Governor's Response to Sarah Pike

STATE OF GEORGIA
OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR
ATLANTA 30334-0900

Sonny Perdue
GOVERNOR

October 24, 2007

Dear Ms. Pike:

Thank you for contacting my office to share your thoughts regarding services for Georgians with disabilities. I appreciate your concerns.

I am proud of the support that we have been able to provide for Mental Retardation/ Developmental Disability (MR/DD) services during my administration. In Fiscal Year (FY) 2006, we provided funding for 925 new MR/DD services. The FY 2007 Appropriation Bill created funding for 1,500 new Medicaid Waiver services, including funding to allow 150 children, adolescents and adults with DD to transition from institutions to community services. Also, the FY 2007 budget included funds to strengthen our MR/DD system's capacity to meet the increasingly complex needs of our consumer population. On an annual basis, the FY 2007 appropriation will total over $19 million in state dollars, the largest increase in MR/DD funding in Georgia's history.

Developing our state's budget involves making difficult decisions as we must weigh and prioritize the many competing and important needs of the people of our state. However, I want to assure you that I will not forget my respect for and commitment to Georgians with disabilities during this budget cycle.

If you have concerns about a specific budget item, I invite you to share your ideas with the members of the General Assembly who represent your district, as the General Assembly has the constitutional duty to annually appropriate the funds necessary to operate all state agencies and departments. Thank you again for sharing your unique perspective.