Please click the image to download the flyer. The 2014 GCDD Listening Tour, sponsored by the Georgia Council on Developmental Disabilities (GCDD), is designed to interact and engage with the various communities around Georgia to hear what they have to say. The tour invites people with disabilities, advocates, caretakers, and anyone who wants to have their voice heard by our public policy team. As we go around Georgia and meet with you, we want to hear what's on your mind that can help shape our legislative advocacy.
Please join us for our next 2014 Listening Tour
When:Monday, October 13, 6 - 8 PM Where:Dalton State College Upper Level of Pope Student Center Who should attend:Folks with disabilities and all those who care about them. Why:Share what's on your mind with our public policy team & help shape our legislative advocacy. If you want to see change, we want to see you there! RSVP:404-657-2126 or
The Georgia Council on Developmental Disabilities (GCDD) is excited to announce the return of Take Your Legislator to Work Day!This month-long event coincides with NDEAM, which is celebrating its 70th anniversiary with the 2018 theme America's Workforce: Empowering All. The goal of Take Your Legislator To Work Day is to show the far reaching benefits to employers, employees and communities alike of hiring people with disabilities as well as to create opportunities for Georgians with disabilities to form and nurture relationships with their elected officials.
GCDD's Take Your Legislator to Work Day is an opportunity for employees with disabilities to invite their legislator(s) tovisit them at work. Any Georgian who is employed in an integrated setting and who identifies as having a disability is encouraged to apply. We believe that visiting an employee at work is the best way to show legislators that people with disabilities want to workand are as capable as anyone at working in real jobs for real wages. We also believe your elected officials will best undersand the positive impact of publically funded employment supports if they see those in action.
(Registration is NOW CLOSED)
Take Your Legislator to Work Day is open to any person with a disability that lives in Georgia and works in a community integrated setting earning at or above minimum wage.
Starting on Monday, January 13, 2020, the Georgia General Assembly will begin its race towards the finish line. The Georgia Constitution only grants the assembly 40 days to complete all its work. While the days do not have to be continuous, the assembly’s traditional deadline of late March or early April does not allow for much dawdling.
With that in mind, it is never too early to double check who your elected officials are at Open States. Make sure to enter your entire home address, as multiple elected officials can represent the same ZIP code. You can also confirm their contact details and committee assignments at the official Georgia General Assembly website.
Remember, your elected officials cannot represent your opinions if you have never taken the time to educate them on issues of importance to you. Whether you have new folks or old folks, be sure to take some time to re-introduce yourself. Your elected officials work for you, so put them to work for your interests! A government of the people and for the people only works if the people raise their voice. We at the Georgia Council on Developmental Disabilities (GCDD) are counting on you to do just that.
For a quick recap on how a bill becomes a law in Georgia, be sure to check out Georgia Public Broadcasting’s short video on the legislative process.
2020 Session Theme: Budget, Budget, Budget
As the Georgia General Assembly’s only required task, the passage of our state’s balanced budget is always a highlight of each year’s session. However, this year is sure to be one for the books as Governor Kemp, in early August, directed state agencies to propose massively impactful, 6 percent cuts to their fiscal year 2021 budget. To put that into perspective, the Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities (DBHDD) alone was tasked with finding areas to cut, totaling approximately $56 million. Agencies submitted proposals in September, which provided us all with a preview of what to monitor during the upcoming session.
Although many of the cuts come from state agencies’ administrative and operational budgets, there are service areas that will likely be impacted. For example, DBHDD has proposed cutting approximately $1 million from each of the following developmental disability service areas: Marcus Autism Center, family support services and assistive technology and research.
Also impacted by the governor’s directive will be DBHDD’s yearly proposal for new Medicaid NOW/COMP waiver slots. Typically, DBHDD requests additional funds for approximately 125 new waivers each year. In addition, they request funds to annualize approximately 250 waivers from the previous fiscal year. For the upcoming fiscal year, DBHDD only requested to annualize 125 waivers, and they are not requesting funds for any new NOW/COMP waivers. Given the waitlist of over 6,000 people in Georgia for NOW/COMP waivers, GCDD is very concerned by this change.
Finally, although GCDD receives primarily federal funding to continue the great work being done around the state, GCDD does receive state funding for our fantastic IPSE programs. GCDD is particularly concerned that the 6 percent budget cut will mean that IPSE funding is scheduled for a $50,000 cut for fiscal year 2021!
It is important to note that the changes are only proposed changes as of now, and cuts could be reorganized as the session progresses. Due to the possibility of additional cuts to services we care about, GCDD will be relying on your strong advocacy skills throughout session. Following Governor Kemp’s State of the State address in mid-January, the Governor’s Office of Planning & Budget will officially release Kemp’s budget recommendations. While ultimately the House of Representatives and the Senate decide what is included in the budget, the governor’s recommendations usually serve as guiding light. Be on the lookout for many updates on the budget, including what you can do about the proposed changes. We will also be including budget updates in our public policy calls and newsletter.
GCDD’s 2020 Public Policy Direction: Disability in ALL Policy!
The Georgia Council on Developmental Disabilities is governed by a 27-member board, appointed by the governor and comprised of at least 60 percent individuals with developmental disabilities and family members. Other members include policymakers that represent various agencies and organizations having a vested interested in persons with developmental disabilities.
Each year, the council comes together in the fall to formulate a legislative agenda to bring about social and policy changes that promote opportunities for persons with developmental disabilities and their families to live, learn, work, play and worship in Georgia communities. This year our council approved changes to our public policy department, which will allow GCDD to engage with legislators to ensure people with developmental disabilities are considered in ALL policy. Our 2020 legislative priorities are as follows:
HEALTH AND WELLNESS
We are committed to advancing sound policies that improve the overall health (physical, mental, emotional and sexual) of people with developmental disabilities and their loved ones. The following topics will be highlighted in our health and wellness policy initiative:
We will always include eliminating the waiting list for NOW and COMP waivers in our policy initiatives until the waitlist in Georgia is ZERO. These waivers allow individuals with developmental disabilities who qualify for an institutional level of care to receive the supports they need to live healthy lives in the community. As of August 2019, 6,048 Georgians with developmental disabilities were on the waiting list for a NOW or COMP waiver. Our advocacy around this very important issue remains as crucial as ever.
The Shortage of DSPs: Workforce Crisis We believe that a competent, well-trained and caring workforce of direct support professionals (DSPs) is essential to the health and wellbeing of individuals with disabilities who utilize home and community-based services. We support strategies to address this crisis so people with disabilities can have the care they need.
We support the Nobles family and Representative Williams in their efforts to ensure that people with developmental disabilities are not denied an organ transplant simply because of their disability status.
EDUCATION
Inclusive education policies, starting with early childcare settings and continuing through postsecondary education, are necessary to assist Georgians with developmental disabilities in reaching their full potential. Currently, our education focus includes:
IPSE Programs
We believe that all students, regardless of ability, should have access to postsecondary education programs in the state of Georgia. Inclusive postsecondary education (IPSE) programs provide students with intellectual and developmental disabilities access to education not otherwise available. Currently there are nine IPSE programs in Georgia serving approximately 139 students. They are Kennesaw State University’s Academy for Inclusive Learning and Social Growth, University of Georgia’s Destination Dawgs, Georgia Institute of Technology’s EXCEL, Georgia State University’s IDEAL, Columbus State University’s GOALS, East Georgia State College’s CHOICE, Georgia Southern’s Eagle Academy, Albany Technical College’s LEAP and the University of West Georgia’s Project WOLVES.
GCDD is committed to the growth and support of IPSE programs because we recognize their value in preparing students to live increasingly independent lives within their communities.
GCDD works to address the targeted disparity of African American and other minority students who are disproportionately identified in special education. They often end up in the Georgia Network for Educational and Therapeutic Support (GNETS) system or expelled from school, which leads to a higher probability of incarceration. We support policy initiatives aimed at reducing the number of students being placed in the school-to-prison pipeline and look forward to the recommendations of the Senate Study Committee on Educational Development of African American Children in Georgia.
GCDD supports Georgia’s vision for a public system that funds employment supports first. We will work to advance policies that improve competitive, integrated employment options for Georgians with developmental disabilities. Some policy proposals include:
Phasing out 14(c) certificates that currently allow people with disabilities to be paid subminimum wage
Increasing the budgets of DBHDD and the Georgia Vocational Rehabilitation Agency (GVRA) to assist the organizations in increasing the hourly rate of Georgia’s supported employment services
Reallocating funds from day habilitation program rates, which continue to be well above the national average, to supported employment rates, which continue to be well below the national average
TRANSPORTATION
Reliable transportation options are critical to ensure people with developmental disabilities are truly included in all aspects of their communities. GCDD supports policies that improve current transportation options, including House Bill 511 (HB 511), which aims to create a state agency focused on transit. HB 511 also includes a committee whose purpose is to ensure vulnerable populations, including people with low income, people with disabilities and people who are aging, have access to appropriate transit options. We believe this legislation will improve transportation for people with disabilities, particularly in the rural parts of our state.
HOUSING
GCDD supports policy solutions that provide the infrastructure and funding necessary to address the shortage of accessible, affordable housing options for people with developmental disabilities.
We believe Georgia’s budget highlights our state’s priorities, and GCDD strives to educate lawmakers on the importance on maintaining/increasing budget line items that impact Georgians with developmental disabilities. As described in our budget highlight, we believe it will be critical during 2020’s session to be vigilant of any changes to budget line items that might impact the supports and services on which people with developmental disabilities and their families rely. We will strive to keep each one of you updated on changes, and we know that you all will be ready to advocate when the time comes!
Frequently Asked Questions:
Q How do I find out when legislative committees are meeting?
A If you know the bill number, you can track it by visiting the official Georgia General Assembly website. Or you can read GCDD’s Public Policy for the People e-newsletter and participate in our public policy calls.
Q How can I help my school-aged child learn about the legislative process?
A Consider signing them up to be a page. Pages deliver messages to the senators and representatives when they are meeting in the legislative chambers. It is such an important job that there is even a Georgia law, O.C.G.A. §20-2-692, that states “children who serve as pages of the General Assembly during the school year, either at regular or special sessions, shall be credited as present by the school in which enrolled in the same manner as an educational field trip, and such participation as a page shall not be counted as an absence, either excused or unexcused.” To learn more about becoming a page, visit the Senate page program site and the House page program site.
People with disabilities in the Gainesville area expressed a desire for better quality services and support at a meeting Thursday with the Georgia Council on Developmental Disabilities. The meeting was one of several statewide stops on the council's "listening tour" leading up to the 2015 General Assembly. Council leaders asked questions and provided information for a small group gathered at the Lanier Charter Career Academy.
"We are an independent state agency and our mission is, in the informal way I always say it, we're trying to kick the can or move the ball further for folks with disabilities and their families," said D'Arcy Robb, GCDD public policy director. Robb said she typically poses questions to the public at the listening tour meetings to stimulate discussion.
Her first question asked, "What's working in this community for people with disabilities and their families?"
Dr. Irma Alvarado, Brenau University professor and co-owner of Essential Therapy Services Inc. in Cumming, said she thinks what works for people with disabilities in Gainesville is "variable." "It depends on what you know, what's in your community," Alvarado said. "... There are some people out there looking for opportunities, but they have to look."
The second question Robb posed asked what the audience believes is not working.
Jennifer Allison, clinical instructor at Brenau University, said most people don't know what services are available locally. Others expressed concerns over the quality of services, educational opportunities, transportation to and from services and job opportunities.
"The thing we hear a lot of is jobs," Robb said. "People with disabilities want to work real jobs in the community and they just aren't getting the support they need to do that." Robb said she often hears people express a general desire to change the way the community views people with disabilities.
"One thing we hear a lot is essentially changing the culture," Robb said. "Not looking at people with a disability as first and foremost that disability.... So just being more supportive and embracing as a society, seeing people as a whole package for who they are and not just stigmatizing them for this disability or that diagnosis."
Robb said the most important part of the meeting is listening to the public. She said not only does it help give the council an idea of what Georgians with disabilities are looking for, but it lets people know they are being heard. "People have said that they appreciate, No. 1, being listened to, and us coming out in person," Robb said. "I think people appreciate that opportunity to have a community forum and have a voice."
Dawn Alford, advocate and GCDD policy development specialist, encouraged local residents to join the council's advocacy network at www.gcdd.org. "Our team focuses on advocacy, trying to push the system's change," Alford said. "In order to do that, we need the help of grass-roots advocates, people in their communities reaching out to their own legislators."
By Kristen Oliver
The original article appeared in The Gainesville Times on September 5, 2014.
The Georgia Council on Developmental Disabilities will stop in Gainesville today to hear from people living with disabilities.
Representatives including D'Arcy Robb, the council's public policy director, and Dawn Alford, policy development specialist, at 6 p.m. will be at Lanier Charter Career Academy on Tumbling Creek Road to hear from people with disabilities regarding the 2015 legislative agenda for the council.
Council leaders hope to hear concerns, ideas and opinions from the public, according to a news release. The stop is one of several on a statewide tour leading to the 2015 General Assembly, which begins in January.
Approximately 20 percent of Americans have a disability due to birth, injury or longevity, according to the news release. The council is a federally funded, independent state agency that promotes and creates opportunities for people with disabilities through public policy initiatives, public awareness and advocacy programs.
Sometimes, when you go to college, you get lucky enough to find a new set of friends, people who will almost certainly be your friends for the rest of your life. That is definitely true of “The Fam Squad.” They hit it off the first week they met. Now, they hang out when they’re not in class, often going to lunch, the library, and the student center together.
