Moving Forward Brought to you by the Georgia Council on Developmental Disabilities The Developmental Disabilities Advocates' Guide to Legislation Feb 25, 2011 Volume 16--Issue 8 Disability Day a huge success! Wonderful weather, a couple thousand people, prayers and recognition for advocates, high school students visiting their legislators and premiering their Credos for Friendship, a Waddie Welcome Reading.....It was a special, spirited event. The highlight was Governor Deal and his words of commitment to support people to live and work in their own communities. Adjournment Calendar: Monday is Day 20, halfway through the session. Day 30, Crossover Day, is scheduled for March 16th. The intent is to be out very close to the end of March. Committee meetings and hearings on the 2012 budget began. House and Senate News: DBHDD Budget continued: House Leadership -- Speaker of the House: David Ralston, Replace loss of the enhanced Federal Medical Assistance 7th; Speaker Pro Tempore: Jan Jones, 46th. Majority Percentages (FMAP) from (ARRA) of 2009. $42,144,989 Leader: Larry O'Neal 146th; Minority Leader: Stacey Abrams. [Note: With the $42,144,989 above, $8,166,004 added to Senate Leadership--Presiding: Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle; President Pro Tempore: Tommie Williams, 19th; Majority Adult Mental Health, and #,790,838 added to Child and Leader: Chip Rogers, 21st; Majority Whip: Cecil Staton, 18th; Adolescent Mental Health, the state dollars to replace the Minority Leader: Robert Brown, 26th. Minority Whip: Steve loss of ARRA funds are made whole.] Henson, 41st. Realize efficiencies of serving fewer consumers in institutions Contact information for the Governor--The Honorable Nathan Deal, 203 State Capitol, Atlanta, Georgia, 30334; 404-656-1776, http://gov.state.ga.us by closing one state hospital. Direct Support Services (3,270,191) Visit www.vote-smart.org to identify your legislators. Find Reduce one-time funds for the Marcus Institute. (235,000) your legislators' contact information at www.legis.state.ga.us House Information, 1-800-282-5800; Senate Information Department of Community Health; FY 2011: 1-800-282-5803. Infant and Child Essential Health: Reduce programmatic Budget Information, Governor's Proposed Budgets grant-in-aid to County Boards of Health. (167,798) The 2011 amended budget is in conference committee. Reflect savings from the phase out of the Babies Born Cuts are in ( ). State dollars unless indicated. We've Healthy program. (339,605) kept FY2011 and FY 2012 figures for BHDD only. All others, FY 2011 retained. Infant and Child Health Promotion: Reduce funds for personal services. (854,036) Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Health Facilities Regulation: reduce funds for 6 new state Disabilities; Georgia reached a settlement with the licensure positions in FY 2011 appropriations. (478,181) Department of Justice on October 19, 2010. Figures below support the Settlement Agreement. Department of Education, FY 2011A FY 2011A Reduce funds provided for Residential Treatment Centers Provide funding for 400 family supports, 5 crisis respite homes, and 6 mobile crisis teams to serve people in (154,804), (s) (87,434) Sparsity Grants (119,332), and Special Needs Scholarships (483,318) (H,S) (120,829) community settings. $2,778,820 Preschool Handicapped: Reduce funds. (1,138,638) [Note: This is broken down into $347,400 for Family Support and $2,404,420 for mobile crisis teams and crisis Pupil Transportation, reduce funds. (5,545,136) respite homes.] QBE Formula: Provide a mid-term adjustment for Replace loss of the enhanced Federal Medical Assistance enrollment growth. (G) $83,024,414 (H,S) $82,952,420 Percentages (FMAP) from the American Recovery and Provide differentiated pay for newly certified math and Reinvestment Act of 2009. (ARRA) $8,075,835 science teachers. (G) $12,664,855 (H,S) $12.648,503 [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.] Reduce funding provided for the RESAs core services. (241,172) Reduce funds for GNETS (SED) (2,622,953) FY 2012 School Nurses: Reduce funding for grants. (1,099,980) Provide funding for 400 family supports, 5 crisis respite Department of Labor; Vocational Rehabilitation homes, and 6 mobile crisis teams for people with DD $12, 800, 081 FY 2011A [Note: This is broken down into $1,684,800 for Family Reduce funds for personal services. (1,079,897) Support and $9,617,681 for mobile crisis teams and crisis Reduce funds for contracts. respite homes.] (323,090) Annualize the cost of the FY 2011 150 waiver slots for the www.gcdd.org New Options Waiver (NOW) and COMP Waiver $7,092,697 www.unlockthewaitinglists.com Provide for 250 additional waivers for NOW and COMP; Stay in Touch! Go to www.gcdd.org / stay 150 to transition people from hospitals, 100 for the com- connected to register for all communications. munity (6 months of funding) $7,463,475 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 2012 (Division of Aging Services) Eliminate the contract with the Center for the Visually Impaired. (G) (177,859) (H,S) (133,354) Reduce funds for Alzheimers Respite Services (G: 225,000) (H,S: 168,750) and Non-Medicaid