Moving forward, vol. 13, no. 1 (2007 December 18)

Moving Forward
Brought to you by the Governor's Council on Developmental Disabilities

The Developmental Disabilities Advocates' Guide to Legislation
December 18, 2007 Volume 13--Issue 1

Welcome to the 2008 Legislative Session
Welcome to the 13th edition of Moving Forward, your guide to the Legislative Session. This is the second year of a 2 year session, so we will be listing some carryover bills that we are still following, as well as some new pre-files. This issue of Moving Forward is the reference issue; in it you will find information on the budget process, how a bill becomes a law, definitions and translations of acronyms and information on the House and Senate leadership. If you are in a district with a new legislator, make the effort to introduce yourself and share your perspective.
Remember Disability Day at the Capitol is February 21-- Register now at www.gcdd.org. If you visit the Capitol during the session, look for the DD advocates on the third floor outside the double elevators! Here we go!

How a Bill Becomes a Law
Legislation 101

The Budget Process
How does it work?

Any legislator in either chamber (House or Senate) can initiate a bill on any matter. The Constitution provides that all appropriations and revenue-raising bills MUST originate in the House. To introduce a bill, a member files it with the Clerk. The bill is read to the chamber the next day at which time each member has a printed copy on his/her desk to study. When it is first read, the bill is referred to a committee. On the next legislative day, the bill is read for the second time so it will be ready for action when it comes out of the committee. At the third and final reading, there is a debate. Amendments (changes in the original bill), or even complete bill substitutions may be offered by the committee that studied the bill or by a member from the floor. Sometimes there may be several versions of one bill before the committee can agree.
Parliamentary maneuvers are sometimes very confusing to spectators. These rules help to maintain order. For instance, when any subject is up for consideration, or under debate, no motion can be received. Assuming that a bill survives parliamentary maneuvers, the vote is taken. If a measure receives a majority of votes, it is passed and sent to the other chamber for consideration. Then the other chamber can either pass the bill or defeat it. If the legislation is amended, it is returned for consideration by the originating chamber. When the House and Senate disagree about amended portions, the presiding officers of each body appoint members to a conference committee which tries to find an acceptable compromise which must be approved by a majority of both houses. If the second chamber passes the bill without any changes, it is sent to the Governor who can sign it or veto it. If he signs it, it becomes law; if he vetoes it, the bill "dies" and would have to be reintroduced another year. Sometimes the Governor does not sign it or veto it, and 40 days after the end of the session the bill, unsigned, becomes law.

Currently, state agencies are operating under the FY2007 budget approved by the General Assembly last spring. During the next session, legislators will make decisions regarding the supplemental budget, which is money that is unspent in this current year, and the House, Senate, and Governor's Office will negotiate on the budget for FY 2008 which begins July 1, 2007. In brief, the following is a draft of the budget process:
1. Each department or state agency submits formal budget requests to the Governor's Office of Planning and Budget (OPB). This year, the Governor directed all agencies to submit a budget based on flat funding, and a 2% cut. Agencies submitted Concept Papers for enhancements. (September) 2. A few subcommittees on appropriations held hearings on budget requests in December. 3. The Governor drafts a budget, and presents it during his annual budget address, sometime during January. 4. The House and the Senate each draft bills that include the proposed budget. Each chambers' Appropriations Committee and Sub-Appropriations Committees will study the proposed budget, hear testimony, and make recommendations and send the bill back to their respective chambers. (January - February) 5. The recommended changes and revisions will be voted on by House and Senate members. (February - March) 6. Each chamber will take their version of the budget to the Conference Committee (composed of three members from each chamber, appointed by their respective leaders) where legislators will negotiate and come to consensus on the budget. (March) 7. Each chamber will vote on the newly agreed upon budget and approve for the next fiscal year (March) 8. The state agencies will begin planning and implementing the new budget which will be effective on July 1, 2007.

All bills vetoed by the Governor are sent back to the presiding officer of the branch of the General Assembly where it originated with a list of reasons for the veto. The veto of the Governor can be overridden by two-thirds of the votes of the House and the Senate. When this happens, the bill becomes law. There is a special provision that any bills vetoed by the Governor after the adjournment of the General Assembly just before a gubernatorial general election are not subject to being overridden by the General Assembly. Every bill ever introduced becomes a permanent record in the Office of the Secretary of State.

Glossary
Appropriation--a specific amount of money that is intended for use by a specific state program DCH--Department of Community Health DD--Developmental Disabilities DHR--Department of Human Resources

DOE--Department of Education DOL--Department of Labor (Division of) MHDDAD Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities, and Addictive Diseases FY--Fiscal Year HB--House Bill HR--House Resolution SB--Senate Bill

The Governor's Council on Developmental Disabilities collaborates with Georgia citizens, public and private advocacy organizations, and policymakers to positively influence public policies that enhance the quality of life for people with developmental disabilities and their families.

