled or not disabled, into all aspects of community life in DeKalb County through collaborative partnership among residents, local government, nonprofit organizations, and other entities and through strategic management, education, advocacy, training, research, and improved service delivery. Sponsors: Butler, Henson, Weber, Miles, Thompson, Adelman. Status: Read & Referred
SB 33: To authorize the establishment of the Georgia Virtual School; to provide for rules and regulations; to provide for a Georgia Virtual School grant account, and others. Sponsors: Moody, Douglas, Balfour, Hooks, Bulloch. Status: Senate Committee Favorably Reported
SB 34: Provide for the establishment of the "Georgia Master Teacher Program"; to provide for the establishment of criteria for Master Teacher Certification; to provide for the establishment of rules and regulations by the Professional Standards Commission; to provide for the establishment of the "Academic Coach Program"; to provide for the establishment of rules and regulations by the State Board of Education; to provide for the employment of an academic coach by a public school in accordance with a school improvement plan; to provide for monetary and other incentives for academic coaches; to provide for the establishment of a Master Teacher and Academic Coach Implementation Committee. Sponsors: Moody, Weber, Johnson, Williams, Thomas. Status: Senate Read & Referred

DCH, DHR and DOE budgets presented their budgets to Joint appropriations committee on Jan. 18th. Public hearings on the budget will begin the week of the 31st.
Senate Leadership Presiding: Lt. Gov. Mark Taylor Senate President Pro Tempore: Eric Johnson Senate Majority Leader: Bill Stephens Senate Majority Whip: Mitch Seabaugh Senate Minority Leader: Robert Brown Senate Minority Whip: David Adelman

House HB 35: Provide for the Community Service Board Overview Commission; to provide for such commissions organization, vacancies, duties, powers, and expenditures; to provide for the appointment, qualifications, terms, compensation, allowances, and expenses of members; to provide for commission assistance, staffing, and services; to provide for community service board cooperation; to provide for reports; to provide for legal enforcement. Sponsor: Mitchell. Status: House First Readers
HB 50: Exchange of National Criminal History Background Checks: to authorize the exchange of national criminal history background checks on providers of care to children, the elderly, and persons with disabilities, including, but not limited to, volunteers with youth sports organizations and other youth activities. Sponsor: Teilhut. Status: House Second Readers.

House Leadership Speaker of the House: Glenn Richardson Speaker Pro Tempore: Mark Burhalter Majority Leader: Jerry Keen Majority Whip: Barry Fleming Minority Leader: Dubose Porter Minority Whip: Carolyn Hugley
House Appropriations Chair--Ben Harbin Vice Chair Education--Jan Jones Vice Chair Health and Human Services--Jeff Brown
Senate Appropriations Chair--Jack Hill Sub Committee Chair Education--Dan Moody Sub Committee Chair Community Health--Tommy Williams Sub Committee Chair Human Development--Renee Unterman
Go to actmajority.com for the complete listing of house committee members.
Check the DD Council's website, www.gcdd.org, for Senate committees and updates beginning Tuesday, Jan. 18th.
Legislation Tracker As last year was the second year of the two year session, all legislation that did not pass both houses was considered dead. The following legislation is starting new with this session.

HB 105: Provide for accurate and complete electronic format versions of certain textbooks; supplying copies of electronic text versions to local boards of education; authorize local boards of education to provide electronic versions of textbooks to schools and students; provide for payment; provide for construction; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes.
HB 133: Establish the Georgia Long Term Care Partnership Program; to provide a short title; provide definitions; to provide for the administration of the program; to provide for certain duties and responsibilities; to provide that certain assets of persons not be considered when certain determinations concerning eligibility for Medicaid assistance are made; to provide for criteria for asset disregard; to provide for reciprocal agreements with other states; to authorize the Department of Community Health and the Commissioner of Insurance to promulgate certain rules and regulations; to provide for certain contingencies; to provide an effective date; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes.
HB 142: Change certain provisions relating to voluntary separation, abandonment, or driving off of spouse; to create a duty to provide child support for a mentally or physically disabled child beyond the age of majority; to provide for postmajority child support in final verdict or divorce decree; to provide that a childs eligibility to receive public benefits shall not be impacted by an award of postmajority child support; to change certain provisions relating to inclusion of life insurance in order of support; to change certain provisions relating to parents obligations to child; to provide for related matters; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes.

You may view any bill in its entirety at: http://www.legis.state.ga.us/legis/2003_04/leg/legislation.htm

Senate SB 6: Exchange of National Criminal History Background Checks: to authorize the exchange of national criminal history background checks on providers of care to children, the elderly, and persons with disabilities, including, but not limited to, volunteers with youth sports organizations and other youth activities. Sponsors: Stoner and Rogers. Status: Senate Read & Referred

SB 17: Establish the Georgia Long Term Care Partnership Program: to provide that certain assets of persons not be considered when certain determinations concerning eligibility for Medicaid assistance are made. Sponsors: Golden. Status: Senate Prefile
Budget Overview

The Supplemental Budget, or FY 2005 Budget as shown here, covers the

remaining part of Fiscal Year '05, until June 30, 2005. All numbers in parentheses are cuts. Items are reported as they appear in the Governor's Budget Report and further analysis of the budget is on-going.