When Les McBride, De’onte Brown and Mandel Montilus started attending the IDEAL program at Georgia State University, they knew immediately they felt lucky not only to be in school, but most especially to have found each other. IDEAL, Inclusive Digital Expression and Literacy, is a new inclusive two-year program at GSU that accepted their first students with intellectual disabilities in Fall 2016.
Students enroll in or audit courses offered by GSU colleges and academic departments; complete work-study and intern-ship experiences related to media, communications and/or the arts; and participate in a variety of extracurricular activities on campus.
The young men of “The Fam Squad” are three of the five students currently enrolled in IDEAL. Spenser Norris, a trained special education teacher and clinical rehabilitation counselor, is the University Inclusion Coordinator. She says they are hoping to grow the program to ten students in Fall 2018, as well as establish a dual enrollment program with DeKalb County. Much like other inclusive postsecondary education programs, they rely on the support of peer mentors who have similar interests and career goals as the program participants. Peer mentors are recruited from the Honors College and other parts of the University and volunteer 5-10 hours a week to assist with going to class, study skills and finding social opportunities.
Les, De’onte and Mandel are all studying in different programs that loosely relate under the theme of creative and new media.Les, De’onte, and Mandel are all studying in different programs that loosely relate under the theme of creative and new media. Les would like to become a music producer in the recording industry. Mandel hopes to be a game designer. De’onte is a film student with a penchant for horror.
Aspiring filmmaker De’onte, 22, has an intellectual disability and developmental delay. He remembers the first time he fell in love with films. He was watching something one day and just started wondering about how much time it had taken them to make all the parts of it. It made him curious about the process. His favorite scary movie is Happy Death Day. “These types of movies just make me feel more alive,” he says.
De’onte has a twin brother who is in the Army, currently serving in Poland. They video chat weekly, but he really misses him because it’s been more than a year since they’ve seen each other in person. For his final project, De’onte wants to make a documentary about the IDEAL program.
Mandel, the game designer, is a 23-year-old man with autism spectrum disorder and speech and language disorder. Mandel’s peer mentors, Teymbi and Kat, help him stay focused on his game designs and ideas. His original inspiration for gaming was Pokémon. He shows us a version of a Pokéball he’s doodled on his hand. You can find some games he’s working on at an experimental website called Twinery.org. He says the thing he likes most about games is being the champion.
Les, the music producer, is 19. He has mild intellectual disability and specific learning disorder. Growing up with the music of T.I., Li’l Wayne and other Atlanta-based hip-hop artists, his favorite song is “I’m Still Here” by T.I. He thinks it has a great motivational message to follow. No matter what circumstances you come from or what’s happened to you, you’ve got to keep doing your work and keep going. Les has lost important people in his life like his grandparents, and he’s an only child. Sometimes he’s felt isolated, but he feels it’s important to stay positive. He wants to put out work through his music that encourages people to stop violence.
Each member of The Fam Squad talks us through the process of applying to be in the IDEAL program. They said that it took a lot of paperwork and an interview at the IDEAL office. They all remember the interview vividly, how they had to speak about their dreams and aspirations. For each of them, the day they found out they’d gotten into the program was also a day they’ll never forget. “It was the best day of my life!” is a sentiment echoed by each of them.
None of these young men currently have Medicaid waivers, and they have no plans to apply at this time. This underscores why support for a program of this nature is important, as the need for NOW/COMP waivers is diminished for IPSE (inclusive post secondary education) alumni as many are gainfully employed, receiving employee benefits, and are therefore less dependent on state resources. Another IDEAL student has stated many times that “Without IDEAL, he would be sitting at home bored and feeling like he is missing out.”
The Fam Squad show off the robot, Pepper, who can dance and will ask for a selfie at Creative Media Industries Institute.
Often young adults with intellectual disabilities find themselves isolated when they do not belong to a community of peers, often feeling misunderstood, or eventually feeling like it is not worth the effort to make friends or try new things. Like many young people who may feel isolated, this phenomenon can lead to depression, anxiety, or people existing in unhealthy relationship with others to fulfill a need for belonging.
As a part of their program, they’ve had an opportunity to participate in advocacy, going to the State Capitol to speak to legislators about the IDEAL program. If we brought an elected official in to be a part of the conversation we were having, they would want them to know how excellent their program is so they could have more students “join the college life, to see what all the fuss is about!”
Les says, “There’s a lot of kids that need help and want to do better, and do better things.” He talks about people who have disabilities wanting to change, as well as school shootings and how much fear there is. When we ask everyone what they want people in general to know, De’onte says “I want them to know that they can be anything they want to be.”
With that, the guys take us on a tour of the Creative Media Industries Institute. They show us the robot, Pepper, who can dance and will ask you if you want to take a selfie with her. At the end of our time, they led us back to the IDEAL office, which has a common area with posters, pictures and quotes from retreats and meetings they’ve had together in the past. As we say goodbye, the group is ready to try the hot dog place that’s just opened up around the corner. It is Friday after all.
This story is a part of the GCDD Storytelling Project. It was written by Shannon M. Turner and photographed by Lynsey Weatherspoon. Read the extended story on www.gcdd.org.
To read more in Making a Difference magazine, see below:
Include College is the newest campaign launched by the Georgia Inclusive Postsecondary Education Consortium (GAIPSEC) to bring attention to nine inclusive college programs for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) across Georgia.
Currently, the following universities, colleges and technical colleges have inclusive programs in Georgia: University of Georgia, Columbus State University, Georgia State University, Georgia Southern University, East Georgia State College, Albany Technical College, University of West Georgia, Georgia Institute of Technology and Kennesaw State University.
Project WOLVES at University of West Georgia is the newest inclusive college program in Georgia
There are 140 students enrolled in the nine programs, but plans are to grow exponentially. “The goal of this campaign is for parents, students, family members and educators to include college in a student’s transition planning as an option after high school,” said Susanna Miller-Raines, statewide coordinator for GAIPSEC.
Include College is a clearing house that allows parents, students and other stakeholders to receive complete information on the college programs and steps to include in planning for life after high school. This includes understanding all of the colleges’ different offerings, how to plan for college options throughout the student’s K-12 career and various agencies and organizations that can support parents through the process.
Georgia’s college programs are inclusive in campus life and academic offerings, and they also prepare students with job training and independent living skills. Students with disabilities who attend inclusive college programs have a higher chance to receive job opportunities in competitive, integrated employment. In Georgia, 75% of the 2017 graduates are now employed.
With a grant from the US Department of Education, the programs originated in 2010, and GAIPSEC aims to build the capacity to serve 100 new students per year across Georgia.
The campaign is supported by the Georgia Council on Developmental Disabilities (GCDD) with support to its Five Year Plan goal of education. Specifically, GCDD aims to expand the number of successful inclusive post-secondary educational programs in Georgia to 13 by 2022.
About GAIPSEC: Georgia Inclusive Postsecondary Education Consortium is dedicated to ensuring that every Georgia student has access to learning after high school, regardless of intellectual or developmental disability. The Consortium is made up of colleges and universities, community support agencies, families and K-12 educators. Together, its mission ensures that every Georgia student with an intellectual or developmental disability has the opportunity to realize his or her full potential.
With only 11 more legislative days to go, we are fast approaching the end of the 2019 Legislative Session here in Georgia. Indeed, the gavel will fall for the last time on April 2.
With that in mind, we need your help to make a splash in the coming week ahead. As you might recall, the House passed their version of the budget for FY 2020. While the House kept the Governor's recommendation for 125 new NOW and COMP waivers, they unfortunately did not add any additional waivers. With approximately 6,000 Georgians on the waiting list for a NOW or COMP waiver, we know 125 is simply not sufficient. Additionally, the House did not add any additional funding for Inclusive Post-Secondary Education.
What does this mean? It means that we need to shift our advocacy to the Senate Appropriation's Committee, specifically the Human Development and Public Health Subcommittee. We need your help to contact the following Senators:
When you contact them, please educate them on the importance of:
Supporting the Governor’s recommendation for 125 NOW & COMP waivers, and adding an additional $17.8 million to DBHDD’s FY20 budget to fund 525 more NOW & COMP waivers.
For Inclusive Post-Secondary Education, increasing legislative funding from the existing $500,000 to $1,000,000 in total within the Georgia Council on Developmental Disabilities Budget.
In other news, the movement for the in-state cultivation of Low THC Oil has found a home in HB 324, otherwise known as Georgia's Hope Act. It is important to note that the bill does not expand who can legally use Low THC Oil, rather it only allows for the production, cultivation, and dispensing of oil to previously approved individuals. HB 324 has passed the House. The related bill, HB 213, allows for the farming of hemp and has also passed the House. Both bills now are in the hands of the state Senate.
As for the rights of parents that are visually impaired, a bill that would help protect their rights, has passed the House. Known as HB 79, this bill is the culmination of efforts by the National Federation of the Blind, Georgia Affiliate.
Moving right along to voting, the House passed HB 316 last week, which would replace Georgia's current voting machines with a hybrid touchscreen-paper system. Sponsored by Representative Barry Fleming, the the bill was reported favorably by the Senate Committee on Ethics and now must wait to be scheduled for a chamber vote in the Senate. During public testimony, proponents of hand marked ballots testified to their concerns over an electronic system's ability to be validated. Some in favor of HB 316 spoke of the need for an electronic system to accommodate voters with disabilities. On a related note, SB 22,an attempt by Senator Donzella James to increase the privacy of individuals that vote absentee through mail by limiting identifying information on the mailing envelops did not make it past Crossover Day.
Next up is Georgia's Hate Crime Legislation, HB 426, which passed on Crossover Day. Sponsored by Representative Chuck Efstration, HB 426 increases penalties for anyone that commits a crime on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, gender, mental disability, or physical disability. Some of you might remember that Georgia's previous Hate Crime Law was ruled unconstitutional by the Georgia Supreme Court in 2004 due to being too vague. The bill now sits in the Senate.
Finally, we want to thank all of the advocates who braved the unpleasant weather to attend GCDD's 5 Advocacy Days this year. We truly could not have done it without you!
Don't forget, the House and Senate have a fairly comprehensive video recording system. It is easy to stream committee meetings, floor sessions, or even watch a recording of a past meeting.
Substitute Bill:This is an alternative version of a bill, meaning that changes have occurred within the bill since it was first introduced. While sometimes the changes are minor, they can also be very substantial. For instance, the original bill language might be replaced by entirely new language. The bill's author does not have to approve the changes. Such tactics allow a legislator whose bill did not make Crossover Day to still become law.
A Medicaid Update: A Guest Post
by Laura Colbert, Executive Director of Georgians for a Healthy Future
For the first time in Georgia, there is widespread and bipartisan agreement among Georgia’s Governor and legislative leaders about the pressing need to provide health insurance to more Georgians. To address Georgia’s rising uninsured rate, Governor Brian Kemp has put forth a bill, SB 106, that would allow the state to submit two kinds of health care waivers:
A Medicaid 1115 waiver that could be used to extend coverage to more low-income Georgians, among other reforms; and
A 1332 State Innovation waiver that would make changes to Georgia’s private health insurance marketplace.
(Waivers allow a state to set aside or “waive” certain requirements imposed by the federal government and try new models of providing health coverage and care. Of note, this is different than a NOW, COMP, ICWP, CCSP, or SOURCE Waiver.)
While the goal to extend affordable, quality coverage to more Georgians is admirable, the proposed legislation currently falls short by limiting the number of people who would benefit, increasing the likely costs to the state, and leaving to door open to an erosion of critical consumer protections.
SB 106 limits a future 1115 Medicaid waiver to cover only adults making up to 100% of the federal poverty line (FPL) ($12,490 for an individual and $21,330 for a family of three per year). While this would cover more Georgians than are currently eligible for Medicaid, that cut-off leaves out an estimated 200,000 uninsured Georgia adults making just more than poverty-level wages (up to 138% FPL, $17,296 for an individual and $29,435 for a family of three).
The Affordable Care Act envisioned that these citizens living close to the poverty line, would be covered by Medicaid and the law provides states with an incentive in which states pay only 10% of the costs of the newly-eligible adults and the federal government picks up the rest. If Georgia’s leaders approve SB 106 in its current form and leave out the people close to the poverty line, our state will miss out on the ACA’s “enhanced match rate” and will likely end up paying more money to cover far fewer people.
The second part of SB 106 allows Georgia to submit a 1332 State Innovation waiver, an option created by the ACA to allow states to test different approaches for providing primarily private health insurance to their residents. At the same time, the law established “guardrails,” which set specific parameters to protect citizens. Unfortunately, these guardrails (protections) have been greatly weakened in recent months leaving consumers at risk.[i]
So far, all eight states with approved 1332 waivers have carried out plans that benefit consumers—and Georgia could too. However, the broad language in SB 106 allows for proposals that could also create sizeable and risky changes that put Georgians at risk for harm. For example, Georgia might allow citizens to use their subsidies to purchase junk insurance plans. This would likely draw healthy consumers out of the ACA Marketplace to cheaper, low quality plans and thereby send insurance premiums into an upward spiral for consumers with pre-existing conditions in need of comprehensive coverage.
Georgia’s legislators could narrow the scope of an allowable 1332 waiver by specifying that the waiver must be used for a specific beneficial reason, like establishing a reinsurance system to lower insurance premiums, or by laying out a set of principles that the waiver must meet to ensure Georgia consumers are fully protected.
Georgia’s leaders have taken an encouraging step forward by putting forth a proposal that aims to increase access to care and address affordability concerns for Georgia families. A few small, meaningful changes to the bill would assure a path to affordable, quality health coverage for all Georgians.
