Moving forward, vol. 16, no. 5 (2011 February 4)

Moving Forward
Brought to you by the Georgia Council on Developmental Disabilities

The Developmental Disabilities Advocates' Guide to Legislation
Feb 4, 2011 Volume 16--Issue 5

Budget: Appropriations subcommittees continued their review of agencies' requests for the FY 2011 budget. On Wednesday, Rep. Houston, Chair of House Human Services Appropriations Subcommittee heard testimony from over 20 advocates regarding the closure of state hospitals and the need for comprehensive planning for community services and supports for people with mental illness and developmental disabilities under the DOJ Settlement Agreement. Many challenges need to be addressed, but all agree the work is necessary and right.

Calendar: Session will be in next Monday (2-7), Wednesday, Thursday for days 11, 12 and 13; and the following Tues (2-15), Wed and Thurs for Days 14, 15, and 16.

Governor Deal has confirmed that he will speak at Disability Day at the Capitol!

House and Senate News:

DBHDD Budget continued:

House Leadership -- Speaker of the House: David Ralston, Annualize the cost of the FY 2011 150 waiver slots for the

7th; Speaker Pro Tempore: Jan Jones, 46th. The Speaker

New Options Waiver (NOW) and Comprehensive Waiver

vote is held the opening day of the session, but we do not expect any changes. Majority Leader: Larry O'Neal 146th;

$7,092,697

Minority Leader: Stacey Abrams.

Provide for 250 additional waivers for NOW and COMP; 150

Senate Leadership--Presiding: Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle; President Pro Tempore: Tommie Williams, 19th; Majority

to transition people from hospitals, 100 for the community

(6 months of funding)

$7,463,475

Leader: Chip Rogers, 21st; Majority Whip: Cecil Staton, 18th; Minority Leader: Robert Brown, 26th. Minority Whip: Steve Henson, 41st.

Replace loss of the enhanced Federal Medical Assistance

Percentages (FMAP) from (ARRA) of 2009.

$42,144,989

Contact information for the Governor--The Honorable Nathan Deal, 203 State Capitol, Atlanta, Georgia, 30334;

[Note: With the $42,144,989 above, $8,166,004 added to Adult Mental Health, and #,790,838 added to Child and

404-656-1776, http://gov.state.ga.us

Adolescent Mental Health, the state dollars to replace the

Visit www.vote-smart.org to identify your legislators. Find

loss of ARRA funds are made whole.]

your legislators' contact information at www.legis.state.ga.us House Information, 1-800-282-5800; Senate Information 1-800-282-5803.

Realize efficiencies of serving fewer consumers in institutions

by closing one state hospital.

Direct Support Services

(3,270,191)

Budget Information, Governor's Proposed Budgets The 2011 Session tackles the 2011 supplemental budget, Reduce one-time funds for the Marcus Institute. (235,000)

referred to here as FY 2011A, (ending June 30, 2011) and Department of Community Health; FY 2011:

2012 FY budget (beginning July 1, 2011). Cuts are in ( ).

State dollars unless indicated. We've kept FY2011 and FY Infant and Child Essential Health: Reduce programmatic

2012 figures for BHDD only. All others, FY 2011 retained. grant-in-aid to County Boards of Health.

(167,798)

Reflect savings from the phase out of the Babies Born

Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Healthy program.

(339,605)

Disabilities; Georgia reached a settlement with the

Department of Justice on October 19, 2010. Figures below Infant and Child Health Promotion: Reduce funds for

support the Settlement Agreement. See the GCDD website personal services.

(854,036)

for the Settlement documents.

Health Facilities Regulation: reduce funds for 6 new state

FY 2011A

licensure positions in FY 2011 appropriations. (478,181)

Department of Education, FY 2011A

Provide funding for 400 family supports, 5 crisis respite

homes, and 6 mobile crisis teams to serve people in

Reduce funds provided for Residential Treatment Centers

community settings.

$2,778,820 (154,804), Sparsity Grants (119,332), and Special Needs

Scholarships (483,318).

[Note: This is broken down into $347,400 for Family

Support and $2,404,420 for mobile crisis teams and crisis Preschool Handicapped: Reduce funds.

(1,138,638)

respite homes.]

Pupil Transportation, reduce funds.

(5,545,136)

Replace loss of the enhanced Federal Medical Assistance

Percentages (FMAP) from the American Recovery and

Reinvestment Act of 2009. (ARRA)

$8,075,835

[Note: With the $8,075,835 above, $1,564,772 added to Adult Mental Health, and $726,402 added to Child and Adolescent Mental Health, the state dollars to replace the loss of ARRA funds are made whole.]

QBE Formula: Provide a mid-term adjustment for

enrollment growth.

$83,024,414

Provide differentiated pay for newly certified math and

science teachers.

$12,664,855

Reduce funding provided for the RESAs core services. (241,172)

FY 2012

Reduce funds for GNETS (SED)

(2,622,953)

Provide funding for 400 family supports, 5 crisis respite homes, and 6 mobile crisis teams for people with DD
$12, 800, 081
[Note: This is broken down into $1,684,800 for Family Support and $9,617,681 for mobile crisis teams and crisis respite homes.]

