Friday, January 29, 2010

Extra Sales-Tax Penny Put On Hold

Local delegation says timing off

By Johnny Edwards and Walter Jones
Staff Writers
The Augusta Chronicle
January 29,2010

ATLANTA --- MOST is toast -- this year, anyway.

Augusta's legislative delegation has decided not to push for a Municipal Option Sales Tax in this year's General Assembly session, according to delegation Chairman Rep. Quincy Murphy. A measure allowing Augusta to collect an eighth sales-tax penny would require approval in the House and the Senate, then the governor's signature.

Murphy said Thursday that, based on conversations with members of the House leadership, the delegation concluded the timing is wrong.

"Considering what we're going to be dealing with here in Atlanta, it's just not a good time to go to our colleagues with that," Murphy said.

The Augusta Commission passed a resolution last week asking the delegation to sponsor a bill allowing voters to decide, by referendum in July or November, whether the tax should be imposed. MOST was floated last year as a way to solve the city's budget woes for years to come, maintaining city services without a need to raise property taxes.

Complicating the discussion is the fact that Augusta already has the maximum of two existing sales taxes that take one cent each per dollar of sale.

Adding another would not be as simple as passing so-called local legislation that only requires an OK from the majority of the local House and Senate delegation.

To exceed the maximum, the delegation would have to introduce a general bill that would apply statewide, requiring a vote by the whole House. Tax-increase votes are never easy in an election year, but the state's leaders also want to pass a statewide sales tax for transportation.

In conversations with those leaders and legislators outside the delegation, Murphy sensed Augusta's proposal would stall.

Augusta's proposed tax had the potential to loosen up a tight 2010 budget, adding about $9 million to Augusta's coffers before year's end if voters had approved it in July, and allowing for a 3-mill property-tax rollback.

Without banking on MOST, City Administrator Fred Russell managed to present a balanced 2010 budget with no tax increase, plugging an initial $8.6 million shortfall. The new tax might have alleviated the need for such measures as employee furloughs days and $1 million in cuts to the sheriff's office.

"It doesn't affect us at all," Mayor Deke Copenhaver said of the delegation's decision. "It would have been a nice option to have."

Commissioner Don Grantham, one of MOST's main proponents, said he's not giving up on getting approval for a vote on some form of penny sales tax before the legislative session ends. He said the commission might have been misinformed on what could legally be done, with some of the allowances of MOST being mixed up with what's permitted under the Local Option Sales Tax, or LOST, which Augusta already has.

"I just don't think our Law Department did their homework," he said.

Commissioner Bill Lockett, who voted against the resolution on Jan. 19, said he's pleased. The tax would harm the poor and seniors on fixed incomes far more than 3 mills hurts property owners, he said.

"Who is that penny going to impact most adversely?" he said. "Poor people, because they're going to be able to buy less at higher prices. What you're doing is robbing Peter to pay Paul."

http://chronicle.augusta.com/news/government/2010-01-29/extra-sales-tax-penny-put-hold?v=1264730044

The Augusta Chronicle ©2010 Morris Communications, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

University Hospital To Fight Proposed Fee

By Tom Corwin
Staff Writer
The Augusta Chronicle
January 28, 2010

University Hospital will be among the facilities fighting a fee proposal by Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue to plug a shortfall in Medicaid.

But the state has to do something and the resulting rate cut would have hit hospitals harder, a Perdue spokesman said.

At the monthly meeting Thursday of one of its operating boards, University Health Care System CEO J. Larry Read said the 1.6 percent fee on its net revenue would cost it $5 million.

Eventually, that loss would have to be borne by the hospital's patients, he said.

"And that's not a fair thing to do," Mr. Read said.

Because the federal government matches state Medicaid contributions at roughly a 3 to 1 rate, the fee would help the state plug what could be a $600 million hole in Medicaid in the next fiscal year, said Perdue spokesman Bert Brantley.

The deficit is in part caused by a loss of $212 million in one-time tobacco money and an increase in enrollment because of the economy.

The fee would also come back to the hospitals in increased revenue, so it would result in an increase of $277 million in state revenue with a total loss of $77 million to the hospitals, according to Perdue's office.

Some facilities, such as Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta, would come out ahead. Grady would gain $12 million because of its high volume of Medicaid patients.

Trinity Hospital of Augusta would come out more than $178,000 ahead.

Medical College of Georgia Hospital and Clinics would break even, according to the governor's figures.

If a cut is needed, it would be 16.5 percent across the board, which would raise about the same amount of revenue but cost hospitals $365 million, according to the governor's office.

"The choice is we've got to fill this hole," Brantley said. "Either there is going to be a provider rate cut or there is going to be a 1.6 (percent) provider fee. The vast majority of hospitals end up much better in the provider fee than they do in the rate cut."

University Hospital would lose $6 million under the rate cut scenario.

But Read and the Georgia Hospital Association both said they fear this is just the beginning for hospitals.

"It's a slippery slope," he said. "It's 1.6 (percent) this year. What is next?"

http://chronicle.augusta.com/news/health/2010-01-28/university-hospital-fight-proposed-fee?v=1264723524

The Augusta Chronicle ©2010 Morris Communications, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Hope Is In The Distance

A LITTLE DOSE of reality can make your perspective fall into place — if one understands that it is reality, of course.

Rome News-Tribune
Editorial
January 29, 2010

In his recent State of the City address, the chief operating officer of all Rome nuts-and-bolts for many years, John Bennett, cautioned that the current revenue pinch and belt-tightening is likely to continue for at least three years. Actually, he said that “at best, our revenues will not increase for several years.”

“Several” is of indefinite numerical value, usually meaning a minimum of three and topping out at an unknown “not many” quantity.

In other words, the current staffing reductions and service limitations that the city is dealing with, and sharing with the county, state and nation, are likely to continue until at least three years from now — that would be 2013.

And that’s the “best case” scenario. This could last longer and, unsaid, there ultimately could be no choice but to enhance revenues — that’s the clever way of saying raising taxes and/or fees. The fee stuff is already ongoing, of course.

Additionally, it should be remembered that a decline stopping does not mean the revenues of yesteryear are then attained overnight, or even in a decade ... or ever.

Given that Americans increasingly appear to dote of instant gratification and overnight remedies for whatever ails, the crux of this message was realism of the currently unpopular sort, whether for government, business or households. It is, simply, saying nothing more than “Learn to live with it.”

http://www.rn-t.com/view/full_story/5691839/article-Hope-is-in-the-distance?instance=news_page_lead_story

© 2009 RN-T.com

Thursday, January 28, 2010

House Speaker Visits Senate Seeking Closer Ties

By Ernie Suggs
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
January 27, 2010

In a rare public case of bipolitical chamber fellowship, Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle, in his role as president of the Senate, gave up his podium for a few minutes to a former state senator, newly-elected House speaker, David Ralston.

“The last time I was in this podium, I was saying goodbye,” said Ralston, who served in the Senate from 1992 until 1998. “Now, I am here saying hello.”

But the appearance by Ralston, the first former senator to become House speaker, was more than a quick hello. Both Ralston and Cagle have vowed to work together to bring both chambers closer to each other. On Tuesday, for example, they issued a joint statement calling for all members of both chambers to voluntarily submit to more work furloughs.

“Even though he is leading the other chamber, the spirit of cooperation and collaboration is so refreshing,” Cagle said. “Georgians don’t care about Senate bills or House bills. They just want stuff done.”

Just hours before President Barack Obama was to speak to the nation in his State of the Union address, Ralston played a similar role. Sen. George Hooks (D-Americus), the dean of the Senate,
said Ralston is the first speaker ever invited to address the Senate from the rostrum.

After Senate Sergeant at Arms Lorenzo Wallace announced Ralston's arrival, the speaker walked down the aisle, shaking hands and hugging members of the Senate.

“I have sat here for the last three sessions disappointed by the lack of cooperation between the two bodies,” said Sen. Ron Ramsey (D-Decatur). “They were like islands unto themselves. At some point, there has to be a common goal to serve the people. But there always seemed to be a lack of will from the House.”

As Ralston spoke, the Senate chambers had the feel of a homecoming. More than a dozen former senators, including Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed, visited the chamber for the occasion.

“There is a demand by the people that we work together to solve some of the issues we face in Georgia,” Ralston said. “I am asked all the time, ‘Why can’t y’all get along?’ Well, that is a hard question to answer. They don’t expect us to agree all the time, but they expect us to be respectful and civil and be able to sit down and come up with solutions to some of the issues that confront us.”

Administration Floor Leader Bill Cowsert (R-Athens), after Ralston had left, praised the speaker’s efforts.

“I think it is very refreshing to have Speaker Ralston express his desire to work with both bodies,” Cowsert said. “He wants to establish healthy working relationships. The citizens of Georgia are much less partisan than the press would portray. They really just want their problems addressed. Not internal bickering.”

http://www.ajc.com/news/georgia-politics-elections/house-speaker-visits-senate-284901.html


© 2010 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

State Revenue Collections: Leaky Bucket

Savannah Morning News
Home / Editorial
Opinion
January 28, 2010

GEORGIA REVENUE officials recently reported that they collected nearly $87 million in state sales last month, which was almost 6 percent less than what they collected in December 2008.

