Moving forward, vol. 9, no. 14 (2004 April 9)

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Volume 9, Issue 14 April 9, 2004
Moving Forward
For Your Information...
After a 40th day that went down to the wire and a budget that passed both houses, Governor Perdue has indicated he will call a special session of the General Assembly because HB 1181, which is the state's budget for fiscal year 05 that would take effect July 1st, is out of balance by at least $57 million. Georgia's constitution requires a balanced state budget. The discrepancy is because a compromise could not be reached on HB 869, which would have provided funds in the budget for the new public defender system through court fines and fees. The Governor determines which issues will be on the agenda for the special session.
Stay tuned to the Georgia Advocacy Alert listserve for news and updates.
Legislation Tracker
The bills below passed this session and await the Governor's signature to be passed into law. All other bills must begin anew in the 2005 session since this is the end of a two-year cycle.
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 shall be a misdemeanor; interfering with reckless disregard shall be a misdemeanor or a high and aggravated misdemeanor. Sponsors: Rice, Millar, Dix, Sholar, Jenkins
HB 1176: Disabled persons; redefine; temporary parking permits Summary: to allow those who provide transportation for the person with a visual impairment 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
HB 1190: Education; amend provisions Summary: to revise certain provisions regarding education flexibility and accountability regarding school councils; early intervention programs; budgeting, funding, and accounting; program weights; and effectiveness assessment Sponsors: O'Neal, B. Coleman, Burkhalter, Golick

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
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
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
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
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
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
Budget Update
The following Fy05 budget was passed by the House and Senate and awaits action by the Governor.
Department of Community Health:
Katie Beckett premiums eliminated: $1,506,185 Adult dental fully restored : $5,681,030 Orthotics and prosthetics restored fully: $1,600,000 Medicaid coverage up to 200% FPL: $12,805,784 State funding for Medicaid: $368,000,000 Use existing SOURCE sites to provide disease management to high-cost

Medicaid members: ($985,946)
Department of Education:
Reduce Funding for Vocational lab supervisors: ($3,000,000) Additional funds for QBE formula: $204,008,472 Teacher pay increases: 2% raises effective Jan. 1, 2005
Department of Human Resources:
Restored Healthy Mothers/Healthy Babies Powerline: $16,000 High risk pregnancy tertiary care centers: ($450,000) Reduced operating expenses for the Long Term Care Ombudsman: ($50,000) Restore funds to keep Craig Nursing Home open, Milledgeville: $1,086,787 10 slots for Unlock the Waiting List (MRWP): $318,035 5 additional slots for ICWP: $100,000 Olmstead: Transition 20 consumers with developmental disabilities from hospitals to community; $1,161,154 Provide two regulatory staff to license and monitor community living arrangements: $100,000 Consumer benefits and operating costs from the Brain and Spinal Injury Trust Fund: $1,000,000
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
15 of these will get help this year under the current FY05 Budget reported above.
See http://www.gcdd.org/programs/unlock/index.htm for more information on the waiting lists.
GENERAL INFORMATION
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