Capitol News

The House voted to approve the FY07 and FY08 budgets on Friday, handing the budget over to the Senate for consideration. The Senate now are pressed to pass the FY08 budget on Monday or Tuesday so that the General Assembly will be able to pass the only legislation that they are sent to Atlanta - the State's budget. The House agreed with the Governor to fund 1,500 new MRWP services to Unlock Georgia's waiting lists for people with disabilities.

Stories popped up around the state covering his process

Several hours after the House and Senate signed off on the midyear plan in separate unanimous votes, the House adopted Gov. Sonny Perdue’s 2008 budget request 156-7, putting the Legislature on track to adjourn this year’s session next Friday.

These was an one cut in the budget that raises serious concerns concerning healthcare in Atlanta.

The House budget also rolled back $140 million in cuts to K-12 education proposed by Perdue to $100 million, offsetting that $40 million increase in part with $30 million in projected healthcare savings. Several Democrats questioned House Republican leaders’ plan to move aged, blind and disabled Medicaid patients into managed care at the beginning of next year.

“Can we actually do this by January of 2008?” asked Rep. Keith Heard, D-Athens.

Harbin said the Department of Community Health, which oversees Medicaid, has been planning such a step since the state moved the rest of Georgia’s Medicaid population — mostly women and children — into managed care last year. “This is the most expensive part of the (Medicaid) program,” he said, referring to the aged, blind and disabled category of enrollees. “If we’re going to do managed care, the whole population has to be included.”