It has been a real whirlwind under the Gold Dome since we spoke last. The long awaited Adoption Bill passed through the Senate, which means everyone can focus on other things.
HB 831, Georgia's Employment First Act, was dropped this past week by Representative Terry Rogers. This bill would create an Employment First Georgia Council for the purpose of "advising the Governor, General Assembly, and state agencies on the adoption and integration of an employment first policy that recognizes that competitive integrated employment, including self-employment, is the first and preferred outcome of all state funded services provided to working age individuals with disabilities." GCDD is proud to support this bill and we urge you to contact your State Representative and ask them to support HB 831. Currently it has been assigned to the House Industry and Labor Committee.
The House passed the Amended Fiscal Year 18 Budget, sending it off the Senate for debate. The House was then able to move on to the Fiscal Year 19 Budget. Last week, the House Appropriations Human Resources Subcommittee held public comment, where committee members had a chance to hear from advocates on the waiting list for NOW and COMP Waivers. The testimony given was powerful and a great reminder of the importance of sharing your story.
SB 118, sponsored by Senator Renee Unterman, which raises the age limit to age 12 for coverage of autism services under private insurance policies, passed the Senate last Wednesday. It now moves on to the House of Representatives for debate.
Since our last newsletter, GCDD held one advocacy day on Employment. Our next advocacy day is this Wednesday where we will be speaking about Medicaid. We hope you will register and share with your legislator why you love Medicaid. GCDD was also excited about the Independent Living Day at the Capitol last week, as well as CO-AGE's Senior Week. Both had excellent turnouts and we were thrilled - it is always important to remind legislators about the voice of Georgians with disabilities.
The GA General Assembly has released their tentative calendarfor the the rest of session.
Adjourn: It ends the business of the day for the House and Senate. Committee meetings happen, but neither the entire House nor the entire Senate meet all together after adjournment.
Caucus: A group of legislators who share common ideas within the Georgia General Assembly.
Around Town with UNLOCK!
Welcome back policy advocates! We wanted to give you a few story telling tips.
Keep it short. Remember, you will only have about 2 to 3 minutes to tell your story when working the ropes. Some people call this an “elevator speech.”
Practice with a friend.
Learn the issue and why it matters to you or people you care about.
If the policy has helped, share the success story. If the policy has harmed you or someone you know, explain what happened and how your legislator can make it better.
Sharing your story can be scary at first, but it gets easier with practice! If you would like more help telling your story, please join us at the next GCDD Advocacy Day on Wednesday, February 14 to learn how it goes at the Capitol.
Also, if you have not already, please join the UNLOCK! Coalition, a partnership of powerful policy advocates and agencies, by clicking the link below to complete your membership. We hope to see you at the Gold Dome on February 14!
Some Bills to Watch:
HB 288: (Kirby) Creates penalties for using fake service animals, penalties for harming a service animal, and would allow the Department of Human Services to "authorize private service organizations... to create and issue information cards containing the department's seal" that explain the rights and penalties associated with service animals.
HB 482: (Trammel) Educational Scholarship Act - Allows parents to use the money the state would have spent on their child's public school education to pay for private school education.
HB 635: (Cooper) The Disabled Adults and Elder Persons Protection Act - creates an at-risk adult protective investigative/coordination team in each judicial circuit in Georgia to coordinate investigations of suspected abuse, neglect, or exploitation of people with disabilities or the elderly.
HB 645: (Peake) To legalize possession of low THC oil and cultivation of cannabis for the production of low THC oil in the state of Georgia under certain conditions/medical conditions.
HB 668:(Price) Allows guardianship proceedings to begin when someone is 17 years old.
HB 740: (Nix) Requires local school systems to conduct certain screenings before a student, in pre-K through third grade, can be expelled or suspended for more than five days. If a student has an IEP or Section 504 plan, the school will hold an IEP or Section 504 meting to review the supports currently being provided as part of their IEP or Section 504 Plan.
HB 768: (Hilton) Changes the rules around intellectual disability and capital crimes.
HB 759: (Turner) Relaxes regulations for the GA Special Needs Scholarship, to allow the children of active duty military service members stationed in GA within the previous year, or children that have previously qualified, be exempt from the requirement to have attended a public school in Georgia the prior year.
HB 776: (Douglas) The Authorized Electronic Monitoring in Long-term Care Facilities Act allows for the placement and use of electronic monitoring devices by the resident of a long term care facility (such as a any skilled nursing facility, intermediate care home, assisted living community, or personal care home) within their personal room.
HB 801: (Hilton) Allows the GA Special Needs Scholarship to cover services, therapies, and other materials, as opposed to only tuition.
HB 803: (Willard) Prohibits the trafficking of an adult with a disability.
HB 844: (Houston) Revises provisions of the GA Commission on Hearing Impaired and Deaf Persons, specifically around membership of commission, as well as creates a multi-agency task force to provide recommendations for improvements to the GA General Assembly and the Governor.
HB 891: (Gilliard) States that the Department of Human Services, the courts, or a child placing agency cannot deny someone child placement, child custody, visitation, guardianship, or adoption solely or primarily because the individual is blind.
SB 322: (James) Requires non-electric personal assistive mobility devices to have front and rear reflectors when used on highways or sidewalks, as well as all electric and nonelectric personal assistive devices sold after December 31, 2018 to have reflectors.
SB 357: (Burke) Creates the Health Coordination and Innovation Council of the State of Georgia, a recommendation of the Lt. Governor Cagle's Health Care Reform Task Force.
SB 406: (Strickland) The Georgia Long-term Care Background Check Program establishes minimum standards for conducting criminal background checks of owners, applicants for employment, and direct access employees at facilities such as a personal care home, assistive living community, private home care provider, home health agency, provider of hospice care, nursing home, skilled nursing facility, intermediate care home, or adult day care facility.
SB 408: (Jackson) Allows for individuals with autism to request a psychiatrist, psychologist, mental health counselor, special education instructor, clinical social worker, or any other mental or behavioral health professional be present at an interview by a local law enforcement officer.
SR 467: (Unterman) Creates a Senate Study Committee on Service Animals for Physically or Mentally Impaired Persons
SR 593: (Seay) A RESOLUTION urging the United States Congress to establish a policy whereby public facilities shall be required to provide adult changing stations.
SR 506: (Dugan) A RESOLUTION creating the Senate Study Committee on the Excessive and Duplicative Regulatory Oversight of Community Based Intellectual and Developmental Disability (IDD) Services.
SR 593: (Seay) A RESOLUTION urging the United States Congress to establish a policy whereby public facilities shall be required to provide adult changing stations.
Volume 4, Issue 6•2018 Legislative Session• March 12, 2018
Call to Action:Please call your State Senator and tell them why HB 831 is good for Georgians with developmental disabilities. Tell them we want a clean bill with no changes or amendments.
Keep Up-To-Date
Catch our weekly phone call, every Monday during session at 9:30 am. Dial in at 1-888-355-1249, Code: 232357
Only 7 legislative days to go. With Sine Die (end date) falling on March 29, we really are in the homestretch.
As happens every year, Crossover Day serves as a filter, keeping out many bills and only letting a few through. Of course, some times bills that do not make Crossover Day end up as amendments to other bills that did, but by and large, if a bill does not make Crossover Day, then it is dead.
While not a complete listing of all bills that made Crossover Day, we do want to highlight a few below:
HB 831, Georgia's Employment First Act, passed the House of Representatives in the afternoon of Crossover Day. It was then assigned to the Economic Development and Tourism Committee in the Senate. A hearing was held Tuesday, March 6th and was voted out of committee at that time. We hope the bill will come up for a floor vote later this week. If you have not done so already, please call your State Senator and tell them that HB 831 is good for Georgians with developmental disabilities and will enable the system to better understand how to support employment for all.
SB 406, Georgia's Long-term Care Background Check Program, an initiative of the Georgia Council on Aging, made it through Crossover Day and was then assigned to the House Human Relations & Aging Committee. A hearing was held on March 8th and was voted out of committee at that time. It now waits in the Rules Committee where it must be voted out before it can go up for a vote in the House of Representatives. If you have not already called your State Representative and told them why background checks are important for your ability to rely on long-term care workers, please do so. GCDD is excited about this bill because it is a step in the right direction of GCDD's focus on creating and Elder & Disabled Abuser Registry in Georgia.
Shifting now to the budget, the House and Senate have agreed upon an Amended Fiscal Year 18 Budget. Governor Nathan Deal signed the budget into law this past Friday. A few highlights from the AFY18 budget:
$220,000 for the Albany Advocacy Resource Center (DBHDD)
Approximately $3.52 million increase in funds, and the re-utilization of $300,072 in existing funds for services and supports for youth with autism (DBHDD, DCH, DPH)
$2.7 million for additional Behavioral Health Crisis facility beds (DBHDD)
$1 million for the electronic visit verification system for home and community-based services (DCH)
$750,000 increase to fund the analysis of the Medicaid delivery system for the purposes of identifying efficiencies and service delivery improvement opportunities (DCH)
$96,196 increase for the Brain and Spinal Injury Trust Fund (DPH)
The House of Representatives passed their version of the Fiscal Year 19 Budget. It is now on to the Senate. A few budget highlights:
$3.1 million to fund 125 NOW/COMP Waivers (DBHDD).
$6 million annualized for 250 NOW/COMP waivers added in the FY 18 Budget (DBHDD).
$3 million to fund one new Behavioral Health Crisis Center (DBHDD).
$5.7 million increase in mental health services in the community to comply with the DOJ Settlement Agreement (DBHDD).
$7.44 million in new funding, as well as the utilization of $316,819 in existing funding, for services for youth with autism (DBHDD, DPH, DCH).
$894,519 to provide funds for an electronic visit verification system for home and community-based services (DCH). Utilize $962,022 in existing funds to support increased background checks for owners and employees of long-term care facilities (DCH).
$226,725 to provide funds to increase the reimbursement rates for Adult Day Health Centers (DCH).
$735,961 increase in Preschool Disabilities Services, “funds for enrollment growth and training and experience” (DOE).
$200,000 in funding for a state hub geographically located to provide outreach and services to support independent living for citizens with disabilities in southwest Georgia (GVRA).
$14,000 to provide funding for an agricultural careers summer camp for youth with disabilities (GCDD).
$1.4 million increase in funds to make the Suicide Prevention Hotline & mobile app 24/7 (DBHDD).
$551,858 increase in funds for the OT and PT rates in the Babies Can't Wait Program (DPH).
Upcoming Meetings:
HR 1257, sponsored by Representative Petrea, is currently scheduled for a hearing in the House Special Rules Committee this Tuesday, March 13 at 9:00 AM in Room 506 of the Coverdell Legislative Office Building, located at 18 Capitol Square SW, Atlanta, GA 30334. This bill would create the House Study Committee on the Workforce Shortage and Crisis in Home and Community Based Settings. Be sure to double check the time or room has not changed here. If you are planning to come down, please email Hanna at to receive any updates.
Conference Committee: When the House and the Senate pass different versions of the same bill, they come together to work out their differences.
Code: All of Georgia's government statutes gathered in one place.
Around Town with UNLOCK!
Welcome back policy advocates! We hope you have continued to enjoy the tips shared in UNLOCK! articles. You may have noticed we are building on our advocacy strategies so we can better understand the legislative process in Georgia. So far we have shared OpenStates.org so you can look up your state legislators, we gave tips on how to contact and share your story with your legislator, and how to meet with your legislator. Today we want to try and simplify how a bill becomes a law. For a more detailed approach, click here.
Did you know you can work with your legislator to introduce a bill? Yep! That is exactly how HB343, to replace the “R” word, started. An advocate, like you and me, went to their House Representative with information on what other states had done to get that offensive word out of state policy. The advocate's Representative helped write the bill and get support from other representatives. Then it was:
Introduced in the House
Approved in a House Committee
Approved in the House Rules Committee
Passed a floor vote in the House
Then followed the same path in the Senate:
It was read on the Senate floor
Approved in a Senate Committee
Approved in the Senate Rules Committee
Passed a floor vote in the Senate
Ultimately, the bill became a law on May 8th, 2017 when it was signed by the Governor. All this because an advocate – just like you and me – wanted to make a real change in Georgia.
The UNLOCK! Coalition is here to help with your policy advocacy. Join us in supporting policy that will unlock communities across Georgia for people with disabilities.
HB 635: (Cooper) The Disabled Adults and Elder Persons Protection Act - creates an at-risk adult protective investigative/coordination team in each judicial circuit in Georgia to coordinate investigations of suspected abuse, neglect, or exploitation of people with disabilities or the elderly. (Senate Health & Human Services Committee)
HB 668: (Price) Allows guardianship proceedings to begin when someone is 17 years old. (Senate Rules Committee)
HB 740: (Nix) Requires local school systems to conduct certain screenings before a student, in pre-K through third grade, can be expelled or suspended for more than five days. If a student has an IEP or Section 504 plan, the school will hold an IEP or Section 504 meting to review the supports currently being provided as part of their IEP or Section 504 Plan. (Senate Education & Youth Committee)
HB 759: (Turner) Relaxes regulations for the GA Special Needs Scholarship, to allow the children of active duty military service members stationed in GA within the previous year, or children that have previously qualified, be exempt from the requirement to have attended a public school in Georgia the prior year. (Senate Education & Youth Committee)
HB 803: (Willard) Prohibits the trafficking of an adult with a disability. (Senate Health & Human Services Committee)
HB 844: (Houston) Revises provisions of the GA Commission on Hearing Impaired and Deaf Persons, specifically around membership of commission, as well as creates a multi-agency task force to provide recommendations for improvements to the GA General Assembly and the Governor. (Senate Health & Human Services Committee)
HB 853: (Dempsey) Quality Basic Education Act; children placed in psychiatric residential treatment facilities may not be charged tuition (Senate Education & Youth Committee)
SB 118: (Unterman) Raises the age limit to age 12 for coverage of autism services under private insurance policies. (House Insurance Committee)
SB 357: (Burke) Creates the Health Coordination and Innovation Council of the State of Georgia, a recommendation of the Lt. Governor Cagle's Health Care Reform Task Force. (House Health & Human Services Committee)
SR 467: (Unterman) Creates a Senate Study Committee on Service Animals for Physically or Mentally Impaired Persons (Senate Rules)
SR 593: (Seay) A RESOLUTION urging the United States Congress to establish a policy whereby public facilities shall be required to provide adult changing stations. (Senate Rules)
SR 506: (Dugan) A RESOLUTION creating the Senate Study Committee on the Excessive and Duplicative Regulatory Oversight of Community Based Intellectual and Developmental Disability (IDD) Services. (Senate Rules)
Call your Representative and Senator about funding more DD Waivers and Inclusive Post-Secondary Education.
