Governor Perdue Delivers Testimony to Congress Concerning SCHIP

Governor Sonny Perdue today delivered testimony concerning the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) to the Subcommittee on Health of the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Energy and Commerce.

“Georgia has done well in implementing SCHIP,” said Governor Sonny Perdue. “We’ve done too well – in fact, we’ve been penalized for it. We’ve enrolled so many kids in SCHIP that our percentage of uninsured children has dropped dramatically. And because of a flawed funding model that partially bases states’ allotments on the number of uninsured children, Georgia, along with our neighbors like Mississippi and North Carolina, are facing growing shortfalls.”

In his testimony, Governor Perdue again called on Congress to uphold its duty to appropriately fund the program and revise SCHIP’s funding formula to provide for a sustainable and stable future for this important program. As of January 2008, Georgia’s SCHIP program, PeachCare for Kids, provided health coverage to 234,720 children.

"If SCHIP were a snail darter or a purple bank climbing mussel, we would be suing the federal government under the Endangered Species Act," added Governor Perdue.

Governor Perdue also asked Congress to keep the focus of the program on children. "The key principle of SCHIP is that children should always be top priority. Our resources must focus first on children," said Governor Perdue. "This is not the case in every state right now. Some states have expanded their programs to include health insurance for other groups, even childless adults. But the goal of this program all along was to provide an answer to an insurance need for our most vulnerable population: low income children."

To read the Governor's complete testimony, click here.

House members in the Georgia General Assembly need to hear from voters in their districts immediately.

The House may vote this week on tax measures that could adversely our affect health care, education, transportation, services to families, and physical infrastructure for years to come.

As you probably know, House Speaker Richardson has proposed a major tax overhaul to cut some property taxes and increase sales taxes (reinstating the sales tax on groceries and taxing 176 services that are not taxed today). Far from making the tax system more stable or more equitable as a tax reform plan should, it will make taxes less fair and create an enormous funding shortfall.

The bills that constitute the plan (HR 1246 and HB 979) have passed out of the House Ways and Means Committee and may go to the House floor for a vote the week of February 25th. According to the state’s fiscal note accompanying the bill, this plan would create a state revenue decline of $827 million in when it is fully implemented in 2011. Unless state revenues grow by over 10% a year (experts say they are likely grow far more slowly), or the state raises other taxes, drastic program cuts would be necessary to cover the consequences of the tax changes, school enrollment growth, modest teacher pay increases, normal inflation, and other known costs. According to the Ga. Budget and Policy Institute, the projected shortfall is equivalent to state funding for:

·100% of PeachCare and 33% of Medicaid, or
·10% of Pre-K and K-12, or
·66% of Corrections, or
·49% of DHR, or
·35% of Regents

Please contact your State Representative now! Let her or him know that as a voter and taxpayer, you know this plan is bad for the people in your district and for all the people of Georgia. Ask your Representative to vote against HR 1246 and HB 979.

Click these links for more details and analysis and fact sheets from the Georgia Budget and Policy Institute.

Click here to Locate your Representative.

Thank you!

From Georgia Coalition United for a Responsible Budget

Georgia DOE is accepting applications for State Advisory Panel Members

The State Advisory Panel for Special Education is made up of parents, educators and community leaders. The panel must be made up of 51 percent parents of children with disabilities (up to 25 years old) or a person with a disability. The SAP is a mandate under IDEA.

The SAP is established in accordance with IDEA for the purpose of providing policy guidance with respect to special education and related services for children with disabilities in the State. The mission statement indicates the function of the panel is to advise the Georgia Department of Education (GaDOE) regarding the State Performance Plan, State Improvement Grants, the Georgia Continuous Improvement Monitoring Process, IDEA Regulations and other initiatives designed to improve outcomes for all children with disabilities in Georgia’s schools.


Applications for membership on Georgia’s State Advisory Panel for Special Education are now available on the GaDOE website and will be accepted through March 1. Open positions for the upcoming year include 9 parents of students with disabilities or individuals with disabilities and 3 teachers or administrators responsible for the provision of services to students with disabilities. In order to broadly represent the State, applicants from the following congressional districts are needed: 2, 3,4,5,8,9,10,12,13. (See the Georgia Congressional map on the website with the application.)
Directions for submission are listed on the application.

Click here for the Application.

Services for the disabled sought

Advocates want more funding to help social and health programs.
By Brandon Larrabee, The Times-Union

ATLANTA - Heather Murray has been in state institutions for mentally disabled Georgians before. It's why she wants to make sure her 6-year-old son, Timothy, doesn't end up in one.

"When you're there, you get the feeling that they're only being maintained, that they're only taking care of their physical needs," said Murray, a Medical College of Georgia employee who lives in Grovetown.

But caring for Timothy, who has cerebral palsy and other disabilities, also requires sacrifices by Murray and her family. She points out that a parent can't exactly go out and hire a 12-year-old neighborhood baby sitter to watch a child who might have a seizure.

"What I really would like to do is be able to go on a date with my husband," Murray said.

Murray and parents like her were at the state Capitol earlier this week, asking lawmakers to put more funding into programs designed to keep people with mental and physical disabilities out of state institutions and nursing homes and in their communities instead.

Click here for the complete article.

Cherokee Parent Meets with Legislator at State Capitol About Disability Issues

Cherokee resident Waring Jackson met Wednesday (Feb. 13) with Senator Chip Rogers (R-Woodstock). Jackson was one of a number of Georgians from across the state who came to the Capitol to meet with their legislators about disability issues. Currently, there are close to 6,000 people with disabilities waiting for services in the state -- with an average of 1,000 new people added each year. Disability advocates are asking their legislators to expand services for people with disabilities to be able to live and work in the community. Advocates are also pushing to increase the rates paid to providers so that support workers can be adequately paid.

These meetings were coordinated by the Atlanta Alliance on Developmental Disabilities, a local not-for-profit organization providing family support, advocacy, and education for children, adults, and families living with developmental disabilities.

Legislative Day Conference Call

Tomorrow at 11am, we will have a conference call regarding last minute details for Legislative Day on February 13th. It will be a chance for you to ask questions or discuss any concerns you may have. I encourage everyone who can to participate in the call. Please send me your appointment times with legislators if you have not already, so I can keep track of when most people are coming down.

Please contact Rita@aadd.org or 404-881-9777 x 220 if you have not received the calling codes.

We are looking forward to a great day at the Capitol!

Governor Perdue Creates Commission on Restructuring the Department of Human Resources

Monday, February 4, 2008
Contact: Office of Communications 404-651-7774
Committee to make recommendations to the Governor and General Assembly by July 2008

Governor Sonny Perdue signed an executive order today creating a commission that will make recommendations on restructuring the Georgia Department of Human Resources (DHR). The commission will make its recommendations in a report to the Governor and the General Assembly by July 2, 2008.

“We must ensure that we are not just getting the best possible value for our investment in DHR – but that we are also providing the best possible service for the people of Georgia,” said Governor Sonny Perdue. “That’s why today I have signed an executive order creating a commission to make recommendations on restructuring DHR, to make sure Georgians receive the most efficient service at the least cost to taxpayers.”

The commission will recommend a plan to restructure DHR. Such a recommendation may include combining, consolidating or separating divisions within DHR as well as the Department of Community Health (DCH) and the State Personnel Administration (SPA).

For the complete Press Release, please click here