Moving forward, vol. 9, no. 11 (2004 March 19)

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Volume 9, Issue 11 March 19, 2004
Moving Forward
For Your Information...
The 33rd legislative day turned out to be a marathon as lawmakers worked well into the night passing more than 60 bills and resolutions before the final gavel.
Education is always a major issue under the Gold Dome. HB 1190 allows the state Board of Education to grant more flexibility to local systems wishing to use new ideas to improve student performance. A number of amendments were offered, with a few receiving the necessary votes for passage. Among the approved amendments was a provision to authorize a 10 percent pay bump for nationally certified school psychologists, and an exemption for successful charter schools from state regulations and reporting requirements. When all was said and done, HB 1190 passed, as amended, by a vote of 175-2.
Legislation Tracker
The bills below survived the Day 33 crossover, at which point a bill must have passed at least one chamber in order to remain viable. Resolutions, however, have until the 40th and final day to pass the chamber in which they were introduced (though joint resolutions must pass both the House and the Senate).
View any bill in its entirety at www.legis.state.ga.us/legis/2003_04/leg/legislation.htm
HB 211: Assistance dogs; interfering with, assaulting, killing; penalties Summary: this bill would make it a felony for a person to assault, beat, harass, or injure guide dogs assisting persons with disabilities; interfering with assistance dog duties or attempting to do so shall be a misdemeanor; interfering with the use of an assistance dog with reckless disregard shall be a misdemeanor or a high and aggravated misdemeanor. Sponsors: Rice, Millar, Dix, Sholar, Jenkins Status: House passed; now in Senate Judiciary Committee
HB 363: Electronic Textbooks; make available to local boards, schools, and students Summary: The measure tightens-up language in previously passed legislation requiring textbook publishing companies to provide electronic versions of their products in Georgia. The new version would require textbook makers to provide complete and

accurate electronic versions of all textbooks recommended by the State Board of Education after July 1, 2004. Sponsors: Fludd, GreeneJohnson, Marin, Floyd, Holmes Status: Passed House, now in Senate Education Committee
HB 428: Intellectually Disabled Health and Fitness Program Fund; establish; special license plate Summary: did not come out of house on 33rd day, however, possible action as rider in Senate on a related Senate bill. Updates to follow.
HB 712: Colleges and technical schools; textbooks in electronic format Sponsor: Mobley Summary: to provide that each publisher of a textbook shall provide for use by students having a print access disability an electronic format accessible to Braille translation, text to speech, and screen-reading software of such textbook as is available Status: Passed House, now in Senate Higher Education Committee
HB 869: Civil filings and criminal fines; additional charges; repeal certain charges Summary: Reconfigures the system for charging and collecting fees that fund the Brain and Spinal Injury Trust Fund Commission. Sponsors: Coleman, Jenkins, Stephenson Status: Passed House, now moves to Senate Judiciary Committee
HB 1055: Audible Universal Information Access Services, Blind and Print Disabled Citizens Summary: to provide for the establishment of a statewide telecommunication system capable of providing audible universal information access services to blind and print disabled citizens. Sponsors: Childers, Porter, Reece, E. Stephens, R. Stephens, Millar Status: Passed House, Senate Committee favorably reported, Senate read second time
HB 1125: Education; bullying by students; amend provisions Sponsors: Hugley, V. Hill, Darryl, Dix, Buckner, Ashe Summary: to provide that policies relating to bullying behavior apply to students in kindergarten through grade 12; to change the content of local school board policies; to require training on bullying behavior for certain school system personnel; to provide that local school systems provide information to the Department of Education on the number and disposition of bullying incidents reported Status: Passed House, now in Senate Education Committee
HB 1176: Disabled persons; redefine; temporary parking permits Summary: Blind persons would be added to the list of individuals allowed to park in disabled designated spaces. The permit would allow those who provide transportation for the person to utilize the special parking spaces while in the company of the permit holder. Sponsors: C. Martin, J. Jones, A. Powell, J. Chambers, F. Millar Status: Passed House, now in Senate Public Safety and Homeland Security Committee
HB 1190: Education; amend provisions Summary: to provide for the revision of certain provisions regarding education flexibility and accountability; to change certain provisions regarding school councils; to change certain provisions regarding early intervention programs; to change certain provisions regarding budgeting, funding, and accounting; to change certain provisions regarding program