Home Community Based Respite Services (G: 1,376,718) (H,S: 1,032,538) Transfer the Family Connection program to the Governor's Office of Children and Families and recognize savings from consolidation (9,374,089) Legislation: Second Readers. HB 229: Relating to administrative hearings and appeals under Medicaid generally, so as to provide that the decision of the administrative law judge shall be the final administrative decision of the commissioner. Sponsors: Cooper, 41; Jacobs, 80; Channell, 116; Lindsey, 54; Oliver, 83. Status: Judy: Recommitted to Subcommittee on Civil. HB 231: To provide community alternatives to institutionalized care for treatment of mental illness, to change provisions relating to emergency treatment of mental illness and alcoholic and drug dependent individuals, and other matters. Sponsors: Willard, 49; Cooper, 41; McKillip, 115; Oliver 83; Gardner, 57. Status: HHS; House Second Readers. HB 23: To require the Department of Human Services to establish regulations governing the use of psychotropic medications for foster children in state custody. Sponsor: M.Oliver, 83. Status: HHS; House Second Readers HB 24: To substantially revise, supersede, and modernize provisions relating to evidence, [including] to change provisions relating to foreign language interpreters and interpreters for the hearing impaired. Sponsors: Willard, 49; Lindsey, 54; Weldon, 3, Dobbs, 53; Jacobs, 80. Status: Judy; House Withdrawn, recommitted. HB 258: To extend certain requirements of a peace officer to a member of the mobile crisis response team relating to emergency admissions of persons who are mentally ill; to authorize a licensed professional counselor to perform certain acts which physicians, psychologists, and others are authorized to perform regarding emergency examinations of persons who are mentally ill or alcoholic or drug dependent. Sponsors: Houston, 170; Neal, 1; Oliver, 83; Cooper, 41; Meadows, 5; Dempsey, 13. Status: House Second Readers. 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 persons with guide or service dogs. Sponsor: Bearden, 68. Status: H.Ed, Senate Read first time. 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; England, 108; Collins, 27; Huckaby, 113. Status: Approp: Passed Senate. HB 78: To make and provide appropriations for the State 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: Approp; House Second Readers HB 92: to provide limitations on when in-person absentee balloting may be conducted; to provide for a period of advance voting; Sponsors: Hamilton, 23. Meadows, 5; England, 108; Mosby, 90; Heard, 114; Sheldon, 105. Status: GAFF; Passed House by Rules Committee Substitute. HR 324: Relating to the habitation of the developmentally disabled generally, so as to revise definitions; to repeal various obsolete provisions relating to procedures for obtaining services from the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities relative to developmentally disabled persons; to provide for hearings by administrative law judges; to eliminate hearing examiners; Sponsors: Neal, 1; Collins, 27th; Cooper, 41; Gardner, 57; Murphy, 120. Status: House Second Readers. SENATE SB 14: To raise the age of mandatory education from 16 to 17; to revise provisions relating to adult literacy for purposes of conformity. Sponsor: Jackson, 2; Jones, 10; Sims, 12. Status: Ed&Y; Senate Read and Referred. SB 17: To establish the Special Advisory Commission on Mandated Health Insurance Benefits; to provide for review of proposed legislation containing a mandated health insurance benefit or provider; and other matters. Sponsors: Golden, 8; Goggans, 7; Shafer, 48. Status: I&L; Favorably reported, committee substitute. HB 132: to require certain insurance coverage for physician prescribed special dietary foods or formulas for specific chronic medical conditions; Sponsors: Watson, 163; Lindsey, 54; Benfield, 85. Status: Ins; House Second Readers. SB 19: To create the crime of medical identity fraud; to provide for punishment; to provide that actual and punitive damages are available to victims of medical identity fraud. Sponsors: Hill, 32; Butterworth, 50. Status: Judy; Senate Read and Referred. HB 181: Relating to the scholarship program for special needs students, so as to provide for the waiver of one of the scholarship requirements under certain conditions. Sponsors: Golick; 34; Coleman, 97; Casas, 103; Lindsey, 54; Nix, 69. Status: Educ; House Second Readers. SR 19: Creating the Senate Study Committee on Advance Directives. Sponsor: Hill, 32. Status: Senate Read and Referred. HB 226: To provide for the comprehensive regulation of Individual development accounts; to add to uses for individual development accounts. Sponsors: Sheldon, 105, Houston, 170; Hill, 21; Cooper, 41, Clark, 98. Status: HR&A: House www.gcdd.org www.unlockthewaitinglists.com Moving Forward e-Updates available at http://www.gcdd.orgpublicpolicyindex.htm 2 Peachtree Street, NW Suite 26-246 Atlanta, Georgia 30303 http://www.gcdd.org 888-ASK-GCDD TDD 404-657-2133 FAX 404-657-2132 Return service requested ( ) Please check here and return to your mail carrier if you no longer wish to receive Moving Forward.