Here's what they didn't say:

How much money they left on the table because of inefficiencies in collection at the point of sales. The total is apparently huge.

According to at least one candidate who wants to be Georgia's next governor, the state Department of Revenue fails to collect a whopping $1 billion in sales taxes annually.

If that's true, then Georgia is losing out on about $83 million each month - about one out of every two dollars that should be legitimately collected. That's outrageous at any time. But during tough times, it's totally unacceptable.

If Revenue Commissioner Bart Graham doesn't stop going to the well with a leaky bucket, which is contributing to big cuts in public services and programs, then Gov. Sonny Perdue and the Georgia Legislature must come up with Plan B - finding a new bucket hauler, or finding better buckets.

It's Economics 101.

In the real world, any private business operating at a 50 percent failure rate would be out of business in short order. But in the world of government work, life seems to go on - and the public pays the price.

A recent article in the Gainesville Times newspaper illustrates what's happening in one Georgia county.

Reporters compared local and state records to see if businesses in Hall County were slipping through the cracks and not remitting sales taxes to the state. They found 957 businesses that were not on the state Revenue Department's sales tax list. That's a large number. If a mid-sized county like Hall has this problem, there's a good chance that Chatham and larger Georgia counties have bigger ones.

Linking local and state data bases would seem like an easy fix. So would letting local governments collect the taxes, which is what State Rep. DuBose Porter, D-Dublin, a candidate for governor, has proposed. It makes sense. Local people know who's open for business. Put them in charge.

Or farm it out. Let local governments hire private companies to audit, or possibly collect, sales taxes. Don't leave it up to Atlanta.

In fairness to Mr. Graham, his department has been whacked by budget cuts, which means fewer employees.

He's also in the political cross-hairs. His agency has identified state lawmakers who haven't paid state income taxes. He also refused to have his arm twisted when Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle set up a meeting last year with the commissioner and U.S. Rep. Nathan Deal, another gubernatorial candidate, over a business dispute.

He's an unpopular guy. Yet the buck - all $1 billion of them that went uncollected- rests with him. Fifty-percent inefficiency, or being half good enough, isn't enough.

http://savannahnow.com/opinion/2010-01-28/state-revenue-collections-leaky-bucket

Savannahnow.com, Savannah Morning News ©2010 Morris Communications, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

House Poised To Slice Into Perdue Budget

By TRAVIS FAIN - tfain@macon.com
Macon Telegraph
January 28, 2010


ATLANTA — Gov. Sonny Perdue’s budget proposals are balanced on hundreds of millions of dollars in unpopular ideas, and killing them off will require hundreds of millions worth of spending cuts that leaders in the Georgia House of Representatives say they intend to make.

Where those cuts will come from, House leaders either aren’t sure or won’t say. But the effect on some state departments could be massive, and House Appropriations Committee Chairman Ben Harbin made it clear Wednesday “there are no sacred cows” in this year’s budget.

The House’s first target is Perdue’s proposal to place a 1.6 percent tax on hospital revenue. That essentially would charge paying customers to help fund the state’s Medicaid health-care program for the poor. That tax, and a similar one on managed care providers, would raise an estimated $345 million for the state in fiscal 2011.

It’s a major building block in Perdue’s $18.2 billion budget proposal for next year. But Harbin said he doesn’t think it will ever pass the House, where the Republican majority has taken a stand against tax increases.

“We’re going to make the cuts (to do away with it),” Harbin, R-Evans, said Wednesday. “Every department, I think, is going to have to take cuts.”

There are no obvious $100 million cuts in the budget, Harbin acknowledged. The state budget has already yielded more than $2 billion in state revenue cuts over the past two years, an effect of the recent recession.

Perdue and his economists predict some revenue growth in the next year. Perdue hopes it’s enough to stop furloughing teachers and other state employees after July 1. But these new cuts contemplated by the House would be game-changers.

“We’ve pulled the easy fruit,” Harbin said Wednesday.
“Now we’ve got to climb up into the tree. ...Every program is in play.”

Perdue’s administration has said it’s willing to consider other options, but after several months of budget preparation, it doesn’t see any good ones. The only other way to offset the need for new hospital tax revenues it has suggested has been a 16.5 percent cut in the Medicaid reimbursement rate paid to hospitals, doctors and other health-care professionals.

That “would be devastating,” Perdue’s communications director Bert Brantley said Wednesday. Many doctors probably would stop accepting Medicaid altogether, Brantley said. Hospitals with no choice but to stay in the program would lose millions or pass the loss on to customers.

And since the 1.6 percent tax would allow the state to draw down federal money for Medicaid, the pass-along cost to paying patients likely would be much higher if reimbursements are cut.

Another key budget proposal that’s proving unpopular is the governor’s plan to take some of the loans the state has made to help local governments fund water and sewer projects and sell them to private entities. It would be like a bank packaging mortgages together to raise cash. The state would get nearly $300 million to balance the budget next year, and the buyers would collect the debt later from the local governments.

It’s not clear how much the companies and other buyers stand to gain over the life of the deal, but it could be as much as $275 million over the $300 million they’d have to pay in cash up front, figures from the governor’s office suggest.

These Georgia Environmental Facilities Authority loans are a major source of financing for government infrastructure projects across the state. Perdue has promised loans still would be available, albeit in amounts akin to 2005 levels instead of the higher amounts of more recent years.

But many outside the administration are concerned that selling off a revolving source of funding for a one-time cash infusion will devastate the program and force more local governments into the more expensive private borrowing market.

That means Wall Street bankers and “very expensive bond attorneys,” said Todd Edwards, who focuses on these issues for the Association County Commissioners of Georgia, a group that works with county governments.

“The bottom line: This means higher (borrowing) prices for local governments, taxpayers and rate payers,” Edwards said.

Harbin said House budget writers aren’t rejecting the GEFA proposal outright, but they are “going to ask some tough questions” about it.

But, as with the hospital tax proposal, Perdue’s office said the governor has tried to choose the best of a lot of bad options. Packaging the GEFA loans would net the state nearly $300 million for fiscal 2011. The hospital tax would bring in an estimated $345 million more, plus the 3-to-1 match in federal dollars, pushing its full impact over $1 billion.

Education spending makes up 57 percent of the state budget. How, Brantley asked, do you cut hundreds of millions from the budget without seriously impacting that?

Democrats would like to see the state do a better job of collecting sales taxes, possibly by allowing local governments to take over some of the process and certainly by merging state databases with local business license records to better catch scofflaws. Those ideas seem to be gaining steam among the Republican majority at the Capitol, and proponents believe it could net the state hundreds of millions in the coming year.

But no one can be certain how much that actually would raise or how fast.

Teachers, who are planning on furlough days in the coming months and increases in class sizes, just want the bleeding to stop, Jeff Hubbard, president of the Georgia Association of Educators, said Wednesday.

Hubbard called on legislators to bring in new revenue, despite the Republican majority’s repeated mantra that raising taxes in a struggling economy is the worst thing government can do.

Hubbard said his organization wants to see a new half-cent sales tax for education, and he doesn’t care what it’s charged on.

“It could be hotels, it could be rental cars ... they could do it in conjunction with the tobacco tax,” he said.

“(The education budget) is not even hemorrhaging,” he said. “It’s not even bleeding. I would call (this tax) a tourniquet.”

To contact writer Travis Fain, call 361-2702.

http://www.macon.com/local/story/1001909.html

Macon.com copyright notice
Material published on Macon.com, including articles, photos, graphics, videos, bulletin board postings and other content, is copyrighted by The Telegraph or by other information providers who have licensed their content for use on Macon.com. The entire contents of Macon.com are also copyrighted as a collective work under the United States copyright laws.

The Institute on Human Development and Disability at UGA is offering The Community Guide Certificate Program


Community Guide Certificate Program – Early 2010

Class dates: February 24, March 3, and March 10, 2010

Where: Kennesaw State University (KSU) Center, Kennesaw, GA

Register Now!

Do you . . . . .

þ Believe in the right and capacity of every person to make choices?
þ Want to help people with developmental disabilities direct their own services?
þ Enjoy identifying and brokering services?
þ Have strong verbal and written communication skills?
þ Know how to develop and maintain a budget?
þ Work creatively, independently, as well as in collaboration with others?

Consider becoming a Community Guide!

The Now and COMP Waivers allow people with developmental disabilities and their families to self-direct their services and supports. Community Guides can be hired directly by individuals and families to assist with the responsibilities of self-directing services and supports.

The Community Guide Certificate Program at the University of Georgia is designed to give qualified, motivated individuals the knowledge and skills needed to serve as Community Guides.

The program requires three days of classroom instruction and successful completion of field-based assignments that demonstrates capacity to effectively engage in the major duties of the role. You will complete essential work outside the classroom.

A Certificate is awarded upon satisfactory completion of all program requirements.

Applications are now being accepted for the Community Guide Certificate Program, offered February 24, March 3, and March 10, 2010 (all three classes are required).

Class location is the KSU Center, Kennesaw, GA.

Application deadline is February 19, 2010.

