Moving forward, vol. 11, no. 11 (2006 March 24)

Volume 11, Issue 11

March 24, 2006

Governor's Council on Developmental Disabilities for Georgia ~ Unlock the Waiting Lists! Campaign

FY 2007 Budget
The full Senate took up the FY 2007 budget on Thursday, March 23. Included in the DHR budget were 1500 slots for the MRWP program funded for 6 months, and the additional 1500 slots added by the Senate subcommittee on appropriations for Human Development, but advocates were still seeking information on the source of funding for those slots. This item, as well as some other differences between the House and Senate versions of the budget, will be taken up by the conference committee, which may begin meeting as early as this weekend.
Monday, March 27 will be the 38th legislative day.

HB 728: "Mattie's Call Act"; relating to specific programs in elementary and secondary education, so as to provide for legislative intent; to provide for the administration of funds by the Department of Education for adapted sports and physical education programs. Sponsors: Franklin 43rd, Brooks 63rd, Jones 44th, Cooper 41st, Walker 107th, Drenner 86th. Status: Passed House, Senate read and referred.
HB 959: Mallory's Act; relating to parking permits for persons with disabilities, so as to change certain provisions relating to permits for permanently disabled persons; to provide for permits issued to permanently disabled minors. Sponsors: Maddox 172nd, Lindsey 54th, Fleming 117th, O`Neal 146th, Roberts 154th, and others. Status: Senate Committee favorably reported
HB 972: Teacher certification renewal; relating to teacher certification, so as to provide that the Professional Standards Commission shall not require a course in computer skill competency for certification renewal but shall require a test in basic computer skill competency. Sponsors: Casas 103rd, Maxwell 17th, Everson 106th, Cox 102nd. Status: Senate passed/ adopted

Contact Information 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 Representatives or Georgia Senate State Capitol Atlanta, Georgia 30334
Senate Leadership Presiding: Lt. Gov. Mark Taylor
House Leadership Speaker of the House: Glenn Richardson, 19th
House Appropriations: Chair--Ben Harbin, 118th Vice Chair Education--Jan Jones, 46th Vice Chair Health and Human Services--Jeff Brown, 69th

HR 1079: Creation of a Children's Budget Committee; creating the House Study Committee on the Creation of a Children's Budget; and for other purposes. Sponsors: Millar 79th, Burmeister 119th, Manning 32nd, Byrd 20th, Houston 170th. Status: House Committee favorably reported
HB 1217: Disabled persons parking permits; relating to prestige license plates and special plates for certain persons and vehicles, so as to provide for parking permits for disabled persons; to provide for specifications for such parking permits; to require that the person with the disability be the operator of or a passenger in the vehicle when such permit is being used. Sponsors: Murphy 23rd, Rice 51st, Talton 145th, Maxwell 17th, and Dollar 45th. Status: House Passed; Senate passed / adopted
HB1435: Voting; persons with disabilities; relating to primaries and elections generally, so as to add certain definitions; to authorize an attendant care giver to provide assistance in voting an absentee ballot; to provide for the manner of assistance in voting for persons with disabilities. Sponsors: Burmeister 119th Brown 69th, Lunsford 110th, Walker 107th. Status: Senate Read Second Time

Senate Appropriations: Chair--Jack Hill, 4th Sub Com. Chair Education--Dan Moody, 56th Sub Com. Chair Community Health--Greg Goggans,7th Sub Com. Chair Human Develop.--Renee Unterman, 45th

HR 1401: Tumlin, Natalie; advocacy movement for people with disabilities: Remembering Natalie Tumlin and her contributions to the advocacy movement for people with disabilities; recognizing the contributions of direct support professionals in supporting people with disabilities to live, work, and participate in their communities. Sponsors: Manning 32nd, Tumlin 38th, Cooper 41st, Johnson 37th, Parsons 42nd. Status: House Read and Adopted

Legislation Tracker You may view any bill in its entirety at: http://www.legis.state.ga.us
This is the second year of a 2 year session. Monday March 27th is the 38th Legislative Day.