Be in the Know: Rumblings Under the Gold Dome
Today is actually an off day, meaning the Georgia General Assembly is not in session. Tomorrow, February 14 will mark the 17th Day of the Legislative Session, which means we are almost over the halfway hump. Session is really flying by and I know the last day of session, March 30, will be here sooner than perhaps we would like. Remember, if you would like to come down for a Committee meeting, you can find out the schedule at, bit.ly/GAHouseMeetings and bit.ly/GASenateMeetings.
Since the last issue of Public Policy for the People, GCDD has been hard at work talking with legislators in the House and Senate regarding the FY18 Big Budget. Since the Governor only added the 250 new NOW/Comp waivers required by the DOJ Extension Agreement, which means the majority of the new waivers will go towards moving people out of State Hospitals. GCDD is trying to get the Appropriation Subcommittee who is in charge of DD Waiver funding to allocate more money. We are asking for $12.1 million, which would fund at least 500 new waivers for 6 months (and then annualized in a later budget).
Any day now the House will be finalizing their Big Budget, and we wait with baited breath to find out how effective our advocacy has been. The important thing is that it is not too late to make a phone call to your legislator. To find out who your legislator is, go to https://openstates.org/
Calling your Representative:
Hello my name is _(your name)______.
I am your constituent. I live in _(insert city or town)___
I am calling to tell you we need more DD waivers because we have almost 9,000 people on the waiting list. Additionally, people with intellectual disabilities have a right to a good education.
We need you to tell Chairman Katie Dempsey to add
1. $12.1 million for 6 months of funding for more DD Waivers
2. and $300,000 for Inclusive Post-Secondary Education to the Big Budget.
Thank you.
Calling your Senator:
Hello my name is _(your name)______.
I am your constituent. I live in _(insert city or town)___
I am calling to tell you we need more DD waivers because we have almost 9,000 people on the waiting list. Additionally, people with intellectual disabilities have a right to a good education.
We need you to tell Chairman Renee Unterman to add
1. $12.1 million for 6 months of funding for more DD Waivers
2. and $300,000 for Inclusive Post-Secondary Education to the Big Budget.
Thank you.
The good news though is that we have a second shot with the Senate. Once the House passes their Big Budget, it gets sent over to the Senate. The Senate then debates, makes changes, and votes on their budget. We will at this point have two different budgets -the House and Senate's. A Conference Committee will be formed to make compromises and eventually come out with one bill. Check out the Learn the Lingo Section above to learn more about Conference Committee.
Besies GCDD's Public Policy Team trolling the halls of the Gold Dome to speak with legislators about the need for more DD Waivers and more funding for Inclusive Post-Secondary Education, we have also hosted 2 advocacy days so far. On February 1st we spoke about the need for more DD Waiver funding and more funding for Inclusive Post-Secondary Education. We had so many people attend that we actually ran out of chairs in Central Presbyterian during our pre-training -how exciting! February 7th also saw great turnout despite the predicted afternoon rain and we had people from all over the state in to speak with legislators about the importance of funding more DD waivers.
We also hosted a Call To Action, where advocates from around the state took time out of their busy lives to call their legislators for more funding for DD Waivers and Inclusive Post-Secondary Education. We thank all those who called in, and also want to remind all of you that your Senator and Representative work for you. That means if you have a concern about something going on in your community that you think they need to address, then you should call them!
You have been on the waitlist for 10 years -call them.
You want to get a job out in the community -call them (also call the Georgia Vocational Rehabilitation Agency).
You are upset about the lack of accessible transportation in your area -call them
We all live different lives, with different experiences, and so your legislator may not know about the problems you face unless you tell them. Remember, they work for you!
In other news, the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities has had some leadership changes. Ron Wakefield will be the new Director of the Division of Developmental Disabilities. We hope you will join us in welcoming him to this new role. We here at GCDD look forward to our continued close relationship with the DBHDD and continue to look for ways to better work together.
Looking Ahead
Plan to attend GCDD Advocacy Days. Register online at: bit.ly/2fRxoYX
Feb 23 – Employment Advocacy Day
Feb 28 – Enable Work and Families Advocacy Day (Family Care Act, Peach Work, and Phillip Payne Personal Assistance Program)
March 9 – Home & Community Advocacy Day (Elder & Disabled Abuser Registry, People First Language, Residential Housing Study Committee, Transportation)
Advocates at the February 1st Advocacy Day met with their legislators to discuss more funding for DD Waivers and Inclusive Post-Secondary Education.
Our Partner's Advocacy Days (we share a common legislative goal)
Feb 28 – Anti-Sex Trafficking Lobby Day (City of Refuge, Freedom Coalition, GA Cares, Haven ATL, Out of Darkness, Street Grace, United Way of Greater Atlanta, Wellspring Living)
While GCDD is a non-partisan agency, meaning we don't endorse or support any specific political party, we do want to share with you a disability event that we believe will be of interest to many of our readers. The Democratic National Committee Disability Council will be meeting on Thursday, February 23, 2:00pm to 3:00pm at The Westin Peachtree Plaza, 210 Peachtree Street NW, Atlanta, GA 30303. Tony Coelho, who during his time in the US House of Representatives sponsored the Americans with Disabilities Act, will be in attendance. For more details, click here.
Teach In - Changing the Standard to Prove Intellectual Disabilities in Capital Punishment Cases. February 21 at 7:00 to 9:00 pm at St Bartholomew's Episcopal Church located at 1790 Lavista Rd, Atlanta, GA 30329. Come learn about why people with intellectual disabilities are still being executed in Georgia despite the Supreme Court ruling that it is against the constitution to execute people with intellectual disabilities for their crimes.
NOW Waiver Public Forum: As some of you may know, the NOW waiver is up for renewal in September of 2017. The Department of Community Health and the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities, will be holding public forums to allow advocates such as ourselves to make recommendations for how the NOW waiver could be improved. To register to click here. It is very important that advocates show up and voice their opinions.
March 1 - 1:00 to 3:00pm at University of Georgia Tifton Campus Conference Center, Tifton
March 6 - 7:00 to 8:00pm (Virtual Forum)
March 8 - 1:00 to 3:00pm at Clarence Brown Conference Center, Cartersville
March 9 - 11:00am to Noon (Virtual Forum)
March 13 - 1:00 to 3:00pm at Gwinnett Tech/Busbee Center, Lawrenceville
Keep up to date
Catch our weekly phone call, every Monday during session at 9:30am. Dial in at 1-888-355-1249, Code: 232357.
Join our Advocacy Network at bit.ly/GCDDAlerts To join you will need to provide an email address. When you sign up, be sure to select Public Policy Alerts and UNLOCK! alerts so you get the most up to date information. If you signed up last year, be sure to check and make sure your information is up to date.
Read Public Policy for the People. Released every other Monday. - Feb 13, Feb 27, Mar 13, Mar 27
Learn the Lingo
Yea and Nay - No, this isn't the Georgia General Assembly getting lazy and embracing modern day slang. They refer to a legislator's vote, yea for yes and nay for no. Also called Ayes and Nays.
Conference Committee - A special committee made up of three Senators and three Representatives, formed when the Senate and the House pass two different versions of the same bill. The committee meets and works towards reaching an agreement. Once they reach an agreement, the Senate and the House must vote on the new bill. Only if both the Senate and House pass the comprise bill will the bill makes its way to the Governors' desk.
New Bills to Watch
As always, for a complete list of bills we are tracking, click here.
A few to draw your attention to though.
HB 43: The Amended FY17 Budget passed the Senate. The House and Senate will now enter into Conference to comprise on their differences. To see where they differed, click here.
HB 65: Low THC Oil Patient Registry: Widens the criteria of who is allowed to use Low THC Oil, a form of medical marijuana, in Georgia, to include autism spectrum disorder, intractable pain, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Tourette's syndrome, Alzheimer's disease, and HIV/AIDS. Additionally, the bill would remove the one-year residency requirement and physician's quarterly reporting. (Peake)
HB 154: Dental Hygienists Bill, which would allow dental hygienists to perform routine functions, such as teeth cleanings, in settings like community centers or nursing facilities, without a dentist being present. (Cooper)-Passed the House on February 10
HB 206: This would remove the exception currently in place relating to certain audits conducted by the Department of Community Health, so as to provide that clerical or other errors do not constitute a basis to recoup payments made by providers of medical assistance (Kelley).
HB 233: This would require handicap car decals to include a picture of the person using the handicap decal. (Marin).
HB 241: Cove's Law, this would add Krabbe disease to the list of metabolic and genetic conditions for which newborn screening may be conducted. Krabbe disease is identified as something that may result in a developmental disability. (Hawkins)
HB 343: Changing MR to ID in the Official Code of Georgia. (Hilton) - This is one of the UNLOCK! Coalition's priority issues, and we are very excited to monitor its progress.
SB 12: The Senate's version of the Dental Hygienists Bill. (Unterman). - Passed the Senate on February 10.
SB 53 would require all commercial venues that hold at least 1,000 people to install one adult changing station for a person with a disability. Historic structures or anything smaller than 1,000 people would be exempt. (Seay)
SB 118 -Will raise insurance coverage age for those with autism to age 21. (Unterman)
Call your Senator about HB343 & your Representative about SB201.
Announcement: The Atlanta Housing Authority Housing Choice Voucher Program Waiting List Opening!
Waiting List Pre-Application OPENS from Wednesday, March 15, 2017, at 9:00 a.m. EST until Tuesday, March 21, 2017, at 5:00 p.m. EST Learn more here http://ahawaitlist.org/
Ponders by Phillip:
How to stay involved after session:
The Georgia General Assembly only meets January through March; however, you are still able to stay involved in the political process all year long. People can stay involved in the political process by voicing their opinions on issues that are important to them. Even when the Georgia General Assembly is not in session, people can stay involved by writing the members letters or even meeting with your legislator during the year. You can find out who your legislator is by going to www.openstates.org. People can also stay involved by staying informed on current events and any new Federal bills that are being passed so that they can have up to date information. People can also attend conferences that are based around issues that are important to them. For example, the IDEA partnership is a conference that you can attend that focuses on improving outcomes for students with disabilities. Lastly, you can prepare to meet with the members again next year. People who have disabilities can meet with people who have other disabilities to prepare for the Georgia General Assembly next year.
– Phillip James Modesitt
Want to attend a conference but need a bit of help. Check out GCDD's Learning Opportunities Support Fundwhich provides scholarship assistance to individuals with developmental disabilities and their families to attend advocacy, learning events, and conferences.
Be in the Know: Only 7 legislative days to go
Today is Day 32 in the Georgia General Assembly. After today there are only 7 legislative days left until the gavel falls on Sinie Die. We are in the last mile of the marathon and everyone is working at a full out sprint.
This morning the Senate Appropriations Committee met to provide their recommendations for the Big Budget for Fiscal year 2018. To start with the good news, the Inclusive Post-Secondary Education increase in funding was maintained as recommended by the House. At the request of GCDD, the Senate made a slight change to allow GCDD to maintain $75,000 of the funding GCDD receives "to maintain the council's active participation in the IPSE partnership." Previously, the House had only left $25,000 to accomplish this goal. This brings the total allocation to GVRA for IPSE to $450,000, as opposed to the House's recommendation of $500,000. With the Federal match, GVRA will have up to $2.25 million to support IPSE in Georgia. Additionally, the specific language around the number of scholarships to be provided was removed.
The bad news is that there were no new DD waivers added besides that which is required by the Department of Justice Extension Agreement. While we are disappointed, we are not discouraged and will continue fighting for a day in Georgia where all Georgians with disabilities receive the services they need to live full and integrated lives in the community. To see the relevant budget pages for IPSE and DD waivers, click here. (This link is no longer active.)
As for the Family Care Act, SB 201, things are alive and well. The bill is currently working its way through the House of Representatives. We hope to see SB 201 on the floor for a vote in the coming weeks. This means we need you to call your Representative, and ask a friend to do the same, and ask them to vote YES on SB201, The Family Care Act. If you do see Senator Butch Miller around, be sure to thank him for all his hard work and support in pushing SB 201 through the legislative process.
We thank Representative Scott Hilton for his hard work on HB343 which resulted in the House unanimously voting to replace the offensive MR word with intellectual disability in Georgia State Code. HB 343 is currently scheduled for a Hearing Only this Tuesday at 4:00 pm in the Judiciary Committee, Subcommittee A. Remember, to make it to the floor for a vote, a bill must first be voted favorably out of committee. Be sure to call your Senator and ask them to vote YES on HB 343, replacing the offensive MR word with intellectual disability.