For more information or to apply, go to: http://www.ihdd.uga.edu/

To register: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/3J6X2GP

Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Revenue Department In Governor Candidates' Crosshairs

By Aaron Gould Sheinin
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Georgia Politics
January 25, 2010

Candidates for governor, both Democrats and Republicans, found common ground on Monday: Changes are needed at the state Department of Revenue.

Speaking at a forum sponsored by the Georgia Municipal Association, several of the 10 candidates taking part zeroed in on the department as a source of ire as well as a potential source of additional tax revenue.

Some of the suggestions were based on policy and equipment. For example, Republican Karen Handel, the former secretary of state, said the department needs a technology overhaul that would help auditors better track and collect state sales tax.

But some recommendations were aimed squarely at Revenue Commissioner Bart Graham, who was appointed by Republican Gov. Sonny Perdue.

"We need a new Revenue commissioner," former Adjutant Gen. David Poythress, a Democrat, said.

The Department of Revenue is responsible for tracking and collecting income and sales taxes, as well as auditing tax returns and catching scofflaws who don't file as the law requires. Democrats, and some Republicans, have argued for years that the department is unable to accurately track whether businesses in the state are properly collecting and forwarding sales tax collections to local governments.

House Minority Leader DuBose Porter (D-Dublin), a candidate for governor, has made it a top issue in his campaign. Porter claims the state loses out on up to $1 billion in uncollected sales taxes and has been openly critical of Graham's handling of the issue.

"The Revenue department cannot account to you unreported and unpaid sales tax," Porter told the gathering of the state's mayors.

The concern was bipartisan. Republican Insurance Commissioner John Oxendine, now running for governor, said he has plans to "start a massive overhaul" at the Revenue department once he's elected.

"It is embarrassing how that Revenue department is run," Oxendine said.
Graham and his department are easy targets as tax collectors are rarely popular. Graham has argued that budget cuts have seriously wounded the department.

It no longer has three shifts of workers processing paper-filed income tax returns, for example, and a computer overhaul is being implemented in stages due to budget shortfalls.

Democrats participating Monday were former Porter, Poythress, Gov. Roy Barnes, Attorney General Thurbert Baker and Ray City Mayor Carl Camon. Republicans included Oxendine, Handel, Rep. Austin Scott (R-Tifton), U.S. Rep. Nathan Deal (R-Ga.) and states rights activist Ray McBerry.

Many of the candidates will gather again Wednesday for a forum sponsored by the National Federation of Independent Business. Five of the top Republican candidates will debate on Feb. 4 in an event sponsored by Beacon Media in Alpharetta.

http://www.ajc.com/news/georgia-politics-elections/revenue-dept-in-gov-283176.html

© 2010 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Georgia GOP To Push Job Tax Cuts

The Associated Press
Athens Banner-Herald
January 27, 2010

ATLANTA — Georgia Republicans will push a forward a tax cut package aimed at creating jobs in the state, where unemployment is at 10.3 percent.

State Rep. Tom Graves will unveil new legislation at a state Capitol news conference on Wednesday.

The Republican from Ranger pushed a plan last year that would have given companies a $500 credit toward the unemployment insurance tax and a $2,400 income tax credit for each new employee they hire.

But Gov. Sonny Perdue vetoed the measure after the state Senate tacked on a provision to slash the capital gains tax in half over two years. The governor argued the move would have gutted recession-wracked state coffers.

Copyright 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

http://ap.onlineathens.com/pstories/state/ga/20100127/555383851.shtml

© 2008 OnlineAthens • Athens Banner-Herald • Morris Digital Works

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Georgia Faces $506M Medicaid Gap; Top Health Official Urges Tax Hike

By SHANNON McCAFFREY - Associated Press
The Macon Telegraph
January 22,2010

ATLANTA — Facing a massive gap in Medicaid funding, Georgia’s top health official on Thursday urged state legislators to adopt a tax hike on hospitals and health- care plans.

The state is staring down a $506 million shortfall in Medicaid funds for the fiscal year that begins July 1, according to state Health Commissioner Rhonda Medows.

The recession has caused enrollment in the health program for the needy to soar. Medicaid rolls for low-income residents have jumped 7.7 percent from June 2009 to 2010 to more than 1 million people.

Meanwhile, hundreds of millions of dollars in federal stimulus money are about to dry up.

The state has few options. To participate in Medicaid, it must provide services to the aged, blind, disabled and low-income children. And because Georgia accepted stimulus cash from Washington, it cannot cut back eligibility on optional programs such as dental coverage and prescription drugs, Medows said.

“We are in a box,” Medows told a joint budget panel of state legislators Thursday.

“I cannot find $506 million to fill that hole through cuts, program reductions, layoffs.”

Gov. Sonny Perdue has put forward a proposal that would charge hospitals and health insurance plans a 1.6 percent fee on their total revenues.

The Republican governor has been careful to label it a fee but Medows called it a tax Thursday, a word that’s not popular in the GOP-led state Legislature.

It’s the second year Perdue has pushed the proposal, which would leverage additional federal matching dollars. Last year the plan died amid opposition from conservative Republicans. But federal money also came to the rescue. This year, unless Congress approves another infusion of federal cash, Georgia will be left to fend for itself.

State Rep. Mickey Chanell, who oversees health spending on the House Appropriations Committee, said legislators are looking at possible alternative to Perdue’s so-called bed tax.

“The need additional revenue is real,” the Greensboro Republican said. “Our options are all pretty painful.”

Channell did not elaborate but one alternative in the past has been an increase in the tax on tobacco products.

Federal and state governments share the costs for Medicaid, the health program for needy residents.

Medicaid spending accounts for 9.8 percent of all state general revenue spending in Georgia.

The recession has placed is straining social service programs at the same time state coffers are running dry.

State Human Services Commissioner B.J. Walker told the legislative budget panel Thursday that during the last two years Georgia has seen a 39 percent jump in demand for social services programs such as Medicaid, food stamps and welfare.

http://www.macon.com/741/story/994648.html

Macon.com copyright notice
Material published on Macon.com, including articles, photos, graphics, videos, bulletin board postings and other content, is copyrighted by The Telegraph or by other information providers who have licensed their content for use on Macon.com. The entire contents of Macon.com are also copyrighted as a collective work under the United States copyright laws.

Editorial: Shortsighted State Government Disappoints

Athens Banner-Herald
January 26, 2010


The editorial board writes, At a time when taking the long view would seem to be the best approach for managing state government in Georgia, it's disappointing to see some shortsightedness emerging on vital issues including education, transportation and water resources.

To read the whole article go to: http://www.onlineathens.com/stories/012610/opi_554645327.shtml

© 2010 OnlineAthens • Athens Banner-Herald • Morris Digital Works

You are invited to Unlock Legislative Day at the Capitol

WHEN: February 16, 2010

TIME: 10am-12pm

WHERE: Georgia State Capitol, Room 122


You are invited to Unlock Legislative Day at the Capitol
This is your chance to make an appointment with your legislator and help strengthen the message of Unlock for the 2010 session. Your experiences and personal stories need to be heard.

We will brief you on the Unlock message before your appointment and be there to answer your questions and offer support.

The Current Situation:
Georgia’s revenue has been in decline for the last 10 months – a 14.2% average decrease

To date, $3.2 billion dollars have been cut from state agencies

Why you need to attend:
Over 6300 individuals are on the waiting list for the NOW / COMP waiver. Nearly 4,000 are on the SHORT TERM list.

187 individuals are on the waiting list for the ICWP waiver.

Over 800 people with developmental disabilities remain in state hospitals; more individuals with developmental disabilities and / or physical disabilities are in nursing facilities.

RSVP
This event requires an RSVP by February 1 to Linda@aadd.org.

For questions, please call Linda Anderson at 404-881-9777 x 217. We have a limited amount of scholarships for travel, personal supports and childcare that are available.

Please let us know your needs when you RSVP.

Conference Call
We will host a conference call on February 12 at 11:30am to answer your questions and to review the agenda for the morning of the 16th. Conference codes will be given out when you RSVP.

Sponsors
Sponsored by the Georgia Council on Developmental Disabilities and organized by All About Developmental Disabilities in support of the Unlock the Waiting List Campaign.

See you on the 16th!

Rita Young
Director of Public Policy, AADD
Grassroots Coordinator, Unlock the Waiting Lists!

Monday, January 25, 2010

Perdue Needs Stronger Budget Pitch

Walter C. Jones
Morris News Service
The Augusta Chronicle
January 25, 2010

ATLANTA --- If someone could have predicted Haiti's earthquake earlier this month, would anyone have listened?

The question for Gov. Sonny Perdue is whether anyone is listening when he predicts a financial disaster for Georgia. He spent a half-hour Tuesday telling the House and Senate appropriations committees how bad the budget will be next year without raising taxes and user fees in combination with massive cuts. Then for the next three days, his administrators of the state's largest agencies took turns with their same tales of woe.

It would be easiest for him to leave the tough choices to his successor and smile from the rocking chair on his porch back home in Bonaire at the agony, he said.

"Election year or not, if we shirk our responsibility, we will not leave things better for the ones who come after us," he said.