weights; to change certain provisions regarding effectiveness assessment Sponsors: O'Neal, B. Coleman, Burkhalter, Golick Status: Passed House, now in Senate Rules Committee
HB 1208: Local boards of education and school councils; amend provisions Sponsors: Buckner, Barnes, Parsons, Casas, Reece Summary: relating to community involvement in education and the role of local boards of education and school councils Status: Passed House, now in Senate Education Committee
HB 1310: Georgia Academic Placement and Promotion Policy; amend certain provisions Sponsors: Holmes, Bruce, Brooks, Hugley, Reece, Greene-Johnson Summary: relating to timetable for implementation of promotion policy, so as to delay the implementation of the Georgia Academic Placement and Promotion Policy for third graders for one year Status: Passed House, now in Senate Education Committee
HB 1384: Income tax credits; individual development accounts; comprehensive regulation Summary: provides for the formation of IDA programs (Individual Development Accounts) through matching funds for IDA's through tax credits, and includes a provision for using IDA savings for assistive technology. Sponsors: Sinkfield, Jamieson, Manning, Marin, M. Thomas, Orrock Status: Passed House, now in Senate Finance Committee
HB 1704: State program of health services; fiscal condition; annual reports Sponsors: Summary: to provide for annual reports on the fiscal condition of the state program of health services for individuals Status: Passed House, now in Senate Health and Human Services Committee
HR 1307: Disabled persons; home and community based services; urge certain funding Summary: to support a multiyear funding commitment to unlock the waiting lists for home and community based services for people with developmental disabilities and physical disabilities and that this plan should address both the short and long-term planning lists Sponsors: Manning, Shaw, R. Stephens, Epps, T. Coleman, Buckner Status: House Health and Human Services Committee
HR 1322: Special Lisence Plates, revenue dedication; certain nonprofit organizations Summary: to authorize the General Assembly to provide for special motor vehicle license plates, dedicate the revenue from such plates for specific purposes, and appropriate the revenues so dedicated, including appropriations for the ultimate use of nonprofit organizations where it is found that there will be a benefit to the state Sponsor: Parham Status: Passed House, now in Senate Public Safety and Homeland Security
SB 301: Lisence plates; special; parents of persons with disabilities Sponsors: Levetan, Adelman, Unterman, Tate, C. Jackson, Fort Summary: permit parents of disabled children to obtain a specially designed license plate to permit parking in accessible spaces. Status: Passed Senate, now in House Motor Vehicle Committee
SB 302: Handicapped parking; enforcement; change provisions Summary: change the provisions relating to persons who are authorized to

enforce restrictions on parking for persons with disabilities Sponsors: Levetan, Adelman, Clay, Henson, Unterman, Tate Status: Senate passed, now in House Motor Vehicles Committee
SB 428: School attendance requirements; driver's license; change penalties Summary: To amend rules regarding compulsory attendance, to establish student attendance protocol committees, revise the definition of "disciplinary orders", to change provisions in the student code of conduct, to restrict access to a driver's license for students who do not remain in school or seek alternative ways of completing their high school education. Sponsors: D. Lee, Shafer, P. Smith, Brush Status: Senate passed, now in House Education Committee
SB 429: Student Achievement, Office of education flexibility/accountability; revisions Sponsors: D. Lee, Shafer, P. Smith, Brush Summary: to revise provisions regarding school councils, early intervention programs, budgeting, funding and accounting, program weights, effectiveness assessment, organization of schools, legislative intents with respect to charter schools, and petitions to establish charter schools. Status: Passed Senate, now in House Education Committee
SB 481: Rules of the Road; Parking Law for Persons with Disabilities; redefine terms Summary: to redefine certain terms Sponsors: J. Hill, N. Thomas Status: Senate Passed, now in House Human Relations Committee
SB 500: Electronic voting system; permanent paper record; recounts/eletion proceedings Summary: to require all electronic recording voting systems to produce a permanent paper record of the votes recorded on electronic systems for each voter; to provide that voters have an opportunity to verify such record after voting; and that paper records be retained for use in recounts and election challenge proceedings Sponsors: Price, Stephens, Johnson Status: Senate passed with amendments, now in House Governmental Affairs Committee
SB 582: Head injured/spinal cord disabled persons; reporting procedures; provisions Summary: proposes to transfer the Central Registry from the Department of Labor Rehabilitation Services to the Brain and Spinal Injury Trust Fund Commission Sponsors: Meyer von Bremen, Hooks Status: Passed Senate, now in House Health and Human Services Committee
SR 461: Medicaid; Study Committee; create Summary: to study current policies and procedures of Medicaid and to develop statistics on utilization, costs, and expenses to enable the General Assembly to understand and determine appropriate levels of services and expenses. Sponsors: Unterman, T. Williams, Price, D. Thomas Status: Passed Senate
SR 784: Human Resources, DCH; urge to take actions for people with certain disabilities Summary: to support a multiyear funding commitment to unlock the waiting lists for home and community based services for people with developmental disabilities and physical disabilities and that this plan should address both the short and long-term planning lists Sponsors: Zamarripa, Levetan, Moody, Kemp,

Tolleson, C. Jackson Status: Senate Health and Human Services Committee
SR 822: Joint Study Committee on Aging and Developmental Disabilities; create Summary: to undertake a study of the conditions, needs, issues, and problems associated with aging and dd and to present findings by year-end. Sponsors: Zamarripa, Moody, Collins, Clay, Levetan Status: Senate Committee favorably reported, Senate read second time
Budget Update
The House voted out the FY'05 budget on March 15. Senate Appropriations Committee started work on the budget March 18. As of print time, the FY04 supplemental budget is still in conference. The following changes were made in the House to the Governor's recommendations for the FY05 Budget:
Department of Community Health: House restored the following to proposed cuts in Medicaid: Katie Beckett: $1,506,185 Adult dental : $5,681,030 Orthotics and prosthetics: 50% resored, $1,600,000 Medicaid coverage with incomes to 200% of FPL: $12,805,784
Department of Human Resources: Restored Healthy Mothers/Healthy Babies Powerline: $16,000 High risk pregnancy tertiary care centers: $450,000 Restored Long Term Care Ombudsman operating expenses: $43,281 Restore funds for Craig Nursing Home, Milliedgeville: $1,086,787 10 slots for Unlock the Waiting List (MRWP): $218,035
DHR CUTS: Olmstead: Transition 20 consumers with developmental disabilities from hospitals to community; ($1,161,154)
Current Waiting Lists For Services Over 4,200 people are waiting for help, including: 3,973 Georgians with Mental Retardation or Developmental Disabilities 300 people with severe physical disabilities Over the past year, there has been a 27% increase in the number of people waiting for services.
See http://www.gcdd.org/programs/unlock/index.htm for more information on the waiting lists.
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