HB 1473: Social Security Act; certain waivers; require prior legislative approval.for the submission of certain waivers pursuant to Section 1115 of the federal Social Security Act; to provide for an effective date; to provide for related matters; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes. Sponsors: Brown 69th, Channell 116th, Stephens 164th, Shaw 176th, Ehrhart 36th. Status: Senate Read and Referred

SB 208: Central Registry: relating to treatment and rehabilitation of spinal cord disabled and head-injured persons, so as to create a state-wide central registry for traumatic brain and spinal cord injuries; to require that certain information relating to brain or spinal cord injured persons be reported to the Brain and Spinal Injury Trust Fund Commission; to provide for certain duties of the commission. Sponsors: Meyer von Bremen, 12th, Stephens, 27th, Thomas, 54th, Hooks, 14th, Carter,13th. Status: Passed House, sent to Governor for signature.

HB 1498: Medicaid Estate Recovery Act; relating to medical assistance generally, so as to provide that estate recovery under Medicaid shall not apply to estates valued at $100,000.00 or less; to provide for hardship waivers to estate recovery for certain circumstances; to specify when claim may be made against the estate of a Medicaid recipient; and for other purposes. Sponsors: Stephenson 92nd, Orrock 58th, Jamieson 28th, Porter, 143rd, Mosby 90th. Status: House Second Readers [Part of the Estate Recovery Bill was amended onto HB 1473, see above.]
Budget Overview

SB 390: Classrooms First for Georgia Act; require local schools to spend minimum operating funds on direct classrooms expenditures. Sponsors: Chance 16th, Moody 56th, Carter 13th, Unterman 45th, Staton 18th, Hill 32nd.

Senate passed the FY 2007 Budget on March 22. The differences between the House and Senate Budget are listed below in Bold print.

Status: Senate agrees to House substitute
SB 480: Georgia Qualified Medication Aide Act: so as to provide for the

Fiscal Year 2007 Budget:

certification of qualified medication aides; to provide for powers and

DHR

responsibilities of the Georgia Board of Examiners of Licensed Practical Nurses;

to provide for certification standards and requirements, etc. Sponsors:

Olmstead - Fund 1500 MR/DD slots to Unlock the Waiting Lists; Adult services,

Unterman, 45th; Thomas, 54th, Goggans, 7th. Status: House Committee

$9,993,472; Child and adol. Services, $2,046,857.

State Funds: $12,040,329

favorably reported; sent to Rules.

Total funds

$25,148,408

[These funds provide more than 6 months funding for some of the slots, and some

SB 500: 2006 Georgia Accuracy in Elections Act; require all electronic

infrastructure to build community capacity.]

recording voting systems to produce a permanent paper record of the votes

(Senate: Fund 1550 Services for 6 months, state funds $11,598,794: Senate

recorded on such systems for each voter; to provide that voters have an

added 1500 MRWP waiver services at 12 months of funding $24,147,199 state

opportunity to verify such record after voting; to provide for certain storage

funds)

devices for such systems; to provide that such paper records be retained for use

in recounts and election challenge proceedings. Sponsors: Hill 32nd, Staton

Realize savings by reducing non-psychiatrist physicians at Central State Hospital in

18th, Stephens 27th, Wiles 37th. Status: House Committee Favorably reported. the adult mental health sub-program ($900,000) Central State Forensic Secure

inpatient services ($300,000) and State Institutional Services Adult Developmental

SB 542: Relating to durable power of attorney for health care, so as to amend Disabilities subprogram ($900,000)

Total:

(2,100,000)

the signature requirement; to provide for related matters; to provide for

applicability; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes. Sponsors: Hill,

32nd; Harp, 29th; Smith, 52nd. Status: Senate passed, House second readers

Realize savings by consolidating the Craig Nursing Center and the Nursing Home Center in the State Hospital Services-Adult Mental Health subprogram ($1,041,854), the State institutional Services-Adult Developmental Disabilities subprogram ($307,269) and the Direct Care Support Services subprogram ($150,877) of the Adult Services program and eliminate 38 positions. (1,349,123)

Transfer 19 mentally disabled and seriously emotionally disturbed child and adolescent consumers from Northwest Georgia Regional Hospital to the community in the Child and Adolescent Services program and eliminate 32 positions.
(1,002,687)

Annualize the cost of 925 waiver slots on the Mental Retardation/Development

Disabilities Waiting List in the Adult Services program, $2,648,987; and the child

and adolescent community services program, $548,430.