By Friday, some conservative Republicans remained unconvinced.

That's when Rep. Melvin Everson, of Snellville, objected to imposing a few $10 fees on health-department lab tests and boosting the fee for birth certificates from $10 to $15. Everson predicted Perdue will make more speeches to the legislature to make his case.

That's not a certainty.

Perdue passed up the opportunity to deliver his pitch to the entire legislature at once during his State of the State Address. He chose instead to use general terms to compare today's economy with other rough spots in history.

Things were different in his first year when he delivered stump speeches across the state trying to sell tax increases to overcome a comparatively milder budget crunch. He wasn't successful, and he hasn't employed the same vigor pushing any initiative since.

Just last year, he proposed a tax increase. Again, he lost in the legislature.

So this year, he resurrected last year's tax proposal, a 1.6-percent levy on the revenues of all hospitals, health insurance companies and even standalone surgical centers. To that, he included the fees Everson opposed.

Perdue is the first modern governor to face the hostile override of one of his vetoes. He's had marginal success passing his annual legislative agenda.

Just before Perdue released his budget recommendations to reporters Jan. 15, House and Senate appropriations chairmen said they had no idea what it would contain.

Perdue might become more visible hawking predictions of a financial earthquake, and then it will be up to the legislature to decide whether to believe him.


http://chronicle.augusta.com/stories/2010/01/25/met_564574.shtml
© 2010 The Augusta Chronicle

Georgia General Assembly Getting Back to Business

After weeklong break, legislators return - Assembly getting back to business

Morris News Service
The Athens Banner-Herald
January 25, 2010

ATLANTA - Fresh from a weeklong break, members of the Georgia General Assembly come back today for their first real chance to tackle legislation in the 2010 session.

House and Senate leaders probably will get together sometime this week to unveil their collective agenda and to highlight their cooperation.

Today begins with speeches by House Speaker David Ralston and Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle to the state's mayors and city commissioners at the Georgia Municipal Association convention.

Also this morning, Democratic attorney general candidate Rob Teilhet, a state representative from Smyrna, holds a news conference to highlight legislation he's introducing to require anyone
arrested on a felony charge to give a DNA sample.

This afternoon, the House and Senate Ethics Committees meet together to hear testimony from former and current members and staff of the State Ethics Commission.

"You will see some additional ethics legislation proposals," said state Rep. Melvin Everson, R-Snellville.

Other committees also are cranking up this week.

The House Appropriations Committee, for example, considers zero-based budgeting today.

Tuesday, the Joint Economic Development Committee hears from economists about job creation.

Also Tuesday, the Senate Education & Youth Committee is scheduled to consider legislation by state Sen. Lester Jackson, D-Savannah, to allow local school districts to raise the age of mandatory attendance.

Lawmakers won't have much to vote on in the House and Senate this week because leftover bills from last year have to go back through committees, as do newly introduced bills, so daily sessions will be short.

Originally published in the Athens Banner-Herald on Monday, January 25, 2010

http://www.onlineathens.com/stories/012510/gen_554083185.shtml

© 2010 OnlineAthens • Athens Banner-Herald • Morris Digital Works

Notes From The Senate

Georgia State Senator Jack Hill of the Fourth District took these notes last week at the Capitol in Atlanta.


BY STATE SENATOR JACK HILL
4th District
January 22, 2010

Budget Briefings
Governor Sonny Perdue released his amended FY10 and FY11 budget recommendations to the General Assembly on Friday, January 15, 2010. During Senate and House Appropriations Committee hearings last week, lawmakers heard presentations from state agencies regarding their individual budgetary concerns and the impact that can be expected in FY10 and FY11.

In July, Governor Perdue announced a $900M reduction in the revenue estimate for the FY 2010 Budget due to the sharp drop in revenues the last 6 months of FY09. The 2010 Amended budget presented by Governor Perdue raises that reduction to $1.44B.

2010 AMENDED BUDGET PROPOSALS
The FY10 Amended revenue estimate is 7.3% below FY09 actual revenues and 8.5% below the original FY10 General budget revenue estimate of $16.99B. The FY10 Amended revenue estimate represents a 23% decline from the original FY09 General budget ($20.1B) proposed by Governor Perdue just 2 short years ago. Governor Perdue is now projecting a $1.44B shortfall for FY10.

To combat this shortfall, Governor Perdue has proposed an additional 3 furlough days for state employees and teachers, bringing the total to 6 for this fiscal year. This measure alone would save the state nearly $245M. For additional funds, the Governor has chosen to liquidate $140M from the Other Post Employment Benefit reserve fund designated for the health benefits of future retirees. The budget also proposes to shift the State Health Benefit Plan to a cash basis using $67M in funds set aside for bills that are funded from “Incurred but Not Reported” (IBNR).

Education
Governor Perdue has allocated an additional $92.8M to the QBE formula to fund K-12 enrollment growth of 0.67%. Although this is an increase, the Governor’s recommended budget reduced the QBE formula by $188M for the 6 furlough days. This paired with a $281M across the board reduction brings the total QBE base funding to a -5.6% reduction, although partially offset by federal stimulus funds to local systems.

The Governor has called for a $9.7M reduction in Georgia’s school nutrition program and a $4M reduction to its Special Needs Scholarship Fund. Pupil transportation would also be cut by $24.7M and the Equalization formula would decrease by 4% or $17.5M.

To meet increased growth in enrollments, the FY10 HOPE program includes an increase of $146,963 for the HOPE GED, $49.3M for the HOPE Grant, $2.1M for private school HOPE Scholarships, and $26.9M for public school HOPE Scholarships.

Higher Education
The Amended budget recommends a net cut of 7.76% to the Regents funding formula, a net cut of 7.48% to the Technical Colleges funding formula, and the elimination of the Guaranteed Educational Loans Program. $33.7M in Lottery funds would supplant State General Funds to finance the HERO Scholarship, Leveraging Educational Assistance Partnership Program (LEAP), North GA Military Scholarship Grants, North GA ROTC Grants, and Tuition Equalization Grants.

Medicaid, Peachcare, and Public Health
Governor Perdue has designated $20.3M in additional funds to the Department of Behavioral Health for state hospital improvements and $8.6M in state matching funds for private hospitals to assist in indigent and uncompensated care.

The Governor has also called for an 11% reduction in Low Income Medicaid, a 3% reduction to the Medicaid Aged Blind and Disabled fund, and a 9% reduction to Georgia’s Public Health Grant in Aid, generating the state nearly $90M in savings.

Corrections
The FY10 Amended budget recommends the closure of Scott State Prison (closed August 2009), Bostick State Prison (May 2010), and the Bill Ireland Juvenile Facility (January 2010) for a total savings of nearly $20M.

Next week’s column will include a summary of Governor Perdue’s FY2011 General budget proposals.

JOBS PROGRAM FOR EMPLOYERS
The Department of Human Services (DHS) has received nearly $200M in federal stimulus funds to be put towards a temporary, subsidized employment program for 5,000 adults. All families with dependent children and incomes of less than 300% of the federal poverty level (approximately $60,000 for a family of four) are eligible to participate.

Employers who choose to participate in this program will receive an 80% subsidy for employing adult workers for up to six months at minimum wage or above. The subsidy expires September 30, 2010.

For more information regarding eligibility requirements please send all inquiries to:
Employers: TANF-Employers@dhr.state.ga.us
Job Seekers: TANF-Jobseekers@dhr.state.ga.us


I may be reached at
234 State Capitol, Atlanta, GA 30334
(404) 656-5038 (phone)
(404) 657-7094 (fax)
E-mail at Jack.Hill@senate.ga.gov
Or Call Toll-Free at
1-800-367-3334 Day or Night
Reidsville office: (912) 557-3811



Angela Touhy
Senate Appropriations
234 State Capitol
Atlanta, Georgia 30334
404-656-5038

Friday, January 22, 2010

Obama Health Plan in Doubt As Dems Reject Fast Fix

CHARLES BABINGTON
Associated Press Writer
Augusta Chronicle
January 21, 2010

WASHINGTON — Though reeling from a political body blow, House Democrats rejected the quickest fix to their health care dilemma Thursday and signaled that any agreement on President Barack Obama's signature issue will come slowly, if at all.

Democrats weighed a handful of difficult options as they continued to absorb Republican Scott Brown's election to the Massachusetts Senate seat long held by Edward M. Kennedy. Several said Obama must forcefully help them find a way to avoid the humiliation of enacting no bill, and they urged him to do so quickly, to put the painful process behind them.

House leaders said they could not pass a Senate-approved bill, standing by itself, because of objections from liberals and moderates alike. Such a move could have settled the matter, because it would not have required further Senate action. Brown's stunning victory restored the GOP's power to block bills with Senate filibusters.

Democratic leaders weighed two main options, both problematic. The first would require congressional Democrats to muscle their way past stiff GOP objections despite warning signs from Massachusetts voters and worries about next November's elections.

The other would pare down the original health care legislation in hopes of gaining some Republican support. But the compromise process is more difficult than many lawmakers suggest.

Democrats' hopes of settling on a strategy by the weekend seemed to fade, as lawmakers struggled to comprehend the drawbacks of every option.

