Fourth Week of the Session

WRAPPING UP THE FY06 BUDGET
The week of January 30th, the fourth week of the session, ended on Friday with day 13 in a 40 day long session. The House passed the FY2006 supplemental budget without debate. From Brandon Larrebee with the Athens Banner Herald:

A slate of midyear revisions to the $17.9 billion state spending plan sailed through the House on Friday, passing 159-1 with no debate...It also took out funding that would have backed the governor's Medicaid modernization initiative, which was postponed. Advocates had warned that the plan could affect the quality of health care the joint federal-state program provides to low-income Georgians. "We will make sure that this body has some input into that," Harbin said. The House also ordered the state Department of Community Health to again cover some dental benefits the agency had slashed for PeachCare patients last year. PeachCare is the joint federal and state health care program for children whose family income is too high to qualify for Medicaid but not high enough to pay for private insurance...

The FY06 now moves to the Senate for consideration...

Senate Appropriations Chairman Jack Hill, R-Reidsville, said he hadn't yet gotten a chance to review all of the House's recommended changes. He said he didn't expect a significant fight over the midyear budget in the Senate, either. "It's not a whole lot of big decisions," he said.

SURVEYS
We were very lucky to have had nine volunteers help us continue surveying legislators on their positions - with the total reaching 52 responses - all of which can be found by going to our Unlock website. We need your help with this project! If you are able to spend at least 2 hours at the Capitol any time between Monday and Thursday - let us know by sending us a email.

HEARINGS & MEETINGS
The Senate Human Development subcommittee met on Monday, receiving briefings from the Departments of Labor, Veteran Services and Human Resources. Interestingly, Commissioner Thurmond presented that his Department was "forced by the process" to make $116,000 in cuts to disability programs and was recommending to both the House and Senate to restore this money to the FY07 Budget.

This Senate hearing was held before the House finished their work on the FY07 budget, with another meeting held by the Senate Community Health Subcommittee of Appropriations taking public testimony at the same time as the House's Health Subcommittee on Appropriations, prompting Rep. Jeff Brown to remind the audience of his hearings that the "House is where the budget begins" and that his "committee works as an independent body" in developing the FY07 budget.

These overlapping meetings meant that we worked to get a presence and testimony presented at both meetings. In total, Unlock had seven people speak in support of unlocking either the MRWP or ICWP waiting lists for disability supports!

The week ended with a meeting initiated by an advocate and mom, Penny, with Speaker Glenn Richardson. Penny had called us before the session began wanting to know how she could help. After looking up her home address, we suggested that they attempt to do what we have not been able to do in the last 8 months! An example of where the strength of Unlock truly lies - in the passion of self-advocates and their families. Speaker Richardson committed to championing the proposal of Unlock slots that were sent to him by the Chairman of Appropriations, Rep. Ben Harbin.

We have our work cut out for us and will need your help!