Moving forward, vol. 11, no. 9 (2006 March 9)

Volume 11, Issue 9

March 9, 2006

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

Both FY 2006 and FY 2007 Budgets Clear the House!
On Wednesday, March 8, the House adopted the FY 2006 Supplemental Budget covering the remainder of this fiscal year (April 1 to June 30, 2006). In addition, they voted out the FY 2007 budget, covering July 1, 2006 to June 30, 2007. There were some exciting additions to the FY 2007 budget between the subcommittee approval and the full appropriations vote on Monday. See the budget detail below.
Monday, March 13 will be the 30th legislative day, also crossover day, when a bill must be voted out of the house it originated in if it is to keep moving.

SB 542: Relating to durable power of attorney for health care, so as to amend 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 first readers
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 898: Access to Postsecondary Education Instructional Material Act; to enact "The Access to Postsecondary Education Instructional Material Act"; to provide for definitions; to provide for requests to publishers for electronic versions of instructional material; to provide for duties of publishers. Sponsors: Hembree 67th, Millar 79th, Fludd 66th, Kidd 115th. Status: House Second Readers

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

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 Read and Referred
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: Passed House; Senate read ad referred

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
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
Legislation Tracker You may view any bill in its entirety at: http://www.legis.state.ga.us

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 read and referred.
HB1233: Children and youth services; transitional care centers; revise and add a definition relating to children's transitional care centers; to change certain provisions relating to licensing and inspection of child welfare agencies; to provide for related matters; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes. Sponsors: Cooper 41st, Cox 102nd. Status: House Second Readers.

This is the second year of a 2 year session. Monday March 13th is the 30th Legislative Day.

HB1435: Voting; persons with disabilities; relating to primaries and elections generally, so as to add certain definitions; to authorize an attendant care giver to

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

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: House Committee Favorably Reported

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: House Committee Favorably Reported.

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

SB 266: Persons with Disabilities; taxicab companies; accessible for motorized wheelchairs; relating to access to and use of public facilities by persons with disabilities, so as to require that certain taxicab companies

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

operating in this state shall have a certain number of taxicabs that are accessible to persons in motorized wheelchairs; to provide for related matters. Sponsors: Unterman 45th, Grant 25th, Balfour 9th.. Status: Senate Recommitted

HB 1464: PeachCare for All Kids Act; enact the "PeachCare for All Kids Act"; to repeal the "PeachCare for Kids Act"; to provide for a short title; to provide for definitions; to provide for the creation of the PeachCare for All Kids health care

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. Status: Senate agrees to House substitute

insurance plan; to provide for eligibility, health care services, and payment of premiums and copayments; to provide for accessing federal matching funds. Sponsors: Gardner 57th, Manning 32nd, Brown 69th, Ashe 56th, Oliver, 83rd, Hugley, 133rd. Status: House Second Readers

SB 480: Georgia Qualified Medication Aide Act: so as to provide for the HB 1473: Social Security Act; certain waivers; require prior legislative approval.for

certification of qualified medication aides; to provide for powers and

the submission of certain waivers pursuant to Section 1115 of the federal Social

responsibilities of the Georgia Board of Examiners of Licensed Practical Nurses; Security Act; to provide for an effective date; to provide for related matters; to

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

repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes. Sponsors: Brown 69th, Channell

Unterman, 45th; Thomas, 54th, Goggans, 7th. Status: Senate Read Second

116th, Stephens 164th, Shaw 176th, Ehrhart 36th. Status: House Committee

Time. [On Senate Calendar for March 9]

Favorably Reported

SB 500: 2006 Georgia Accuracy in Elections Act; require all electronic recording voting systems to produce a permanent paper record of the votes recorded on such systems for each voter; to provide that voters have an opportunity to verify such record after voting; to provide for certain storage devices for such systems; to provide that such paper records be retained for use in recounts and election challenge proceedings. Sponsors: Hill 32nd, Staton 18th, Stephens 27th, Wiles 37th. Status: Passed Senate, House First Readers

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

Budget Overview

Fiscal Year 2006 Budget: Conference committee settled HB 1026, the Supplemental Budget, and House adopted on Wed. March 8th.

***Conferees added $7.6 million dollars to "Add funds for the Katie Beckett waiver for families who don't meet the new criteria used starting October 2005. This funding will be the sole funding for those famlies as they are not going to be eligible for federal matching funds." Conference committee added, "Onetime state appropriated funds authorizing DHR to select a fiscal intermediary to establish an independently operated foundation who will determine the vehicle for distributing the funds."*** Although these funds were taken out of the FY 2006 budget, they will be available throughout FY 2007.

DHR: Annualize the cost of the 925 waiver slots for the MR/DD waiting list in the

community services adult program [$2,720,005] and child and adolescent

community services program [$564,592]

State funds: $3,284,597

Total funds

$8,302,823

DCH: Add 10 new slots to the Independent Care Waiver Program for Physical Disabilities and Traumatic Brain Injury starting April 1, 2006. State funds: $53,038

Fiscal Year 2007 Budget:

DHR

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

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

State Funds: $12,040,329

Total funds

$25,148,408

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

some infrastructure to build community capacity.]

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

the adult mental health sub-program ($900,000) Central State Forensic Secure

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

Disabilities subprogram ($900,000)

Total:

(2,100,000)

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

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

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

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

Fund the projected growth in Medicaid Benefits

State: $221,163,251 Total: $648,561,287

Contract with an enrollment broker to assist the care management population in

the selection of a CMO plan

$8,460,000

Add 152 slots to the Independent Care Waiver Program (ICWP) $3,286,957 state $8,535,333 total

Reduce Medicaid costs generated in the Aged, Blind and Disabled populations through the provision of better business practices to ensure that the member receives the right services at the right time for the right cost
(20,000,000)

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

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 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

Further details on the FY 2007 budget will follow. Senate Subcommittees expect to vote on the FY 07 budget Friday, March 10th.

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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