Lastly, SB 185 Changing the Standard to Prove Intellectual Disability, did not make Crossover Day. While the bill is dead until next year, we are incredibly optimistic about SB 185's prospects next year. We thank Senator Elena Parent for all her hard work on this legislation. Despite not making Crossover Day, SB 185 did have a hearing in the Senate Judiciary Non-Civil Committee, Sub Committee B. While no vote was taken, this was an excellent opportunity for advocates to provide testimony on the issue and for the Senators present to ask questions and get more information on the issue. We have made incredible progress on this issue this year intend to spend the off-season preparing for the 2018 session!
GCDD held two Advocacy Day's these past two weeks. It is thanks to advocates such as yourself that HB 343 and SB 201 are doing so well. Not only did our efforts give these two bills the push they needed, we also educated lawmakers on the need for transportation improvements, PeachWork, and Changing the Standard to Prove Intellectual Disabilities. All in all, they were very successful. If you attended an advocacy day and have some feedback on what went well and what didn't go so well, please take a moment to take our short anonymous survey athttp://bit.ly/GCDDSurvey
On the Federal Level, Congress is currently debating the American Health Care Act. If this were to pass, it would have serious ramifications for Georgians with disabilities. We are hosting a webinar, this Wednesday, March 15 from 1:30 to 2:30pm, to help advocates learn more about the changes currently being discussed. You do not need to pre-register, just go to http://bit.ly/GCDDWebinar on Wednesday. To hear the audio, call in at 1-888-355-1249, Code# 232357
The newly formed GA Health Care Reform Task Force met for the first time this past Friday. They met to discuss what the changes on the federal level could mean for Georgia, as well as what Georgia can do now to better serve its many citizens. GCDD has joined a coalition spearheaded by Georgians for a Healthy Future to mobilize around this issue and ensure that all Georgians benefit from any proposed changes. Stay tuned for more information in the coming weeks.
Keep Up to Date
Catch our weekly phone call, every Monday during session at 9:30am. Dial in at 1-888-355-1249, Code: 232357.
Join our Advocacy Network at bit.ly/GCDDAlerts To join you will need to provide an email address. When you sign up, be sure to select Public Policy Alerts and UNLOCK! alerts so you get the most up to date information. If you signed up last year, be sure to check and make sure your information is up to date.
Read Public Policy for the People. Released every other Monday. - Mar 27
Learn the Lingo
Shall: If you are anything like me, you had no idea until you read this that 'shall' has three definitions: may, will, and must. I had not realized this until I was in a meeting the other day when some lawyers were focusing in on the word 'shall' in a piece of proposed legislation. Now to the uninformed, such as myself, 'shall' has a pretty clear meaning. But as it turns out, the US Supreme Court has ruled that 'shall' means 'may.' This means that when the word 'shall' appears in a bill, it is not a requirement. Jerry shall go to Capitol, which just means Jerry has the option of going to the Capitol, but is not required to do so. Hopefully that makes sense and we can all join in watching out for the sneaky 'shall.'
New Bills to Watch
As always, for a complete list of bills we are tracking, click here.
A few to draw your attention to though.
SB 149: Requires School Resource Officers to complete 40 hours of training approved by the GA Peace Officer Standards and Training, to include interactions with students with mental health diagnoses. Passed the Senate, will be heard in the House Public Safety and Homeland Security committee later today.
HB 273: would require every local school board to schedule a daily, 30-minute recess for student's kindergarten through 5th grade. Passed House. Assigned to the Senate Education and Youth Committee and is scheduled to be heard today.
SB 29: Requires drinking water in childcare learning centers and schools to be tested for lead, and if found, create a remediation plan. Passed Senate, assigned to the House Natural Resources and Environment Committee
HB 486: Proxy Caregivers. Passed House. In Senate, has been assigned to the Senate Health and Human Services Committee.
Volume 4, Issue 2•2018 Legislative Session• January 16, 2018
Call to Action: Call your State Rep. Ask them to support the Governor's rec. for 125 new NOW/COMP waivers,and then ask for an additional 475 waivers for a total of 600 new NOW/COMP waiver slots.
Keep Up-To-Date
Catch our weekly phone call, every Monday during session at 9:30 am. Dial in at 1-888-355-1249, Code: 232357
While the first day of the Georgia General Assembly got off to a rough start on account of anticipated freezing rain and downtown Atlanta traffic jams, things quickly got back on track with Governor Deal's State of the State Address last Thursday. Soon after he finished speaking, Governor Deal released his budget recommendations for Amended Fiscal Year 2018 & Fiscal Year 2019.
As you can see below, Georgians with disabilities did fairly well. There is a large effort underway in Georgia to provide services to youth with autism. However, with almost 9,000 Georgians on the waiting list for NOW & COMP Waivers, we know that there is still much work to be done! Due in large part to our advocacy work last session, DBHDD has created a multi-year plan to address the waiting list for NOW & COMP Waivers. We are still waiting on the final details of the plan to inform our advocacy work and will share more in the next issue.
Budget Highlights: Amended Fiscal Year 2018 Budget
Department of Behavioral Health & Developmental Disabilities:
$1,250,000 in additional funds for crisis services for children under 21 with autism
$1,153,042 in additional funds to develop capacity for behavioral health services for children under 21 with autism
Utilize $128,292 in existing funds for telehealth services and three positions for behavioral health services for children under age 21 with autism
Department of Community Health:
$1,043,766 in additional funds for electronic visit verification system for home and community based services
$1,118,589 in additional funds to develop capacity for behavioral health services for children under 21 with autism
Utilize $12,675 in existing funds for one program coordinator position for children under 21 with autism
Department of Public Health:
Utilize $159,105 in existing funds for telehealth infrastructure and one program support coordinator position to provide behavioral health services to children under 21 with autism
Budget Highlights: Fiscal Year 2019 Budget
Department of Behavioral Health & Developmental Disabilities:
$3,138,073 in additional funds for 125 NOW/COMP waiver slots
$6,054,113 in additional funds to annualize the 250 NOW/COMP waiver slots added last year per the DOJ settlement extension
$5,922,917 in additional funds for crisis services for children under age 21 with autism
Utilize $266,119 in existing funds for telehealth services and three positions for behavioral health services for children under age 21 with autism
Department of Community Health:
$894,519 in additional funds for an electronic visit verification system for home and community based services
$847,962 in additional funds to develop capacity for behavioral health services for children under 21 with autism
Utilize $962,022 in existing funding to support increased background checks for owners and employees of long term care facilities
$50,700 in existing funds for one program coordinator position for children under 21 with autism
Department of Public Health:
$100,000 in additional funds to provide screening and therapy for children under 21 with autism
Utilize $50,700 in existing funds for one program support coordinator position for children under 21 with autism
Department of Education:
$3,992,201 reduction in funding for GNETS due to declining enrollment/training/experience
$1,006,233 in additional funds for Preschool Disabilities Services to reflect enrollment growth/training/experience
$501,254 in additional funds for State Schools for training and experience
Call your State Representative and ask them to support the Governor's recommendation for 125 new NOW/COMP waivers, and then ask for an additional 475 waivers for a total of 600 new NOW/COMP waiver slots.
Fiscal Year: Different from a calendar year, the fiscal year runs from July 1 to June 30. It is how the state organizes its finances.
Appropriations Committee: The group of legislators in charge of drafting the budget. The House and the Senate each have their own Appropriations Committee.
Greetings fellow advocates and welcome to our first UNLOCK! article in Policy for the People! As we gear up for the 2018 legislative session, we want to stress the important first step in the advocacy process, knowing your state legislators. We each have 2 state legislators based on where we live, one in the House of Representatives and one in the Senate. They work for their constituents, meaning the people who live in the area where the legislator was elected. In order to help their communities, the legislators want and need to hear from those who live in those communities. That's you! Take a minute to click on the link provided below, insert your current home address in the space provided, and hit the search button to the right. Now that you know who your state legislators are, stay tuned for upcoming Unlock articles in Policy for the People for information and tips on how you can continue to advocate for what is important to you!
The Inclusive Post-Secondary Education Day has been rescheduled. It is no longer January 18, but now February 1! See you there!
Looking Ahead
Plan to attend GCDD Advocacy Days. Register online at: bit.ly/2fRxoYX
Feb 1 – DD Waivers Advocacy Day 1 & Inclusive Post-Secondary Education Advocacy Day
Feb 7 – DD Waivers Advocacy Day 2
Feb 23 – Employment Advocacy Day
Feb 28 – Enable Work and Families Advocacy Day (Family Care Act, Peach Work, and Phillip Payne Personal Assistance Program)
March 9 – Home & Community Advocacy Day (Elder & Disabled Abuser Registry, People First Language, Residential Housing Study Committee, Transportation)
Our Partner's Advocacy Days (we share a common legislative goal)
Jan 26 - Be there for Seniors Day (GA Council on Aging) – Elder & Disabled Abuser Registry - DATE CHANGED
Feb 14 – Change the Standard to Prove Intellectual Disabilities in Capital Punishment Cases (PAPE Coalition and Georgians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty)
Feb 15 – Senior Week (GA Council on Aging) – Elder & Disabled Abuser Registry
Feb 16 – Senior Week (GA Council on Aging) – Elder & Disabled Abuser Registry
Our Friend's Advocacy Days
Jan 25 - Sickle Cell Day (Sickle Cell Foundation of GA)
Jan 31 - Mental Health Day (GA Parent Support Network)
Feb 2 - Justice Day at the Capitol (GA Justice Project)
Feb 3 - Alzheimer's Awareness Day (Alzheimer's Association, GA Chapter)
Feb 8 - Stop Violence Against Women Day (GA Coalition Against Domestic Violence)
Feb 15 – Interfaith Children’s Movement Day at the Capitol
Feb 21 – Catholic Day at the Capitol
Feb 22 – Easterseals Day at the Capitol
Feb 23 – Hemophilia of GA Day (Hemophilia of GA)
Feb 28 – Anti-Sex Trafficking Lobby Day (City of Refuge, Freedom Coalition, GA Cares, Haven ATL, Out of Darkness, Street Grace, United Way of Greater Atlanta, Wellspring Living)
Mar 9 – Lupus Awareness Day (Lupus Foundation of America, GA Chapter)
Mar 16 – Type 1 Diabetes Day (JRDF)
If you know of an Advocacy Day that our readers might be interested in learning about, please email Include your name, contact information, time, date, sponsoring organization, and summary of purpose for holding the event.
Other Events:
January 20 - DD Advisory Council Meeting (Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities), 10:00 am - 2:00 pm, 2 Peachtree Street NW, 24th Floor, Room 260, Atlanta, GA 30303
January 28 - Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities Region 3 Advisory Council will be hosting a Community Education Forum at 11:00 am to 1:00 pm at the Mountain Park Activity Center located at 1063 Rockbridge Road SW in Stone Mountain, Georgia 30087.The purpose of the community forum is to educate the public about programs and services within their local communities and to gather input from the community stakeholders regarding issues of access to, and quality of services from contracted providers and its partners. Click here to learn more and register.
Celebration of Children Conference, sponsored by the Interfaith Children's Movement, will focus on improving the wellbeing of Georgia's children. This year's conference will be held on January 26, 2017 at Marietta First United Methodist Church from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm. Click here to learn more and register.
Keep up to date
Catch our weekly phone call, every Monday during session at 9:30am. Dial in at 1-888-355-1249, Code: 232357.
Join our Advocacy Network at bit.ly/GCDDAlerts To join you will need to provide an email address. When you sign up, be sure to select Public Policy Alerts and UNLOCK! alerts so you get the most up to date information. If you signed up last year, be sure to check and make sure your information is up to date.
Read Public Policy for the People. Released every other Monday. - Jan 30, Feb 13, Feb 27, Mar 13, Mar 27
Learn the Lingo
A two headed cow? Not just something you will find in a sci-fi movie, but also on the fourth floor of the Capitol! Next time you come down to meet with your legislator, be sure to look near room 431.
Speaker of the House: The top position in the House of Representatives. Elected by fellow members, the Speaker has a lot of duties, some of which are calling bills up for discussion or vote, upholding the rules of the House, and calling on other members who want to speak or ask a question. The current Speaker is David Ralston of Blue Ridge, GA.
President of the Senate: The top position in the Senate, the President of the Senate is held by the Lieutenant Governor. Currently this is Lieutenant Governor Casey Cagle. The Lieutenant Governor has many roles, but in terms of the Senate they preside over debate and oversee the movement of legislation. As he is not an elected member of the Senate, the President of the Senate cannot vote or sponsor legislation.
Be in the Know:
Brush up on GCDD’s 2017 Legislative Priorities
Despite the chilly weather that gripped much of the state, the legislative session kicked off January 9 as planned.
GCDD held its first Public Policy Phone Call, participated in UNLOCK! Day at the Capitol, attended House Appropriations Committee Meetings for both Health and Human Resources, and learned about the issues facing Georgia's healthcare system at Healthcare Unscrambled hosted by Georgians for a Healthy Future.
We also learned that Crossover Day has changed this year from the 30th legislative day to the 28th legislative day. What this means? Day 28 will now be the deadline for legislation to move from the House to the Senate, or vice versa. If it does not make this deadline, the bill is dead until next year.
The Family Care Act: We are very excited to announce that Senator Butch Miller will be sponsoring the Family Care Act this year! Remember, the Family Care Act would allow family members to use up to five days of their earned sick leave to care for a sick family member. Be sure to come out February 28 to show your support for the Family Care Act as they will be one of the participating organizations for GCDD Advocacy Days.