"We have to get a bill passed," said House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., because her party would have no excuse for failing to revamp health care when it controls Congress and the White House.

Some lawmakers said it will take time for congressional Democrats, who huddled repeatedly Thursday, to realize how limited their options are. "People are at various levels of the seven stages of grief," said Rep. Anthony Weiner, D-N.Y.

The first chief option would require House Democrats to approve the Senate-passed bill along with a guarantee that the Senate would make several simultaneous changes to health law desired by the House. Senate Democrats presumably would do so with a tactic called "budget reconciliation." It requires only a simple-majority vote for certain budget-related matters, but it cannot be used for every issue. Both parties have used the tactic at times.

When Brown is sworn in, Democrats will control 59 of the Senate's 100 seats. They need 60 to block GOP filibusters.

The second option calls for drafting a new, compromise bill more palatable to moderates, including some Republicans. But numerous officials said it's far easier said than done.

For instance, a widely popular goal is to bar health insurers from refusing coverage to people already suffering medical problems. But without requiring most people to buy coverage, millions might wait until they have a serious problem before buying a policy, driving coverage costs to unsustainable levels.

Moreover, "individual mandates" to buy insurance would almost certainly require government subsidies for low-income people. And that in turn would require new government revenues, such as taxes.

Many of these interconnected features drew strong objections, especially from Republicans, when the House and Senate passed competing versions of health care revisions last month.

Pelosi cited the dilemma Thursday.

"I don't think anybody disagrees with 'Let's pass the popular part of the bill,'" she told reporters. "But some of the popular parts of the bill is the engine that drives some of the rest of it," which is far less popular, she said.

Outside groups were more blunt.

"You can't do it," said Ron Pollack of the liberal-leaning Families USA. Enacting popular "insurance reforms" won't work without the more controversial and expensive steps of expanding coverage to the uninsured, he said.

Some lawmakers talked of placing partial limits on insurance companies' ability to deny coverage to those with pre-existing medical conditions. Companies might be required to cover sick children, or to keep covering customers who become sick and failed to disclose every detail of their medical histories when first buying their policies.

Such compromises could leave Obama well short of the universal coverage he touted during his 2008 campaign.

House Democrats cite many objections to the Senate-passed bill, which make them wary of adopting it without some type of ironclad guarantee of improvements by the newly configured Senate.

But budget reconciliation is one of Congress's most complex and controversial exercises, and it's not clear how many House objections can be remedied with the process.

A widely criticized feature of the Senate bill made special Medicaid concessions to Nebraska, demanded by Democratic Sen. Ben Nelson. Senators promised to expand the help to all 50 states, but Brown's election cut that negotiation process short.

Congressional budget referees said Thursday it would cost $35 billion over 10 years to extend the so-called "Cornhusker Kickback" to every state.

Some Democrats said Obama must lead his dispirited party to a resolution.

"He has got to bring the Senate and the House together," said Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-Md. "He has got to help all of us pave a way to get it done."

White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said Obama thinks the best path is "giving this some time, by letting the dust settle, if you will, and looking for the best path forward." He said Obama does not believe a major health care revision is dead.

Asked what is next for the legislation, Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., shaped her hand like a gun and pointed to her head. "We're looking to see what there's support to do," she said.

Associated Press writers Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar, Alan Fram and Erica Werner contributed to this report.

http://ap.augustachronicle.com/pstories/politics/20100122/553180421.shtml

Copyright 2010 The Associated Press
© 2010 The Augusta Chronicle

Georgia Legislators Mull Health Care Fees

By Shannon McCaffrey
Associated Press
Athens Banner-Herald
January 22, 2010

ATLANTA - Facing a massive gap in Medicaid funding, Georgia's top health official urged state legislators Thursday to raise taxes on hospitals and health care plans.

The state is staring down a $506 million shortfall in Medicaid funds for the fiscal year that begins July 1, according to state Health Commissioner Rhonda Medows.

The recession has caused enrollment in the health program for the needy to soar. Medicaid rolls for low-income residents have jumped 7.7 percent since June to more than 1 million people.

Meanwhile, hundreds of millions of dollars in federal stimulus money is about to dry up.

The state has few options. To participate in Medicaid, it must provide services to the aged, blind and disabled and to low-income children. And because Georgia accepted stimulus cash from Washington, it cannot cut back eligibility on optional programs such as dental coverage and prescription drugs, Medows said.

"We are in a box," Medows told a joint budget panel of state legislators Thursday. "I cannot find $506 million to fill that hole through cuts, program reductions, layoffs."

Gov. Sonny Perdue has put forward a proposal that would charge hospitals and health insurance plans a 1.6 percent fee on their total revenues.

Perdue has been careful to label it a fee, but Medows on Thursday called it a tax - a word that's not popular in the Republican-led Georgia General Assembly.

It's the second year Perdue has pushed the proposal, which would leverage additional federal matching dollars. Last year the plan died amid opposition from conservative Republicans. But federal money also came to the rescue.

This year, unless Congress approves another infusion of federal cash, Georgia will be left to fend for itself.

State Rep. Mickey Channell, R-Greensboro, who oversees health spending on the House Appropriations Committee, said legislators are looking at possible alternatives to Perdue's so-called bed tax.

"The need for additional revenue is real," Channell said. "Our options are all pretty painful." Channell did not elaborate on potential alternatives, but one idea raised in the past was to increase the tax on tobacco products.

Federal and state governments share the costs for Medicaid, the health program for needy residents, and Medicaid spending accounts for 9.8 percent of all state general revenue spending in Georgia.

The recession is straining social service programs at the same time state coffers are running dry.

State Human Services Commissioner B.J. Walker told the legislative budget panel Thursday that in the past two years, Georgia has seen a 39 percent jump in demand for social services programs such as Medicaid, food stamps and welfare.

Originally published in the Athens Banner-Herald on Friday, January 22, 2010

http://www.onlineathens.com/stories/012210/gen_553013236.shtml

© 2010 OnlineAthens • Athens Banner-Herald • Morris Digital Works

Georgia Expects $608 Million Medicaid Deficit

By Craig Schneider
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
January 22, 2010

Georgia is projecting a $608 million deficit in Medicaid, and Gov. Sonny Perdue is proposing a tax on hospitals and managed care insurers to help bridge the gap, officials said Thursday.

The Medicaid gap is largely due to the reduction of $506 million in money from sources that include the federal stimulus program and the national settlement with tobacco companies.

In addition, the recession has spurred a projected 7.7 percent increase in enrollment in the state's Medicaid health program for the needy from July 2009 to June of this year. That program is expected to grow an additional 2 percent in the following budget year, said officials of the state Department of Community Health.

DCH Commissioner Rhonda Medows discussed the Medicaid problem Thursday during a series of state budget hearings on health and human services.

The hearings at the state Capitol also featured discussion on the proposed budget for the state mental health agency, which is slated to receive an additional $70 million over the next 18 months.

The $608 million Medicaid deficit is projected for fiscal year 2011, which begins in July. Medows said her agency does not have the means to make up for the Medicaid deficit without generating new revenue.

To help bridge the gap, Perdue's proposed budget calls for a 1.6 percent tax on net patient revenue of hospitals and premium revenue on managed care insurers. The two fees would generate $345 million annually, officials said.

Perdue had floated a similar fee proposal a year ago, and it was not well-received.

Medows said that if the new taxes are not approved, her agency would have to decrease Medicaid reimbursement payments to hospitals, doctors and other health providers by 16.5 percent.

Rep. Mickey Channell (R-Greensboro), chairman of the House Appropriations health subcommittee, said he opposed the hospital tax because it would benefit some hospitals and not others.

He noted that federal restrictions prevent the state from tinkering with the eligibility requirements on Medicaid, which is funded by both the state and federal governments. He said he was open to discussing the fees on the managed care companies.

Medows said Perdue's proposed budget also planned for increases in the premiums state employees pay into their health benefit program. The health plan -- which covers 689,000 state employees, their dependents and retirees -- would increase 10 percent across all options, officials said.

For the employee on the state HMO program, the most popular plan, the cost would increase about $10 a month for a single person and about $25 a month for a family.

Officials from the state Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities said their agency may be the only one to receive more money in the state budget.

The agency has agreed to a settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice to improve treatment and conditions at the state's mental hospitals. Perdue has proposed adding $20 million to the agency's budget from January through June. After that, Perdue has proposed adding an additional $50 million to the agency's $1 billion annual budget.

The additional money would be used to hire more staff for those mental hospitals that are understaffed, increase training, transfer paper records into electronic form, and increase community-based services, officials said.

http://www.ajc.com/health/georgia-expects-608-million-280428.html?cxtype=rss_news_128746

© 2010 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Thursday, January 21, 2010

Health Reform Goals to Narrow

Associated Press
Athens Banner-Herald
January 21, 2010

WASHINGTON - Chastened by the Democratic Senate loss in Massachusetts, President Obama and congressional allies signaled Wednesday they will try to scale back his sweeping health care overhaul in an effort to at least keep parts of it alive.