$3,197,417

Total funds: $8,302,823

Provide community services and forensic placements for consumers at West Central

Georgia Regional Hospital through the following strategies:

$3,062,846

Transfer TANF funds to support developmental disabilities for adults to children

and adolescents

Total funds, $3,487,988

Transfer the American Association of Adapted Sports Program contract from

DOL's Warm Springs program to the Community Services Program, Child and

adolescent services,

$248,069; and add additional funding; $250,000

(Senate removed additional $250,000)

Provide funds for an additional 1000 slots in the Community Care Services Program

for eligible elderly clients to enable them to be cared for at home, and fund for 12

months.

$3,615,330

Total Funds

$4,314,375

Improve customer service by expanding the Division of Aging Services' Information, screening and assistance (Gateway) operation to include service to individuals with developmental disabilities (Aging and Disability Resource Center)
$1,300,000 (Senate removved the $1,300,000)

Provide additional funding for the Marcus Institute to serve children with disabilities $2,000,000
(Senate, $500,000)

Provide additional funding for the Matthew Reardon Center to serve children with

disabilities

$100,000

Provide evaluation and technical assistance funding to the Family Connection

Partnership.

$250,000

DCH FY 2007

Reduce Medicaid benefit costs by implementing am Administrative Services

Organization model as a gatekeeper and manager of services.

House: $24,847,200 Senate: $26,229,750

Total $39,674,223

$35,926,380

Add 152 slots to the Independent Care Waiver Program (ICWP) $3,286,957 state $8,535,333 total
(Senate, 10 slots annualized from FY 2006 budget, and 142 new slots)

Transfer state funds from the Department of Human Resources community services adult program to implement Georgia Healthy Families which serves Medicaid clients who receive mental health services.
$17,910,517 (Senate, $17,178,027)

Increase reimbursement for Speech Therapy visits.

State, $346,590 Total funds $553,410

Provide Dental coverage for Medicaid eligible pregnant women (designated codes) State, $2,500,000 Total funds $6,491,820

DCA FY 2007

Provide grants for accessibility improvements at owner-occupied homes in which an

individual with a physical disability resides

300,000

DOE FY 2007

Redirect $500,000 from Curriculum Development to Testing to align the

Georgia Alternate Assessment (GAA) with the new Georgia Performance

Standards Curriculum (House: new money, not redirect)

$500,000

Provide funds for QBE enrollment growth of 2.5% and increase in teacher

training and experience.

$201,590,47

Provide funds to reduce the individual maximum class size for Grades K-8 $163,164,787

Provide for an increase in equalization grants

$46,575,439

Improve graduation rates by providing grants to school systems to fund 1 HS

completion counselor for every HS

0

(House included funding as part of QBE formula, not new program)

Provide funds for academic coaches in Needs Improvement Schools $2,467,578
Provide funds to restore half of the FY 2003 reduction to the QBE formula funding for media materials increasing the rate from $9.77 to $14.65 per FTE.
$7,646,577 (Senate increased rate to $11.07 per FTE, $1,989,176)

DOL FY07

Reduce Special Purpose Contracts and Purchase of Service Contracts by 2%

Within the Department of Vocational Rehabilitation Services division.

[These funds provide employment services through community-based agencies]

House: restore funds and add additional

$363,928

(Senate, reduced local programs by $255,000)

For the compete budget reports, go to: http://www.opb.state.ga.us/
For current advocacy alerts, fact sheets and other information regarding the waiting lists go to www.unlockthewaitinglists.com, or the DD Council Website, www.GCDD.org/Public Policy.
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.

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