Quick Tip: HB = House Bill SB= Senate Bill
HB 16: Would revise the definition of bullying and harassment in elementary and secondary education. Of note, this would expand the definition to include bullying on the basis of disability. To read the full bill, click here.
HB 28: Requires the testing of drinking water for lead contamination in all public and private schools here in Georgia. If lead is found, the law requires a remediation plan to be implemented and alternate drinking sources to be provided to students and staff. To read the full bill, click here.
HB 65: Widens the criteria of who is allowed to use Low THC Oil, a form of medical marijuana, in Georgia, to include autism spectrum disorder, intractable pain, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Tourette's syndrome, Alzheimer's disease, and HIV/AIDS. Additionally, the bill would remove the one-year residency requirement and physician's quarterly reporting. To read the full bill, click here.
HR 36: This constitutional amendment would allow the production of cannabis in Georgia, as well as the sale of cannabis for those who meet the medical requirement. To read the full proposed amendment, click here.
SB 16: This would change the definition of "low THC oil" from 5% to 3% by weight, as well as add autism spectrum disorder to the medical conditionals eligible to use low TCH oil. To read the full bill, click here.
SB 8: "Surprise Billing and Consumer Protection Act" which would help protect consumers from unexpected out of network healthcare costs, among other things. To read the full bill, click here.
SB 12: This would allow dental hygienists to provide teeth cleanings in safety-net settings, such as a nursing home, senior center, or volunteer community health setting without a dentist being on site. The intent behind this bill is to make dental cleanings more accessible and affordable. To read the full bill, click here.
Governor's State of the State
Think the President's State of the Union, only Georgia focused. Governor Nathan Deal spoke before the General Assembly on Wednesday, January 11 for about an hour. To read the Governor's speech in full, click here.
Some highlights:
Georgia revenue (the pot of money that funds the government) is expected to grow 3.6% for FY18.
Law enforcement will now be trained "on how to safely handle situations involving those with mental impairment"
Teachers got a 3% increase for merit, recruitment, and retention, as well as a 2% salary increase.
Deal wishes "to enhance Medicaid and the State Health Benefit Plan to include the treatment of those diagnosed with autism up to age 21."
Recommends the expansion of behavioral and mental health coverage to children between birth and age 4 for Medicaid and PeachCare Members -allocating $2.5 million to make this happen.
Deal "cautions against taking giant leaps on healthcare policy until we know what Congress and the incoming administration will do." A 2% salary raise for state employees.
There was a major focus on children in failing schools. Despite Georgia residents voting against Governor Deal's Opportunity School District, the Governor is working with the Georgia General Assembly to come up with a new plan to address poor school performance.
Budget 101: Governor's Recommendations
Every year the Governor puts out his budget recommendations for the upcoming year, in this case Fiscal Year 18 (FY 18 for short) which is from July 1, 2017 to June 30, 2018. Legislators use the Governor's Recommendations as a starting point to suggest changes of their own. Eventually the House and Senate will come to agreement and pass the FY 18 Budget.
It is very long document and so we have pulled out some highlights for you. If you are feeling particularly brave today and want to explore Budget on your own, you can find it here.
Quick Tip: (p 101) stands for page 101 of the Budget in case you want to look for yourself
Let's focus first on GCDD's priority issues.
Inclusive Post-Secondary Education - No cuts but also no increase. If we want any additional funds for IPSE schools, we need to work for it through advocacy.
DD Waivers - No new funds for people in the community. No plan to deal with the 8,698 Georgians waiting desperately for a DD waiver. If we want to see any significant progress on the waiting list, we need to do some serious advocacy this session. GCDD is ready, are you?
Annualized 100 NOW waivers. $1,096,912 (p 101)
Annualized 250 NOW and Comp waivers per DOJ settlement to cover individuals coming out of institutions. $12,108,226 (p 100)
Additional 250 NOW and Comp waivers per DOJ settlement to cover individuals coming out of institutions. $6,054,113 (p 101)
$11,762,894 -Annualize the cost of a provider rate increase for COMP waiver programs (p 100)
Other areas of interest?
Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities
$6,000,000 for one new Behavioral Health Crisis Center (p 101)
Department of Community Health
$1,377,969 to reduce the waiting list for Community Care Services Program Waiver (CCSP) (p 119)
$250,000 to increase funds for an adjustment to congregate and home delivered meal rates for Medicaid waivers for the elderly (p 119)
$20,766,592 in Tenet settlement agreement funds to cover Medicaid behavioral health services for children under 21 who are diagnosed with autism. (p 120) - We will let you know as we learn more what this will actually cover and look like.
$2,533,408 in Tenet settlement agreement funds for behavioral health services to children ages 0-4 on Medicaid (p 120)
State Health Benefit Plan
Increase funds to raise the five-year benefit limit for children's hearing aids from $3,000 to $6,000 (p 120)
Increase funds to reflect enrollment growth to match Medicaid age requirements for the treatment of autism spectrum disorders. (p 121)
Department of Human Services
$766,484 for 11 new adult protective services supervisors in the division of Elder Abuse Investigations and Prevention (p 194)
Department of Education (DOE)
A 2% pay raise for all public school teachers in the state of Georgia.
Georgia Network for Educational and Therapeutic Support(GNETS)
GNETS have seen a decrease in student enrollment. Instead of reallocating this money saved to the general pot, GNETs are using the money for staff training to improve instructional practices and for behavioral and therapeutic service contracts. (p 164)
Preschool Disabilities Services (services for 3 and 4 year olds)
$794,243 -increase funds for enrollment growth and training. (p 166)
$4,441,199 Increase in funds for the Special Needs Scholarship (helps support parent school choice) (p 167)
Governor's Budget Recommendations for Amended FY 17: Additional 250 NOW and Comp waivers per DOJ settlement to cover individuals coming out of institutions. $6,054,113
Around Town with UNLOCK
Last week the UNLOCK! Coalition held UNLOCK! Day at the Capitol.
Representative Scott Hilton was one of many legislators who stopped by to learn about UNLOCK!'s mission and legislative priorities.UNLOCK! Coalition Organizer Stacey Ramirez of The Arc, joined by Dawn Johnson and Paige Kubik of the Frazier Center at UNLOCK! Day at the Capitol.
2019 GCDD Advocacy Days UPDATED DATES Feb 22: Inclusive Post-Secondary Education Day Feb 27: Direct Support Professionals Day Mar 5: Supported Decision Making Day
Exciting news advocates, we have a legislative calendar. We now know that the state legislative session will officially come to a close on April 2, 2019. From looking at the calendar, we can already tell this is going to be a fast legislative session. Bills are going to be moving at lightning speed to reach the finish line and become law. With that in mind, we are going to need your help to impact the legislative session. If you are not already registered for one of our three remaining Advocacy Days, be sure to click the registration link above. Also, be sure to the check out our partners' advocacy events below.
As for what is happening under the Gold Dome, there has been a significant focus on access to healthcare in Georgia. Indeed, with 63 counties lacking a pediatrician, 75 lacking an OBGYN, and 8 counties lacking any doctor, it is not a surprise that the legislature appears ready to tackle this issue.
The House of Representative's Access to Quality Healthcare Special Committee met to discuss the plight of rural Georgia. Specifically, they heard from Majority Caucus Chairman Matt Hatchett regarding his bill, HB 198, which among other things seeks to repeal the Certificate of Need for "the development and provision of all healthcare facilities and services, with the exception of long term care and home health facilities and services," in an effort to lower healthcare costs and insurance rates. To learn more about Certificate of Need, check out this AJC article.
Governor Kemp's Floor Leader, Senator Blake Tillery, introduced the Patients First Act, otherwise known as SB 106. "The Patients First Act is a step toward lowering insurance premiums, enhancing access to quality care, and improving health outcomes in every part of our state," said Governor Kemp. "By working with Lt. Governor Duncan, Speaker Ralston, and the legislature, we will craft a Georgia-centric healthcare system that ensures a bright and healthy future for all Georgians - no matter their zip code."
As Governor Kemp and the legislature explore potential methods for expanding Medicaid in a Georgia way, we at GCDD will be educating all members of the Georgia General Assembly about the importance of taking into consideration the needs of Georgians with disabilities before any decisions are made. We ask that you help us in this goal.
Finally, Senator Greg Kirk introduced SR 193 and SR 194 to create either a Senate or Joint Study Committee on Transferring Oversight of Developmental Disabilities to the Department of Community Health. We will keep you updated as we learn more.
Don't forget, the House and Senate have a fairly comprehensive video recording system. It is easy to stream committee meetings, floor sessions, or even watch a recording of a past meeting.
Crossover Day:The 28th Day of the legislative session, Crossover Day marks the last day a bill can pass from its original chamber into the other chamber. For example, a house bill must be voted out of the House and be sent to the Senate before the end of Crossover Day, or the bill is dead until the next legislative session. This year Crossover Day is on March 7, 2019.
Sine Die: The very last day of the legislative session here in Georgia. If a bill has not passed both the House of Representatives and the Senate by the stroke of midnight, the bill is dead until the next legislative session. This year Sine Die is on April 2, 2019.
Bills to Watch:
HB 1: Rename the Georgia Special Needs Scholarship the Senator Eric Johnson Scholarship (Rep. Jesse Petrea).
HB 18: Automatic registration of voters who obtain, renew, or change their name or address on a drivers license card in Georgia (Rep. Sandra Scott).
HB 19: Comprehensive state civil rights law protecting individuals from discrimination in employment, housing, and public accommodations. Expands to cover discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity, and age. Removes the term handicap and leaves the pre-existing term of disability (Rep. Sandra Scott).
HB 37:Expand Medicaid Now Act (Rep. Robert Trammell).
HB 40: To require local school systems to conduct screenings for dyslexia (Rep. Sandra Scott).
HB 57: Eligible electors mailed an absentee ballot for each primary, election, or runoff in which they are eligible to vote (Rep. Dar'shun Kendrick).
HB 69: Altering the prior school year requirement for the Georgia Special Needs Scholarship Program (Rep. Scot Turner).
HB 79: Establishment of procedural safeguards that require adherence to due process and equal protection rights of blind parents in the context of child welfare, foster care, adoption, and family law (Rep. Carl Gilliard).
HB 135: Allows for residents in Long-term Care Facilities to implement electronic monitoring of their room (Rep. Demetrius Douglas).
HB 176: Any agency that utilizes applications to provide services or assistance to persons in this state shall provide voter registration applications (Rep. Renitta Shannon).
HB 248: Widens who can assist a voter with a disability or a voter that is illiterate in the voting process to allow any person of the elector's choosing other than such elector's employer, any agent of such employer, or an agent or officer of such elector's union (Rep. Kimberly Alexander).
HB 283:The Georgia Voting Rights Act which among many things would create a Georgia Voting Rights Commission and provide for an independent Legislative & Congressional Reapportionment Office (Rep. Scott Holcom
HR 52: Encourage all schools, local educational agencies, and the state educational agency to recognize that dyslexia has a profound educational impact that must be addressed (Rep. John Corbett).
SB 10: to provide that possession of certain quantities of marijuana constitute a misdemeanor (Sen. Harold Jones)
SB 22: Increased Privacy and security for mail-in absentee ballots (Sen. Donzella James)
SB 24: Requires the registration of certain electric personal assistive mobility devices (Sen. Donzella James)
SB 34:Change provisions relating to persons who are ineligible for weapons carry licenses as it relates to Georgians with disabilities (Sen. Emanuel Jones).
SB 48: To require that all kindergarten through second grade students are screened for dyslexia and increase dyslexia focused professional development for teachers (Sen. P.K. Martin IV).
SB 74:Among other things, eliminates the certificate of need requirements for all health care facilities except certain long-term care facilities and services (Sen. Matt Brass).
With only 7 legislative days left, we are entering the final sprint! As we race to the finish line of Sine Die on April 2, here are a few things to keep in mind.
First, the Senate is still working on their version of the FY2020 Budget. Once they finalize their version of the budget, the House and Senate will enter something called a Conference Committee to iron out their differences. This means there is still time to influence the budget process and we need your help to do so.If you have not already contacted the Senate Appropriation's Committee, specifically the Human Development and Public Health Subcommittee, then we need you to do so today! We need your helpto educate the following Senators:
When you contact them, please educate them on the importance of:
Supporting the Governor’s recommendation for 125 NOW & COMP waivers, and adding an additional $17.8 million to DBHDD’s FY20 budget to fund 525 more NOW & COMP waivers.
For Inclusive Post-Secondary Education, increasing legislative funding from the existing $500,000 to $1,000,000 in total within the Georgia Council on Developmental Disabilities Budget.
SB 106, Georgia's partial Medicaid expansion bill, continues to be a hot topic down at the Gold Dome. Assigned to the House Access to Quality Healthcare Special Committee, the bill would, among other things, empower Governor Kemp to apply for a 1115 Medicaid Waiver to extend Medicaid coverage to Georgians living at or below 100% of the Federal Poverty Level. For a more complete analysis of what this could mean for Georgia, be sure to check out last week's Public Policy for the People featuring a guest article by Laura Colbert, Executive Director of Georgians for a Healthy Future.