A simpler, less ambitious bill emerged as an alternative only hours after the loss of the party's crucial 60th Senate seat forced the Democrats to slow their all-out drive to pass Obama's signature legislation despite fierce Republican opposition. The Democrats are now considering all options.

No decisions have been made, lawmakers said, but they laid out a new approach that could still include these provisions: limiting the ability of insurance companies to deny coverage to people with medical problems, allowing young adults to stay on their parents' policies, helping small businesses and low-income people pay premiums and changing Medicare to encourage payment for quality care instead of sheer volume of services.

Obama urged lawmakers not to try to jam a bill through, but scale the proposal down to what he called "those elements of the package that people agree on."

One potential Republican convert for health care legislation remained an enigma. Sen. Olympia Snowe of Maine, who has been in regular contact with Obama, roundly criticized the Democrats' hard push to pass their bill. But she would not rule out voting for something in the end.

Asked if the Democratic bills are dead, Snowe responded, "I never say anything is dead, but clearly I think they have to revisit the entire issue."

Some Democrats weren't ready for that, despite the president's new words.

One option, still alive and stirring strong emotions, called for the House to try to quickly pass the Senate version of the broader bill - simply accepting it and therefore bypassing the Senate problem created by the loss of the Massachusetts seat to Republican Scott Brown. But that appeared to be losing favor.

"That's a bitter pill for the House to swallow," said the No. 2 Senate Democrat, Dick Durbin of Illinois.

"Full speed ahead is off the table," said Rep. Earl Pomeroy, a moderate Democrat from North Dakota.

(Originally published in the Athens Banner-Herald on Thursday, January 21, 2010)

http://www.onlineathens.com/stories/012110/nat_552620477.shtml

© 2010 OnlineAthens • Athens Banner-Herald • Morris Digital Works

State Ends Adult Mental Health Services at Milledgeville Hospital

By Craig Schneider
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
January 20, 2010

State officials said Wednesday they are shutting down adult mental health services at Central State Hospital in Milledgeville, the age-old hospital that symbolized the darkest days of psychiatric care in Georgia.

Georgia Trust Built in 1842, Central State Hospital was Georgiaís first psychiatric hospital, chartered by the legislature in 1837 with the intent of providing Georgians with mental illness or retardation with a safe and humane environment.

Yet even as Georgia discontinues this care at the 168-year-old facility, the state remains under fire from federal officials attacking the safety and treatment at the state's seven mental hospitals and demanding improvements.

Georgia faced a Jan. 15 deadline to be in substantial compliance with improvements laid out by the U.S. Justice Department, and state officials say they are awaiting the federal assessment on meeting that goal.

The sprawling ancient hospital had problems long ago and in recent times. The facility in the Macon area repeatedly has been the target of investigations by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

In November, federal officials found so many shortcomings at Central State, with patients attacking one another and receiving poor treatment, that state officials announced the facility would no longer accept new patients.

By Wednesday, the adult mental health population had dwindled from 95 in November to just 30 due to discharges. Officials, needing significant funding to renovate the aging facility, decided to simply move these 30 patients to other state hospitals. The goal is to shut down adult mental health services by March 1.

Some of Central State will survive. That includes about 150 patients in the forensic unit, which is comprised of patients assigned by the criminal courts who are considered mentally ill. A few hundred patients will remain in the units that serve a nursing home, as well as patients with mental retardation and other developmental disabilities. Two hundred employees will be transferred or laid off, said Tom Wilson, spokesman for the state Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities.

The hospital stopped treating children last summer, Wilson said.

"If they can't keep patients safe at Milledgeville, then they have to find somewhere else," said Ellyn Jeager of Mental Health America of Georgia.

Advocates were worried the transfer of patients might cause overcrowding in other facilities, and that patients from the Milledgeville area might be moved away from their families and loved ones, which could hamper their recovery. State officials said the change will not create any overcrowding elsewhere.

For many Georgians, the hospital that opened in 1842 still strikes a fearful image, representing a time when society sent its unwanted or problematic people to an isolated location. The place many know only as "Milledgeville" has had its own fire department, ZIP code and huge cemetery. As it grew to a population of some 12,000 patients, it boasted the largest kitchen in the world.

In 1869, Berry Hall, an inexperienced attendant, became the first staff member killed by a patient, according to an Oct. 5, 1997, story in the AJC.

The hospital's creation was part of the 19th century's social reform movement. Mentally ill people often were hidden away in the homes of families or sent out to live in the street.

Care at the hospital thrived in the mid-1800s as its leaders abolished such physical restraints as chains or ropes, according to the New Georgia Encyclopedia.

However, its population growth overwhelmed the staff, and such brute-force interventions as insulin shock and electroconvulsive therapy occurred in massive numbers, the encyclopedia said.

Thousands of patients were buried there with only numbered stakes as grave markers. In the 1960s, groundskeepers pulled up many stakes and tossed them aside to mow the lawn. In recent years, volunteers have conducted a cemetary restoration project.

In 1959, the hospital was the nation's largest mental institution, housing 12,500 patients. Jack Nelson's series in the AJC exposed the following factss: Only 48 doctors were on staff, and a dozen of them had alcohol or drug problems (several had been hired off the hospital's wards); doctors took money from pharmaceutical companies to try experimental drugs on patients, and other abuses.

Nelson's stories led to numerous reforms.

More recently, the AJC in 2007 pointed a harsh spotlight on the hospital in a series of stories that revealedsince 2002 that more than 100 patients had died under suspicious circumstances in the seven state mental hospitals.

The Justice Department has stayed focused on the inadequacies at Central State over the past year, sending state officials a series of letters detailing conditions that continue to endanger patients' safety.

Federal authorities said a recent visit to Central State confirmed that "grave harm continues to occur at the state psychiatric hospitals."

Josh Norris of the Georgia Advocacy Office said the state needs to move away from placing people in these hospitals and provide more community-based services. State mental health officials say they are heading in that direction.

But Jeager, the advocate, said the difficulty with that strategy is the same as it was 150 years ago: many people don't want facilities for mentally ill people in their neighborhood.

http://www.ajc.com/health/state-ends-adult-mental-279450.html

© 2010 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Press Release: Governor Perdue to Introduce Legislation to Improve Access to Home-based Care

STATE OF GEORGIA
OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR

Sonny Perdue, GOVERNOR

For Immediate Release
Wednesday, January 20, 2010

ATLANTA – Governor Sonny Perdue announced today that State Representative Jimmy Pruett, one of the Governor’s House floor leaders, will introduce legislation to improve access to home-based care. Amending the Nurse Practice Act will allow an unlicensed person who is trained by a Registered Nurse (RN) to provide a defined set of skilled services to a specific person, as long as those services are ordered by a physician, dentist or podiatrist for a person who is disabled.

“Right now there are thousands of people in Georgia who could be cared for at home, but under current law their care must be provided by a licensed nurse,” said Governor Perdue. “This amendment to the Nurse Practice Act would open the door to allow people to remain at home and in their community. This will make healthcare more convenient, more affordable and more accessible to Georgians with disabilities.”

Under current law, no skilled service can receive reimbursement unless the caregiver is a licensed health care provider. Expanding the pool of caregivers will make community care more affordable for both Medicaid and private payers. The training must be for a specific individual and does not allow the unlicensed person to serve others without separate, specific training. The changes to the Nurse Practice Act have also been approved by the Georgia Board of Nursing.

“This bill will increase choice for Georgia’s elderly and disabled,” said Rep. Pruett. “It will help many people stay in their community, rather than go to an institutional setting.”

“This legislation will give families more options to potentially expand services they receive based on their own choices,” said Frank Shelp, M.D., Commissioner of the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities.

###

Wednesday, January 20, 2010

Georgia State Senate Press Office: Rogers: Balancing the State Budget Begins

Press Release

ATLANTA, GA (Jan. 19, 2010) – The budget process began this week with Gov. Sonny Perdue (R-GA) presenting the 2010 Amended and 2011 General State budgets to the Georgia General Assembly. As an active leader of the Senate Appropriations Committee and one of three Senate Budget conferees, Senate Majority Leader Chip Rogers (R-Woodstock) is participating in the joint budget hearings at the Capitol this week.

“We must balance our budget just like Georgia families by reducing spending and finding more efficiencies. Raising taxes is a recipe for economic disaster that we’re witnessing at the federal level,” said Rogers. “Perhaps no other state is better poised for an economic recovery than Georgia. This is precisely because we didn’t follow the short-sighted advice of spending money we don’t have and raising taxes on Georgians during a deep recession.”

Rogers has been a champion for less spending and lower taxes. His leadership in the Senate has helped balanced the state budget, hold down spending, lower taxes, and has kept Georgians out of bonded state debt. Despite heavy budget cuts to reduce waste, the legislature also increased investments in those limited areas where state government has a fiscal responsibility – particularly education. During the 2009 Legislative Session, his leadership on the budget was noted by his appointment to the Appropriations Conferee Committee, where the House and Senate work out any differences in their proposals before going back to the governor for his signature.

The General Assembly Joint Appropriations Committee, which consists of 32 senators and 60 representatives, will hear from each department head the week of Jan. 19-22 as they present their budgets (schedule attached) in room 341 of the State Capitol Building. The week begins with the governor’s address, followed by an economic outlook for the state and the Georgia Department of Revenue as the first agency to present its budget.