FY 2005 Supplemental Budget

DHR Budget 2005 Transfer 79 nursing home clients from nursing homes who are able to function in the community to the DHR CCSP program.
$511,350

DCH Budget 2005 Transfer 79 nursing home clients from nursing homes who are able to function in the community to the DHR CCSP program.
($511,350)

DOE Budget 2005 Provide funds for the Atlanta Area school for the Deaf, the Georgia Academy for the Blind and The Georgia School for the Deaf to avoid interruption of services to students and add a teacher pay grade
$689,000 (This item reflects a transfer of funds from DCH to DHR)

Provide start up funds and two positions for development of Georgia Virtual

High School Project

$500,000

Fiscal Year 2006 Budget
Effective from July 1, 2005 to June 30th, 2006. Items reported as appeared in budget document. Analysis will be on-going.

DHR FY06

Olmstead - Fund 925 MR/DD slots to Unlock the Waiting Lists. (Total

funds: $8,302,823)

$3,284,597

Fund an increase to MR/DD provider rates by 3% beginning 1/1/2006.

$2,302,148 Provide state funds to replace lost federal social service block grant funds that are used to serve developmental disabled consumers.
$4,514,508

Reduce room and board payments to MR/DD providers.

($1,732,058)

Convert 166 consumers from state-supported developmental disability services to Medicaid eligible waiver services
($915,832)

Fund 2 ORS surveyors to support increased mental retardation/developmental disabilities waiver slots

$130,000

Eliminate 2 special purpose contracts in the Home and Community-based services program
($180,150)

Reduce funds for East Central Regional Hospital by moving 30 consumers with developmental disabilities into the community, and relocate 62 consumers with developmental disabilities to Gracewood Campus ($3,517,885) (This reduction also includes some transfer of forensic beds to Central State)

Reduce personal service and technical assistance to community collaboratives in the Family Connection Program
($276,077)

Fund services to additional 600 elderly clients on the non-Medicaid home and community based waiting list
$799,630

Fund an additional 200 slots in the CCSP program

$899,153

Capital outlay: Authorize $2,395,000 in 20 year bonds to replace roofs at

Gracewood State Hospital

$208,000

debt service

Transfer funds from the Department of Community Health for 79 individuals who desire to move from nursing homes into the community
(Total Funds: $1,704,538) $653,557

DCH FY06 In the DCH budget, require families that earn over $100,000, who are served by the Katie Beckett Program, to pay a $200 per month premium.
Yes

Set a fixed cap for the home and community based services provided by the ICWP for disability services to redirect savings ($1,042,759 state funds) to comply with the Olmstead Agreement by providing 46 additional ICWP slots. (Total Funds: $2,643,912)
Yes Implement disease and case management process to improve medical management for aged, blind, and disabled populations. (Medicaid clients who are not in waiver services)
($15,509,515)

Transfer 79 nursing home clients from nursing homes who are able to

function in the community to the DHR CCSP program.

($653,557)

DOE FY06 Provide 2% salary increase for teachers effective Sept 1, 2005
$105,768,823

3% reduction to Communities in Schools project ($39,619)

3% reduction to Regional Educational Service Agencies ($335,512)

Provide funds for the Atlanta Area school for the Deaf, the Georgia Academy for the Blind and The Georgia School for the Deaf to avoid interruption of services to students and add a teacher pay grade
$689,000

Provide funds to adjust for actual enrollment for the Severely Emotionally

Disturbed network

$4,913,593

Provide funds and 3 positions for development of Georgia Virtual High

School Project

$1,385,000

DOL FY06 Replace state funds with federal funds for Tools for Life
($146,775)

Contact Information Phone numbers and actual address are unavailable at this time due to a lot of legislators moving their offices in the next week. You can always contact the following to get specific's on each legislator: Questions for House Members: 404-656-5082 Questions for Senate Members: 404-656-0028 General Mailing Address Information: Representative or Senator (Last Name) Georgia House of Represenatives or Georgia Senate State Capitol Atlanta, Georgia 30334

For current advocacy alerts, fact sheets and other information regarding the waiting lists go to www.unlockthewaitinglists.com.

Register online for Disability Day at the Capitol 2005
at www.gcdd.org.

The Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services will hold a public meeting on February 15th to seek input and suggestions for developing regulations based on the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004. The meeting will be held at Frederick Douglass High School 225 Hamilton E. Holmes Drive, NW Atlanta, GA 30318

Moving Forward is published by the Governor's Council on Developmental Disabilities as a public information source. Please visit the Council's website for additional resources and tools to utilize in your advocacy efforts.