As for voting, the House agreed to the Senate's changes to HB 316 last Thursday. The bill now waits for the Governor's signature before it becomes law. The final vote in the House was 101 Yea and 69 Nay. During discussion on the floor of the House, the importance of ensuring the system is accessible to voters with disabilities was raised multiple times to the detriment of proponents of hand marked ballots. Beyond simply deciding on an electronic voting machine system that prints a receipt, the bill also increases the number of years a voter may be inactive before they are removed from the voter rolls from three to five years, and places restrictions on when a polling place may be changed in advance of an election
Finally, with Crossover Day behind us, we thought it might be helpful to separate the bills we are tracking into two categories. First, you can find here a list of bills GCDD is tracking that made Crossover Day, meaning they still have a chance of passing this legislative session. The other list, which you can find here, includes all the bills GCDD is tracking, many of which did not pass before Crossover Day. Remember, if a bill did not pass by Crossover Day, it cannot be passed into law this year. However, a dead bill could be revived next year, the second year of the 2-year cycle.
Don't forget, the House and Senate have a fairly comprehensive video recording system. It is easy to stream committee meetings, floor sessions, or even watch a recording of a past meeting.
A 2 Year Cycle:The Georgia General Assembly runs on a 2 year cycle. We are currently in year 1 of the cycle. This means that any bill that does not pass this year remains active next year. Sometimes this works to our advantage since it gives us more time to pass a bill without starting over. However, this can also works to our disadvantage as a bill we oppose this year still has a chance of being passed next year. If a bill does not pass by the end of a 2 year cycle, it is dead and must be reintroduced in the next 2 year cycle.
Jan 30: Inclusive Post-Secondary Education Day Feb 12: Home & Community Based Waivers Day Feb 14: Everyone Out! of Institutional Settings Day Feb 27: Direct Support Professionals Day Mar 6: Supported Decision Making Day
Welcome to the second edition of Public Policy for the People! We at GCDD are thrilled to have you along for the ride this legislative session. For a quick recap of GCDD's legislative priorities, glance through Issue 1 of Public Policy for the People, Legislative Preview Edition.
As you may know, the legislative session began Monday, January 14. This is also the same day as Governor Brian Kemp’s inauguration. Since then, we have had the opportunity to hear from Governor Kemp three times: his inauguration speech, his Egg & Issues speech, and his State of the State. We encourage you to make time to listen them in the week to come.
Of note, Governor Kemp touched on healthcare in his State of the State address. Kemp explained, "while different parts of our state have unique challenges and concerns, all Georgians deserve a patient centered healthcare system that puts families first. The status quo is unacceptable….I have included $1 million dollars in the Department of Community Health’s budget to craft state flexibility options for Georgia’s Medicaid program. We will expand access without expanding a broken system that fails to deliver for patients, we will drive competition and improve quality while encouraging innovation. I will work with the legislature to grow the rural hospital tax credit, tackle the doctor shortage, and build a healthier Georgia."
Other highlights included a proposal of $69 million dollars in one time school security grants, $8.4 million increase for the APEX program to address mental health in schools, and a $3,000 salary increase for public school teachers in Georgia.
Fiscal Year: The state of Georgia organizes their budget by fiscal years, which do not line up with calendar years. You will often see Fiscal Year abbreviated to FY. Fiscal Year 2020, or FY20, covers July 1, 2019 - June 30, 2020. Some people call this the Big Budget.
Amended Fiscal Year (AFY):Since it is hard to predict exact spending so far in advance, the Georgia General Assembly always passes an Amended Fiscal Year Budget to reflect actual spending. This is often abbreviated to AFY. Some people call this the little budget.
Following the State of the State, Governor Kemp released his official budget recommendations. It is important to remember that these are merely a blueprint for the House and Senate to use when crafting the budget. The budget only includes changes, meaning increases or decreases in funding. Programs that saw no change in funding will not be listed.
In particular, you might find page 39 of the budget interesting as it lists all the Olmstead related services in Georgia.
Department of Behavioral Health & Developmental Disabilities:
AFY19: $8.4 million increase to the GA Apex Program to provide support counselors for mental health services in high schools.
AFY19: $7 million increase to maintain DBHDD's state hospital system.
FY20: $3.6 million increase to annualize the cost of 125 NOW and COMP waivers.
FY20: $4.2 million increase to fund an additional 125 NOW and COMP waivers.
FY20: $2.4 million increase for mental health consumers to comply with the Department of Justice settlement agreement.
FY20: $8.2 million increase to annualize the cost of behavioral health crisis centers.
FY20: $10.5 million increase for behavioral health services.
FY20: $10.2 million increase for behavioral health crisis bed capacity.
FY20: $7 million increase to maintain DBHDD's state hospital system.
Department of Community Health:
AFY19: $495,264 increase for background checks for owners and employees of long term care facilities pursuant to SB 406 (2018 Session).
AFY19: $5.6 million increase to replace Medicaid Management Information System.
AFY19: $1 million increase for an external consultant to review and analyze Medicaid waiver options for the purposes of drafting and preparing waiver policy recommendations for approval from the Governor's office.
AFY19: Utilize $25,000 in existing funds for the design, development, and implementation of a caregiver registry pursuant to the passage of SB 406 (2018 Session).
AFY19: $480,000 increase in tobacco settlement funds to serve medically fragile children through the Champions for Children program.
FY20: $737,639 increase for four additional positions, training, and associated operational costs for increased background checks for owners and employees of long-term care facilities pursuant to SB 406 (2018 Session).
Department of Human Services:
FY20: $957,087 increase for 12 adult protective service caseworkers to investigate reports of abuse, neglected, and/or exploitation of seniors and adults with disabilities
FY20: $366,752 increase for 5 additional public guardianship caseworkers to coordinate and monitor all services needed for the health and welfare of guardianship clients.
FY20: $338,802 increase to sustain options counseling, program outreach, and quality assurance for the Aging and Disability Resource Connection (ADRC).
FY20: $849,951 increase for 50 additional Medicaid -Aged, Blind, and Disabled eligibility
Department of Education:
AFY19: $822,191 increase for midterm adjustment for the Special Needs Scholarship
AFY19: $68.8 million increase for one-time funds for school security grants
FY20: $3.5 million decrease to the Georgia Network for Educational and Therapeutic Support (GNETS) to reflect enrollment, training, and experience decline.
FY20: $3.8 million increase for Preschool Disabilities Services to reflect enrollment growth, training, and experience
FY20: A $3,000 pay increase for all certified teachers and certified employees in GA's public schools.
Bills to Watch:
HB 1: Rename the Georgia Special Needs Scholarship the Senator Eric Johnson Scholarship (Rep. Jesse Petrea).
HB 18: Automatic registration of voters who obtain, renew, or change their name or address on a drivers license card in Georgia (Rep. Sandra Scott).
HB 19: Comprehensive state civil rights law protecting individuals from discrimination in employment, housing, and public accommodations. Expands to cover discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity, and age. Removes the term handicap and leaves the pre-existing term of disability (Rep. Sandra Scott).
HB 37: Expand Medicaid Now Act (Rep. Robert Trammell)
SB 3: provide for a program of premium assistance to enable eligible individuals to obtain health care coverage (Sen. Michael Rhett)
SB 10: to provide that possession of certain quantities of marijuana constitute a misdemeanor (Sen. Harold Jones)
SB 22: Increased Privacy and security for mail-in absentee ballots (Sen. Donzella James)
SB 24: Requires the registration of certain electric personal assistive mobility devices (Sen. Donzella James)
The energy down here is palpable. Bills are flying off the printer, all the while amendments are being tacked on. With Crossover Day fast approaching this Wednesday, the flurry is only expected to get worse. Remember, if a bill does not pass out of its original chamber by Crossover Day, the bill has no chance of becoming law this year.
Since our last newsletter, GCDD has hosted two Advocacy Days over the past two weeks. One for Medicaid and one for Inclusive Post Secondary Education. We are constantly reminded of the importance of our advocacy when we meet people who are unfamiliar with the topic of the day. As always, we could not do it without the many advocates that travel from all over the state to speak with their legislators.
HB 831, Georgia's Employment First Act, passed out of the House Industry and Labor Committee last week. GCDD's Executive Director Eric Jacobson testified, as did many employers, employees with disabilities, GVRA, The Arc, and SPADD. It is now waiting in the Rules Committee, Remember, it must pass out of the Rules Committee and pass a floor vote in the House by the end of Wednesday to stand a chance of becoming law.
HB 768, sponsored by Representative Scott Hilton, was heard in the House Judiciary Non-Civil Setzler Subcommittee late in the day last Thursday. This bill looks at how difficult it is to prove you have an intellectual disability in capital punishment cases. GCDD's Public Policy Director testified in favor of the bill, as did many others. At the end of the multi-hour hearing, the committee chose not to call a vote on the bill, requiring more time to make amendments. On Friday afternoon, the sponsor of the bill presented an amendment to the subcommittee. At the time of publication, this issue continues to evolve. We will keep you updated as to HB 768's progress over the next week.
Regarding the money, the House and Senate have both passed the Amended Fiscal Year 18 Budget. The next stop for the Amended Budget is conference committee where the House and Senate will iron out the differences between the House and Senate versions. They have both moved on to the Fiscal Year 19 Budget. The Senate Appropriations Committee will be holding a Public Hearing this Tuesday, February 27th at 10:00 am in Room 450 of the Capitol Building. GCDD is looking for Georgians on the waiting list for NOW & COMP waivers willing to share their story. If you are interested in testifying, please contact Hanna Rosenfeld at 404.275.8119
The GA General Assembly has released their tentative calendarfor the the rest of session.
The Well: The podium at the front of the chamber where members go to speak to the whole chamber.
Veto: When the Governor formally rejects a bill that the General Assembly passes during the legislative session. The General Assembly can only over-ride the veto with a vote of two-thirds in each chamber.
Around Town with UNLOCK!
Welcome back policy advocates! We hope you enjoyed our previous UNLOCK! articles. We discussed how you can advocate for issues that are important to you, and now we wanted to share how UNLOCK! has used power in numbers to advocate this session. Sharing your story is important, and it can be even more powerful when we come together as a group to advocate for issues. Legislators will pay attention when a large group of people are working together to advocate for common concerns. UNLOCK! brings disability advocates from across Georgia together to support issues we all care so much about.
This session we have advocated for:
DD waivers
supported employment
inclusive post-secondary education programs
and many more important issues
As the session continues, we hope that you will join UNLOCK! to help individuals with disabilities and their families have the opportunity to live, work, and play in their communities.
Join us at our next Advocacy Day at the Gold Dome on February 28!
If you are interested in joining UNLOCK! Please click here to enter your information.
Also, if you have not already, please join the UNLOCK! Coalition, a partnership of powerful policy advocates and agencies, by clicking the link below to complete your membership. We hope to see you at the Gold Dome on February 14!
Some Bills to Watch:
HB 288: (Kirby) Creates penalties for using fake service animals, penalties for harming a service animal, and would allow the Department of Human Services to "authorize private service organizations... to create and issue information cards containing the department's seal" that explain the rights and penalties associated with service animals.
HB 482: (Trammel) Educational Scholarship Act - Allows parents to use the money the state would have spent on their child's public school education to pay for private school education.
HB 635: (Cooper) The Disabled Adults and Elder Persons Protection Act - creates an at-risk adult protective investigative/coordination team in each judicial circuit in Georgia to coordinate investigations of suspected abuse, neglect, or exploitation of people with disabilities or the elderly.
HB 645: (Peake) To legalize possession of low THC oil and cultivation of cannabis for the production of low THC oil in the state of Georgia under certain conditions/medical conditions.
HB 668:(Price) Allows guardianship proceedings to begin when someone is 17 years old.
HB 740: (Nix) Requires local school systems to conduct certain screenings before a student, in pre-K through third grade, can be expelled or suspended for more than five days. If a student has an IEP or Section 504 plan, the school will hold an IEP or Section 504 meting to review the supports currently being provided as part of their IEP or Section 504 Plan.
HB 759: (Turner) Relaxes regulations for the GA Special Needs Scholarship, to allow the children of active duty military service members stationed in GA within the previous year, or children that have previously qualified, be exempt from the requirement to have attended a public school in Georgia the prior year.
HB 776: (Douglas) The Authorized Electronic Monitoring in Long-term Care Facilities Act allows for the placement and use of electronic monitoring devices by the resident of a long term care facility (such as a any skilled nursing facility, intermediate care home, assisted living community, or personal care home) within their personal room.
HB 801: (Hilton) Allows the GA Special Needs Scholarship to cover services, therapies, and other materials, as opposed to only tuition.
HB 803: (Willard) Prohibits the trafficking of an adult with a disability.
HB 844: (Houston) Revises provisions of the GA Commission on Hearing Impaired and Deaf Persons, specifically around membership of commission, as well as creates a multi-agency task force to provide recommendations for improvements to the GA General Assembly and the Governor.
HB 853: (Dempsey) Quality Basic Education Act; children placed in psychiatric residential treatment facilities may not be charged tuition; pprovide for eligibility for enrollment; to provide for related matters; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes.
HB 891: (Gilliard) States that the Department of Human Services, the courts, or a child placing agency cannot deny someone child placement, child custody, visitation, guardianship, or adoption solely or primarily because the individual is blind.
HR 1257: Creates the House Study Committee on the Workforce Shortage and Crisis in Home and Community Based Settings
SB 118: (Unterman) Raises the age limit to age 12 for coverage of autism services under private insurance policies.
SB 322: (James) Requires non-electric personal assistive mobility devices to have front and rear reflectors when used on highways or sidewalks, as well as all electric and nonelectric personal assistive devices sold after December 31, 2018 to have reflectors.
SB 357: (Burke) Creates the Health Coordination and Innovation Council of the State of Georgia, a recommendation of the Lt. Governor Cagle's Health Care Reform Task Force.