For more information on the budget hearings, you can find the committee meeting schedule at http://webmail.legis.ga.gov/Calendar/?chamber=senate. You can also watch the proceedings live at http://www.legis.ga.gov/legis/2009_10/house/Committees/GLN/boardcastIndex.htm.
# # # #

Sen. Chip Rogers serves as Senate Majority Leader. He represents the 21st Senate District which includes portions of Cherokee and Cobb counties. He can be reached at his office at 404.463.1378 or by email at chip.rogers@senate.ga.gov

For Immediate Release:January 19, 2010

For Information Contact: Raegan Weber, Director
Raegan.weber@senate.ga.gov
404.656.0028

Paterson Seeks Huge Cuts and $1 Billion in Taxes and Fees

Gov. David A. Paterson unveiling his budget in Albany on Tuesday, declared, “The age of accountability has arrived.”


By DANNY HAKIM and NICHOLAS CONFESSORE
The New York Times
January 19, 2010

ALBANY — Gov. David A. Paterson proposed on Tuesday what would be the largest cut to school aid in more than two decades and nearly $1 billion in new or increased taxes and fees as he unveiled his budget, a plan that is likely to be the first chapter in a prolonged battle with the Legislature.

Searching for new sources of tax revenue amid a fiscal crisis, the governor proposed legalizing mixed martial arts, allowing the sale of wine in grocery stores, taxing bottled soft drinks, taxing cigarette sales on Indian reservations and deploying speed-enforcement cameras in highway work zones.

He even proposed charging fees to many families that enroll in an early intervention program for children with autism, attention deficit disorder and other special needs, and delaying one of his signature achievements — a plan to increase monthly welfare allowances.

Facing a $7.4 billion deficit this year, the governor is presenting a relatively lean budget by the standards of a state government accustomed to unrestrained spending. His office also delivered more sobering news, projecting that the state’s income will not return to the levels seen before the financial crisis until 2013.

The overall budget, including federal matching funds, would grow to $134 billion, up $787 million, or 0.6 percent, from the current fiscal year, which ends on March 31. State spending would increase $745 million, or 0.9 percent, to nearly $80 billion.

“This is not a budget of choice; this is a budget of necessity,” Mr. Paterson said in a speech to the

Legislature on Tuesday morning. “Ladies and gentlemen, the days of continuing taxation and the days of continuous spending have got to end,” he added. “The era of irresponsibility has got to stop. The age of accountability has arrived.”

Several dozen lawmakers skipped the speech, which took place in a large egg-shaped auditorium here, and those who did attend greeted the governor’s remarks with polite, if tepid, applause.

Mr. Paterson has had a tense relationship with fellow Democrats, who control the Legislature, sometimes by design as he has sought to capitalize on voter discontent with the array of scandals emanating from Albany.

Lawmakers expressed a mix of caution and skepticism on Tuesday. “Some of the stuff is retreads from last year that never quite made it, and I imagine they’ll probably meet the same fate,” said Senator Diane J. Savino, a Democrat representing Brooklyn and Staten Island, who singled out the soda tax and the proposal to allow groceries to sell wine.

Senator Malcolm A. Smith, a Queens Democrat, said the governor should not have allowed for an even modest rise in spending. “I don’t think we really should be increasing it at all,” said Mr. Smith, the Senate president.

Senator Dean G. Skelos, leader of the Senate Republicans, said, “The greatest danger” was “the one posed by Assembly and Senate Democrats who no doubt will push to further increase spending and taxes just like they did last year.”

The leaders of the Legislature — Senator John L. Sampson of Brooklyn and the Assembly speaker, Sheldon Silver of Manhattan — said they needed more time to review the proposals.

As he faces an uphill election battle, Mr. Paterson’s budget is also a break from the typical practice of robust budgets in election years. With no money to throw at preferred interest groups, Mr. Paterson is betting that voters will reward him as a responsible steward instead of punishing him as a Scrooge.

His plan would cut school aid by 5 percent in a state with the highest per-capita spending on education. It would also slow the growth of spending on Medicaid, reduce by $1 billion spending on state agencies and eliminate $300 million in undesignated annual aid to New York City.

But Mr. Paterson avoided harsher medicine. He has made no significant cuts to the state’s work force and even assured union leaders that he would not seek layoffs this year, a risky move as the state faces huge deficits in the coming years.

His plan also assumes that there will be a significant recovery this year in the state’s tax collections and relies on a number of recycled proposals. A new tax on sugared sodas, $1.28 per gallon, would yield $465 million, similar to a proposal that Mr. Paterson made last year but dropped amid resistance from the Legislature and companies like PepsiCo Inc., which is based in Purchase, N.Y.

Mr. Paterson is also proposing an increase in cigarette taxes, raising the tax per pack by $1, to $3.75, a change that would bring total taxes in New York City to $5.25 per pack.

To read the next page http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/20/nyregion/20budget.html?pagewanted=2

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/20/nyregion/20budget.html

Copyright 2010 The New York Times Company

Drug Companies Threatening to Oppose Health Bill

By ALAN FRAM - Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON -- The drug industry is threatening to end its support for President Barack Obama's health overhaul effort because of a rift with the administration over protecting brand-name biotech drugs from low-cost generic competitors.

In an e-mail obtained Friday by The Associated Press, the president of the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America told the trade group's board members that "we could not support the bill" if the industry is given less than 12 years of competitive protection for the expensive products.

Obama and House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Henry Waxman, D-Calif., are leading the drive to shorten that period, which proponents argue would be a boon to consumers.

"Please activate immediately all of your contacts," said the e-mail from Billy Tauzin, the group's president.

The pharmaceutical industry has been a crucial supporter of Obama's health effort, having spent many tens of millions of dollars on advertising and lobbying in support. Drug companies should profit from the millions of additional people who would be able to afford health coverage under the legislation.

The threat comes with White House officials and Democratic congressional leaders nearing an agreement on compromise legislation reshaping the nation's health care system.

With a deal so close, it was unclear whether the partnership between drugmakers and the administration was truly in jeopardy, or if the e-mail represented an effort by the industry to pressure the White House to drop its effort to shorten the period of competitive protection for biotech drugs.

Any compromise bill, though, will face a nail-biting trip through Congress, where Democrats got barely enough support when they pushed initial versions of the bill through the House and Senate. If the drug industry decided to pour money into advertising opposing the legislation, that could give some lawmakers second thoughts about supporting the bill.

Ken Johnson, a senior vice president of PhRMA, declined to comment on the e-mail. But in a written statement, he said, "Fair data protection of at least 12 years for new, innovative biologic medicines is critically important to the future of medical progress in America."

In a written statement, Waxman said the overhaul should be "to help struggling families, not to enrich the drug companies."

Last June, the industry agreed to actively support Obama's health overhaul in an agreement with the White House and Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus, D-Mont., to limit the cost to drugmakers to $80 billion over next decade.

But as Democrats craft their compromise health bill, they have begun looking for additional sources of revenue to pay for changes they are making. That has included pressing the drugmakers to contribute an additional $10 billion - another factor that might be part of PhRMA's decision to threaten to withdraw its support.

Biotech drugs, manufactured from live tissue, are a fast-growing share of sales for pharmaceutical companies worldwide and are seen as a pivotal part of that industry's future.

The House and Senate versions of the health legislation give biotech drugs 12 years of protection from generic competitors. Brand name companies say they need that period to recoup their investments in the products, which can be very expensive to develop.

The Obama administration has said seven years would be a reasonable compromise. Some lobbyists have said Waxman was pushing to reduce the 12 years to 10 years or less.

A lobbying war on the issue has kicked into high gear.

Among groups whose members are calling the White House and congressional leaders in support of the 12 years was the Massachusetts Biotechnology Council, representing about 350 biotech firms.

Massachusetts is where a Republican is threatening to capture the Senate seat long held by the late Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., in next Tuesday's special election. That could make Obama reluctant to support a policy that could anger employees of one of that state's most important industries.

Senior presidential adviser David Axelrod said that Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick called White House officials to raise concerns about shortening the products' protections, "but he did not tie it to the election at all."


http://www.macon.com/266/story/987120.html

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Tuesday, January 19, 2010

Safe Schools Public Forums

The Georgia Advocacy Office is asking for our help with these forums. Please attend and distribute this information freely. Your participation and feedback are needed in order to facilitate change and create new rules to help our students. This is too important, and we must get involved. The safety of our kids is at stake. - Rita
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Safe Schools Public Forums
Ending Restraint and Seclusion in Georgia Public Schools
Currently in Georgia, schools restrain and seclude children. This is a dangerous practice that must end. The Georgia Department of Education wants to create a rule that limits both restraint and seclusion.