Carryover Legislation and Prefiled Bills-- GCDD will follow this legislation...
HB 9: Electronic recording voting systems; permanent paper record; so as to require all electronic recording voting systems to produce a permanent paper record of the ballots cast on such systems for each voter; Sponsor, Bearden, T. 68th.

HB 235: Incapacitated persons; medical treatment; decision-making panel; so as to provide that a surrogate decision-making panel shall be included as a last resort entity that is authorized to consent to surgical or medical treatment on behalf of an incapacitated person; Sponsors, Shipp, R. 58th; Tumlin, S. 38th and others.

HB 540: Domestic relations; child support; to create a duty in certain circumstances to provide child support for a mentally or physically disabled child beyond the age of 18; Smith, T. 168th; Manning, J. 32nd.

HB 652: Blind Persons' Braille Literacy Rights and Education Act; to require Braille instruction in the individualized education program of a student who is a blind or visually impaired child; to provide requirements for the individualized education program; to provide requirements for textbook publishers; to provide requirements relating to Braille for certain teachers; Manning, J. 32nd; Reese, B. 11th.

HB 880: The Access to Postsecondary Education Instructional Material Act; to provide for requests to publishers for electronic versions of instructional material; Sheldon, D. 105th; Hembree, B. 67th.

HB 905: Building Resourceful Individuals to Develop Georgia's Economy Act; to implement programs to improve graduation rates and to improve the preparedness of students for postsecondary education and careers; to provide for involvement of parents and guardians; Millar, F. 79th; Richardson, G. 19th.
SB 13: Labor; minimum wage law; substantive/comprehensive reform of provisions; Brown, R. 26th, Davenport, G. 44th.
SB 277: Juvenile Proceedings; prohibit universal mental health testing/psychiatric screening of juveniles; Schaefer, N. 50th, Brown, R. 26th

Who Are My Elected Officials?--Find your legis-
lators, learn House and Senate leadership
Visit www.vote-smart.org to identify your legislators. Find your legislators' contact information at www.legis.state.ga.us House Information, 1-800-282-5800; Senate Information 1-800-2825803 Senate Leadership--Presiding: Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle; President Pro Tempore: Eric Johnson, 1st; Majority Leader: Tommy Williams, 19th; Majority Whip: Mitch Seabaugh, 28th; Minority Leader: Robert Brown, 26th; Minority Whip: David Adelman, 42nd
House Leadership-- Speaker of the House: Glenn Richardson, 19th; Speaker Pro Tempore: Mark Burhalter, 50th; Majority Leader: Jerry Keen, 179th; Majority Whip: Barry Fleming, 117th; Minority Leader: Dubose Porter, 143rd; Minority Whip: Carolyn Hugley, 133rd.

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 Development: Renee Unterman, 45th.
House Appropriations--Chair: Ben Harbin, 118th; Vice Chair Education: Jan Jones, 46th; Vice Chair Health: Mickey Channell, 116th; Vice Chair Human Services: Mark Butler, 18th.
Contact information for the Governor--The Honorable Sonny Purdue, 203 State Capitol, Atlanta, Georgia, 30334; 404-6561776, http://gov.state.ga.us

Take Action--Advocacy Questions and Answers
How can I take action on legislation? (1) Form a relationship with your representatives and senators by calling, emailing, faxing, and scheduling meetings to tell them about how their decisions on the budget and laws affect the quality of life for you and your family. (2) Visit GCDD's website for additional resources like fact sheets to utilize in your advocacy efforts: www.gcdd.org/ public policy (3) Visit www.unlockthewaitinglists.com and click on Action Center. How can I contact my state representative or senator? Every member has an email address. However, the most effective way to communicate is by letter or phone. Legislators prefer to hear from their own constituents and may not pay attention to mass emails or form letters from people outside their districts. Information about legislators is also available in the "White Book," available at www.legis.state.ga.us, click on "Picture Book" or obtain them from the House or Senate Clerks' Offices in the Capitol. How did my legislators vote? Voting Records are online by bill number, not by legislator. This may take up to five days following the actual vote. Go to www.legis.state.ga.us then click on House or Senate, then click on House votes or Senate votes for a complete roll call on how each person voted on a certain bill. Printed copies may be obtained from the Clerk of the House (404) 656-5015 or the Secretary of the Senate (404) 656-5040. A complete record of votes on every bill is available for a fee. How do I contact other state agencies? The State of Georgia is found at: www.state.ga.us and contains links to all state, many federal and local web resources. When is the General Assembly in session? The General Assembly will convene on Jan. 14, 2008. Annual sessions run for 40 Legislative days. Sessions normally end in late March, depending upon the number of recess days. Rarely, a special session is called by the Governor to deal with a big issue that cannot wait until the next January.

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