School Nurses: Reduce funding for grants.

(1,099,980)

Department of Labor; Vocational Rehabilitation

FY 2011A

Reduce funds for personal services.

(1,079,897)

Reduce funds for contracts.

(323,090)

The Georgia 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.

Department of Human Services; FY 2011A and

ceptions. Sponsors: Hamilton, 23. Meadows, 5; England,

2012 (Division of Aging Services)

108; Mosby, 90; Heard, 114; Sheldon, 105. Status: House Second Readers.

Eliminate the contract with the Center for the Visually Impaired. (177,859)

HB 97: to provide for a substantive and comprehensive reform of provisions regarding the minimum wage law; to provide for an increase in the minimum wage; to provide for

Reduce funds for Alzheimers Respite Services

annual minimum wage increases to match the rising cost of

(225,000) and Non-Medicaid Home Community Based living; to provide a credit toward the minimum wage for

Respite Services

(1,376,718) employers of tipped workers; to eliminate various eligibility

exemptions from the minimum wage. Sponsors: Brooks,

Transfer the Family Connection program to the

63; Morgan, 39; Taylor, 55; Beasley-Teague, 65; Bruce, 64;

Governor's Office of Children and Families and

Randall, 138. Status: House Second Readers.

recognize savings from consolidation

(9,374,089) HB 132: to require certain insurance coverage for physician

Legislation:

prescribed special dietary foods or formulas for specific chronic medical conditions; to provide a short title; to

HB 23: to enact the "Foster Children's Psychotropic

provide for definitions. Sponsors: Watson, 163; Lindsey,

Medication Monitoring Act"; to require the Department of

54; Benfield, 85. Status: House First Readers.

Human Services to establish regulations governing the use

of psychotropic medications for foster children in state

HB 138: to provide limitations on when in-person absentee

custody. Sponsor: M.Oliver, 83. Status: House Second balloting may be conducted; to provide for a period of

Readers

advance voting; to provide for procedures; to provide for

HB 24: to substantially revise, supersede, and modernize provisions relating to evidence, [including] to change

exceptions. Sponsor: Maddox, 172. Status: House First Readers.

provisions relating to foreign language interpreters and

SENATE

interpreters for the hearing impaired. Sponsors: Willard,

49; Lindsey, 54; Weldon, 3, Dobbs, 53; Jacobs, 80.

SB 2: to provide for the duties and responsibilities of the

Status: House Second Readers

Legislative Sunset Advisory Subcommittee; to authorize the

HB 52: to add public and private schools, public and private colleges, and public and private universities to the places where disabled persons may be accompanied by a guide or service dog; to prohibit the requiring of extra deposits for

subcommittee to review and evaluate state agencies' productivity, efficiency, and responsiveness; to provide fo r the automatic abolition of certain state agencies. Sponsor: Hill, 32. Status: Senate Prefile.

persons with guide or service dogs. Sponsor: Bearden, 68. Status: House Second Readers

SB 14: to raise the age of mandatory education from 16 to 17; to revise provisions relating to adult literacy for

HB 65: to clarify that nonidentifying medical information

purposes of conformity. Sponsor: Jackson, 2; Jones, 10;

contained in adoption records shall be open to certain

Sims, 12. Status: Senate Read and Referred.

persons for purposes of providing medical treatment and diagnoses. Sponsor: McCall, 30. Status: House Second Readers

SB 19: to create the crime of medical identity fraud; to provide for punishment; to provide that actual and punitive

HB 77: to amend an Act providing appropriations for the State Fiscal Year beginning July 1, 2010, and ending June 30, 2011. Sponsors: Ralston, 7; Jones, 46; O'Neal, 146;

damages are available to victims of medical identity fraud. Sponsors: Hill, 32; Butterworth, 50. Status: Senate Read and Referred.

England, 108; Collins, 27; Huckaby, 113. Status: House First Readers

SR 19: Creating the Senate Study Committee on Advance Directives. Sponsor: Hill, 32. Status: Senate Read and

HB 78: to make and provide appropriations for the State

Referred.

Fiscal year beginning July 1, 2011 and ending June 30, 2012. Sponsors: Ralston, 7; Jones, 46; O'Neal, 146; England, 108; Collins, 27; Huckaby, 113. Status: House First Readers

SR 54: Creating the Senate Study Committee on Health Care Transformation. Sponsor: Hill, 32. Status: Senate Read and Referred

HB 92: to provide limitations on when in-person absentee balloting may be conducted; to provide for a period of advance voting; to provide for procedures; to provide for ex-

www.gcdd.org www.unlockthewaitinglists.com

Dates to Remember:
February is Self-Advocates Month at the Capitol Mental Health Day at the Capitol: February 9th Advocacy Day at the Capitol for Unlock the Waiting Lists: February 15th
Disability Day at the Capitol: February 24th!

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