Please join us for community and virtual gatherings to discuss the rule. In these gatherings, you will create public comment with other members of your community that will be shared with the Department of Education.
ATLANTA
Tuesday, January 26, 2010, 10am to 2pm
Rialto Center for the Arts, 80 Forsyth Street, NW, Atlanta, GA 30303
On the corner of Forsyth and Luckie Streets; For directions and parking information visit www.rialtocenter.org/directions

MACON
Thursday, January 28, 2010, 10am to 2pm
Location to be determined

VALDOSTA
Friday, January 29, 2010, 10am to 2pm
Location to be determined

ATHENS
Monday, February 1, 2010, 10am to 2pm
University of Georgia, Institute on Human Development and Disability, 850 College Station Road, Athens, GA 30602
In the Rivers Crossing Building. Park behind the building. When you enter, go down one floor. Forum is in rooms 62 and 64.

Lunch will be provided at each public forum

RSVPs appreciated to info@thegao.org or (800) 537-2329

WEBINAR
Tuesday, January 19, 2010, noon to 1pm
https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/855091627

WEBINAR
Monday, January 25, 2010, 7pm to 8pm
https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/581739419

Friday, January 15, 2010

Budget updates

Today’s conference by the Georgia Budget and Policy Institute was perfect timing given the press conference by Governor Perdue and the release of the his budget. House Appropriations Chairman Ben Harbin and Senate Appropriation Chair Jack Hill were introduced by Alan Essig as understanding that the budget is “more than just about the numbers”. Harbin compared our economy to a “piece of modern art with its nose of out of place”, and warned that there will be more cuts. Harbin doesn’t believe that taxes should be raised to balance the budget, and that the state will need to take a close look at its priorities and carefully choose what’s important. Senator Hill gave the expansion at Ft. Benning, the new Kia plant, and the recent move of NCR to Georgia, as reasons to be optimistic. He said that he wishes we had oil wells and natural gas in the state but that we are in a great position to recover. Leaders are looking for ways to save money, and he pointed to possible savings through more efficiency in the healthcare of our prison population as just one area to look at.

Commission Shelp of the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities said his department is one without boundaries and that everyone is a stakeholder. The Department’s new Coordinating Council is looking for ways to partner with leaders and members of the community to look for areas where services overlap so they can leverage resources. He says people are more willing to invest in success than in failure and is looking to create ways to make service delivery more successful.

During the conference, the governor’s budget was released. Right now on the DD side, it looks like there are 150 services for transitioning individuals out of institutions. We will verify the details and let you all know as soon as we can what action steps to take. The legislature is adjourned next week but will hold Appropriation meetings and departments will give their presentations to the committees.

We'll keep you posted.- Rita

Governor Backs Regional Transportation Tax

By Ariel Hart
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
January 14, 2010

The three-year push for transportation funding got big-time backing Thursday, as Gov. Sonny Perdue announced his support for a referendum on a regional sales tax, and said he would also ask the Legislature to approve $300 million in borrowing for transportation projects statewide.

He said he hoped future governors and Legislatures would continue to pass $300 million per year in bond funding for transportation projects, for a total of $3 billion over 10 years. The money would be paid back by general state funds, not be taken out of the transportation gas-tax budget.

“We have no choice but to invest in transportation infrastructure,” Perdue said. The governor said he will include the $300 million in bond projects in the budget he is expected to propose Friday.. That same budget, under pressure from a miserable economy, is expected to include harsh spending cuts in other areas. Perdue said the transportation "investment" was crucial now in order not to choke off future growth. A state study showed Georgia could forgo hundreds of thousands of new jobs without new transportation funding.

Lt Gov. Casey Cagle, who's president of the Senate, voiced his support: "Providing more jobs to Georgians is my top priority, and there is no question that we must improve our existing transportation infrastructure in order to attract new business. ”

For the regional taxes, the state would be divided into 12 regions.. Each region would vote in 2012 on whether to approve the tax. A region's citizens would be voting on whether to approve the 1-cent sales tax, and on the list of projects to be built with that money. If the tax is approved, shoppers would probably start paying it within the following year. All the money raised from the tax would be spent on projects in the same region, Perdue said.

The Atlanta region would consist of Fulton, DeKalb, Gwinnett, Rockdale, Henry, Fayette, Clayton, Douglas, Cobb and Cherokee counties. Different studies have produced different estimates of how much such a tax would raise, but the Atlanta Regional Commission has estimated it at $790 million a year, said ARC Government Affairs Manager Catherine Brulet.

But the House and Senate will have to pass it before Perdue can sign it. Perdue is still working out the details with legislative leaders, and details have gummed up transportation funding legislation in the past.

Senate President Pro Tem Tommie Williams (R-Lyons) said the $300 million in bond projects made sense. “We have the lowest debt in the country per man, woman and child,” Williams said. Combined with that, the low rates available now, and the need for funding, the time “frankly is now,” he said. As to the concept of allowing regional sales taxes, the specifics are still under negotiation, but “I think we can pass it,” Williams said.

Rep. Donna Sheldon (R-Dacula), who chairs the House Republican Caucus and is vice chair of the House Transportation Committee, said she was “very excited” about the bond funding, and that the regional funding plan “definitely” has potential. She noted that the House had supported the concept in the past.

While the money from the regional tax would stay in that region, the bond funding could apparently be spent anywhere. The $300 million statewide is not an overwhelming sum: In a dense urban area, it might fund about two interstate interchanges. However, it could fund a larger number of paving and widening projects across the state. Perdue said it would be used for routes that are particularly valuable for freight.

http://www.ajc.com/news/georgia-politics-elections/governor-backs-regional-transportation-275473.html

© 2010 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Martin Luther King Honored By State Lawmakers

The Associated Press
The Macon Telegraph
January 14, 2010

ATLANTA -- Gov. Sonny Perdue and state lawmakers are kicking off the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.'s 81st birthday festivities in the halls of the Capitol.

Perdue was joined by Martin Luther King III and other members of the King family, as well as Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle, House Speaker David Ralston, Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed and members of the Georgia Legislative Black Caucus.

King's eldest son urged the audience to support victims of the Haitian earthquake in remembrance of his father.

Ralston encouraged lawmakers to espouse King's ideals of civility, fairness and respect during this year's session.

Former Georgia Supreme Court Justice Leah Ward Sears delivered the keynote address to a crowd of more than 100 lawmakers, dignitaries and others in attendance.

http://www.macon.com/220/story/985472.html

Copyright © 2010 The McClatchy Company

Georgia Medicaid Deficit Could Exceed Half-Billion Dollars

By Morris News Service
Savannah Morning News
January 15, 2010

ATLANTA - More bad news, in advance of the expected release at noon today of Gov. Sonny Perdue’s budget proposal. Thursday, Community Health Commissioner Rhonda Medows announced that the state’s Medicaid shortfall for Fiscal 2011 will be in the neighborhood of $635 million.

That’s a 33 percent increase over the $477 million shortfall the state faced last year.

One observer noted that when combined with the temporarily enhanced 3:1 federal match for Medicaid expenditures, this amounts to a total $2 billion shortfall. The result could be “devastating” for the state’s hospitals and health care providers, the source said.

House Appropriations Chairman Ben Harbin said Friday morning the news could make funding for other government services harder to find.

“If I spend money on something that looks good, it has to come from somewhere,” the Evans Republican told a conference of social-program advocates. “Is it coming from our K-12 education? It could be. Is it coming from out healthcare needs, as we saw this morning with the downturn in the economy and the larger-than-expected deficit in Medicaid? Is it going to come from there?”

The increasing burden on the Medicaid system also reflects the state’s tough economic position. It’s being driven up as more Georgians join the poverty rolls.


http://savannahnow.com/latest-news/2010-01-15/georgia-medicaid-deficit-could-exceed-half-billion-dollars

Morris Communications All files and material © Savannah Morning News, 2009

Coweta Special Ed Program Receives State Honor

By Jeff Bishop
The Times-Herald
Newnan, GA
January 15, 2010

The Coweta County School System's Special Education program has been recognized for high achievement by the state of Georgia.

"Your system is one of the highest performers on one or more indicators when compared to systems of similar size," Dr. Martha Reichrath, deputy state superintendent of schools, informed Coweta County Superintendent Blake Bass in a recent letter.

"Congratulations on your outstanding accomplishment," Reichrath said.

The recognition was announced at the annual fall conference of the Georgia Council for Administrators of Special Education.

Coweta County was recognized as a "leader in the state of Georgia" for its "outstanding efforts to improve the performance of students with disabilities."

The Coweta County Board of Education recognized Gina Murray, director of special education for the county, and several other staff members this week at the county school offices on Jackson Street.

The recognition was for the 2008-2009 school year.

"We are grateful to you... your staff, parents, and community members of your stakeholders committee," said Reichrath.

"With continued efforts, we will see even greater gains for students with disabilities in the future."

"We appreciate all your hard work," Bass told Murray and her staff team.

"This means a lot to us," he said. "We know about the good job our teachers do, but it's nice to be recognized by the state as a leader."

"Our teachers and parapros are the best in Georgia, and they work very hard," said Murray. "We're very proud."

Sue Brown, vice-chair of the school board, said that the special ed department has a crackerjack group of secretaries, too.

"Without them, you couldn't do the job, either," she said.

"I agree," said Bass.

http://www.times-herald.com/Local/Coweta-special-ed-receives-state-honor-952597
© 2010 The Newnan Times-Herald Inc.