SB 406: (Strickland) The Georgia Long-term Care Background Check Program establishes minimum standards for conducting criminal background checks of owners, applicants for employment, and direct access employees at facilities such as a personal care home, assistive living community, private home care provider, home health agency, provider of hospice care, nursing home, skilled nursing facility, intermediate care home, or adult day care facility.
SB 408: (Jackson) Allows for individuals with autism to request a psychiatrist, psychologist, mental health counselor, special education instructor, clinical social worker, or any other mental or behavioral health professional be present at an interview by a local law enforcement officer.
SR 467: (Unterman) Creates a Senate Study Committee on Service Animals for Physically or Mentally Impaired Persons
SR 506: (Dugan) A RESOLUTION creating the Senate Study Committee on the Excessive and Duplicative Regulatory Oversight of Community Based Intellectual and Developmental Disability (IDD) Services.
SR 593: (Seay) A RESOLUTION urging the United States Congress to establish a policy whereby public facilities shall be required to provide adult changing stations.
Other Days of Note:
Feb 26: Justice Day with the Georgia Justice Project Mar 1: Housing Day at the Capitol with Housing Georgia
Volume 4, Issue 7•2018 Legislative Session• March 26, 2018
Call to Action:Please call your State Representative and tell them why HR 1257 is needed to help study the problem of why Georgians with disabilities cannot find and retain qualified caregivers.
Keep Up-To-Date: IMPORTANT UPDATE
Catch our weekly phone call, every Monday during session at 9:30 am. Dial in at 1-888-355-1249, Code: 232357
NOTE: With the close of the 2018 Legislative Session fast approaching, we will stop publishing the legislative edition of Public Policy for the People on a bi-monthly basis, instead returning to our regular quarterly schedule. Keep an eye out for the Spring edition of Making A Difference Magazine for our Legislative Wrap Up article.
GCDD is saddened by the passing of former Georgia Governor Zell Miller. He will always be remembered for his belief in the power of education, most evident through his creation of the HOPE Scholarship Program. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family in this trying time.
As of right now, the legislative session is scheduled to end this Thursday. Indeed, Day 39 is tomorrow, March 27th and Day 40 is March 29th.
A few updates:
SB 406, Georgia's Long-term Care Background Check Program, an initiative of the Georgia Council on Aging, has been passed by the Senate and the House. Due to a small change in the House, the bill must return to the Senate for a final vote. his is a great first step and GCDD looks forward to working with DCH to expand the program to include more individuals that are served in home and community based services.
HB 831, Georgia's Employment First Act, has been passed by the House and Senate. It now sits on the Governor's desk awaiting his signature. Remember, this bill creates an Employment First Council in Georgia to advise the Governor and General Assembly on future steps to move Georgia closer to an employment first state.
HB 803, sponsored by Representative Willard, passed out of committee last week. This bill defines the human trafficking of an adult with a disability or the elderly as a felony. It is currently waiting in the Rules Committee, where it must first be voted out before it can reach the Senate for a floor vote.
"The Disabled Adults and Elder Person's Protection Act," sponsored by Representative Sharon Cooper has had an interesting path this legislative session. As a quick reminder, this bill would create multi agency teams established in each judicial circuit to investigate adult abuse, neglect, and exploitation. The bill now has two versions, SB 202 and HB 635. Both now await a vote in the Senate next week. The reason there are two versions of the bill is because HB 635 was the original bill, and SB 202 was a bill that was gutted and all text replaced by "The Disabled Adults and Elder Person's Protection Act."
HB 65, which would create a Joint Study Commission on THC Medical Oil Access to study in-state access to medical cannabis and THC oil, passed the the Senate on Friday. Due to an amendment in the Senate, HB 65 will need to go back to the House for a vote before Sine Die.
HR 1257, sponsored by Representative Petrea, would create the House Study Committee on the Workforce Shortage and Crisis in Home and Community Based Settings. It is currently waiting in the Rules Committee where it must first be voted out, before it can be scheduled for a vote in the House. If you have not already done so, please call your State Representative and explain to them why HR 1257 is needed to help study the problem of why Georgians with disabilities cannot find and retain qualified caregivers.
SB 118, sponsored by Senator Unterman would raise the age limit to 20 for coverage of autism services under private insurance policies has passed the House. Due to a substitute in the House, it will need to return to the Senate for a vote before Sine Die.
HB 891, carried by Representative Gilliard, received a hearing last week in the House Judiciary - Civil - Kelley Subcommittee. Despite not making Crossover Day, advocates had the opportunity to educate the committee on the need for such a bill to ensure parents who are visually impaired or blind are not discriminated against in matters of child custody, guardianship, placement, or adoption. We look forward to seeing this bill re-introduced next year.
FY 19 Budget:The Senate has passed their own version of the Fiscal Year 19 Budget.
A few highlights from the Senate Version that differed from the House version of the FY 19 Budget:
The Albany Advocacy Resource Center received an increase of $220,000
The Matthew Reardon Center for Autism received an increase of $200,000
The Statewide Independent Living Council received an increase of $100,000 for home access modifications
A four percent increase in reimbursement rates for autism services statewide - $681,493
Increase in funds for a state hub geographically located to provide outreach and services to support independent living for citizens with disabilities in southwest Georgia - $100,000 (The House had put in $200,000, the Senate reduced to $100,000)
Funds for Friends of Disabled Adults and Children Equipment received an increase of $20,000
Funds to increase the occupational, speech, and physical therapy rates in the Babies Can't Wait program - $1,103,716 (House previously had included an increase of $551,858)
Transfer funds from Georgia Vocational Rehabilitation Agency: Vocational Rehabilitation Program to the Georgia Council on Developmental Disabilities to provide ongoing support and scholarships for the Inclusive Post-Secondary Education Program - $500,000
The House and Senate have now entered Conference Committee to come to some agreement over their differences. With Sine Die this Thursday, we should not have to wait long for the final version of the FY 19 Budget.
SINE DIE: The last day of the Georgia General Assembly's legislative session.
Around Town with UNLOCK!
We have had a great time learning together about the legislative process through the UNLOCK! articles. Throughout the legislative session, we looked up your Legislators on openstates.org then discussed how to contact them. We learned how to share our story while meeting with those legislators then looked at how a bill becomes a law. Now, as we leave the state legislative session, we want to look ahead to next year. It is very important that everyone is registered to vote and gets involved with Rev Up Georgia.
HB 668: (Price) Allows guardianship proceedings to begin when someone is 17 years old. (Senate Rules Committee)
HB 759: (Turner) Relaxes regulations for the GA Special Needs Scholarship, to allow the children of active duty military service members stationed in GA within the previous year, or children that have previously qualified, be exempt from the requirement to have attended a public school in Georgia the prior year. (Senate Education & Youth Committee)
HB 853: (Dempsey) Quality Basic Education Act; children placed in psychiatric residential treatment facilities may not be charged tuition (Senate Education & Youth Committee)
SR 467: (Unterman) Creates a Senate Study Committee on Service Animals for Physically or Mentally Impaired Persons (Senate Rules)
SR 593: (Seay) A RESOLUTION urging the United States Congress to establish a policy whereby public facilities shall be required to provide adult changing stations. (Senate Rules)
SR 506: (Dugan) A RESOLUTION creating the Senate Study Committee on the Excessive and Duplicative Regulatory Oversight of Community Based Intellectual and Developmental Disability (IDD) Services. (Senate Rules)
Let's get to work. Pick up the phone and call your Senator and Representative tomorrow! There is no time to waste and this will only take a moment!
Ponders by Phillip:
How was Advocacy Day?
I was at the Capitol for Advocacy Day. Advocacy Day at the Capitol is where a bunch of students get together from Inclusive Post-Secondary Programs, like the one here at Kennesaw State University, to talk with legislators. I talked with legislators about what it means to have a disability. I also talked with all of the legislators about what it means to live in a university wide Residential Community. It means you get to socialize with other people of my age. I thought the day went pretty well and I would want to go to the Capitol for Advocacy Day again next year.
What is your goal for when you graduate?
My goal is to get a real paying job after I graduate. I would like to work at Must Ministries and Sparkles Roller Skating Rink. I would like to work at Sparkles Roller Skating Rink so I could be a D.J. and remix all the songs. I would like to work at Must Ministries because it is my passion and I would like to stock all the shelves and help the customers.
Working is important to me because I want to get a real paying job. It would give me more independence and it would also teach me time management. It would also give me the skills that I need to pursue a career like this after I graduate.
Having an internship here at Kennesaw State University's Academy for Inclusive Learning and Social Growth has helped me with this process of getting a real paying job after I graduate by teaching me the skills and giving me the experience I will need. Having an internship at the Georgia Council and Developmental Disabilities has taught me the experience I need to interact with my coworkers and it also has taught me to interact professionally and how important being on time is.
Looking Ahead
Today is Day 25 in the Georgia General Assembly and everyone is in a mad dash to get their bill passed before Crossover Day this Friday. If a bill does not move from its original chamber into the other chamber by Friday it is dead until next year.
But first the Big Budget for Fiscal Year 2018. The House passed their version of the Budget on February 16. Of note, there were no new DD waivers added besides the 250 recommended by the Governor as required by the Department of Justice Settlement Agreement. Remember, these waivers are mostly to move people out of the state hospitals. While a very important goal, this will not make a dent in the 8,688 Georgians waiting for a DD Waiver.
There was some exciting news in the world of Inclusive Post-Secondary Education (IPSE) though. Simply put, IPSE got a big raise. Let me explain, up until this point, the IPSE funding of $200,000 from the Georgia General Assembly was funneled through GCDD. The House recommended that $25,000 stay with GCDD to provide technical assistance and the remaining $175,000 will move to the Georgia Vocational Rehabilitation Agency (GVRA). The House also recommended an increase of $325,000 in state dollars for IPSE. GVRA is one of those agencies that has a fabulous federal match, meaning for every $1 Georgia spends, the federal government kicks in $4. So the $500,000 in state dollars allocated for IPSE could total up to $2.5 million after the federal match. This money is earmarked both for scholarships and operating expenses of the IPSE programs.
While you should definitely pat yourself on the back for your awesome advocating which resulted in this increase for IPSE funding, there is still a lot of work to do so please don't get too comfortable. We need your help to advocate for more DD Waiver funding while the Senate is still deciding. Please call your Senator tomorrow, February 28th!
Calling Senator Renee Unterman: (404) 463-1368
Hello my name is _(your name)______.
I am calling to tell you we need more DD waivers because we have almost 9,000 people on the waiting list. We need you to add $12.1 million for 6 months of funding for more DD Waivers.
Also, please keep the House's increase in funds for Inclusive Post-Secondary Education.
Thank you.
Calling Senator Jack Hill: (404) 656-5038
Hello my name is _(your name)______.
I am calling to tell you we need more DD waivers because we have almost 9,000 people on the waiting list. We need you to add $12.1 million for 6 months of funding for more DD Waivers.
Also, please keep the House's increase in funds for Inclusive Post-Secondary Education.
Thank you.
Calling your Senator:
Hello my name is _(your name)______.
I am your constituent. I live in _(insert city or town)___
I am calling to tell you we need more DD waiversbecause we have almost 9,000 people on the waiting list.
Please tell Senator Unterman to add
1. $12.1 million for 6 months of funding for more DD Waivers
2. Also, please keep the House's increase in funds for Inclusive Post-Secondary Education.
The Family Care Act, SB 201, would allow employees to use up to five days of their earned sick leave to care for a loved one. This would only apply to employees that work at least 30 hours a week at a business that employees over 25 people and already offers sick leave. The author of the Family Care Act, Senator Butch Miller, worked very hard on the version that passed the Senate, taking input from the Georgia Chamber of Commerce and included their requested changes and additions to the bill. SB 201 passed the Senate this morning with a vote of 41 Yea, 10 Nay, and 1 Senator that did not vote. It will now move on to the House of Representatives. We need you to call your Representative today and tell them you support SB 201, the Family Care Act.
Another bill we care a lot about is HB 343, which would update Georgia code to replace the offensive 'MR word' with 'intellectual disability.' This bill is sponsored by freshmen Representative and Parent Advocate Scott Hilton. HB 343 unanimously passed the House this morning. It is now on to the Senate, which means we need you to call your Senator and tell them you support HB 343.
Lastly, SB 193, Changing the Standard to Prove Intellectual Disability, which is sponsored by Senator Elena Parent, has been assigned to the Senate Judiciary Committee, but has not been scheduled for a hearing. With Crossover Day coming up, we are running out of time. We need you to call the Senate Judiciary Committee and tell them to schedule SB 193 for a hearing before Crossover Day.
Senator Jesse Stone: (404) 463-1314
Senator Bill Cowsert: (404) 463-1366
Senator Blake Tillery: (404) 656-0089
Senator Hunter Hill: (404) 463-2518
Senator John F Kennedy: (404) 656-0045
Senator William Ligon Jr.: (404) 463-1383
Senator Joshua McKoon: (404) 463-3931
Senator Curt Thompson: (404) 463-1318
Senator Greg Kirk: (404) 463-5258
Senator Harold Jones II: (404) 463-3942
Calling the Senate Judiciary Non-Civil Committee:
Hello my name is _(your name)______.
I am calling to tell you that I support SB 193 because it would change the standard to prove intellectual disabilities in Capital Cases and protect Georgians with intellectual disabilities from being executed for the crimes. We need you to schedule a hearing in the Senate Judiciary Non-Civil Committee before Crossover Day.
Thank you.
Other news, GCDD had a very successful advocacy day last Thursday. Advocates from all over Georgia came together to talk with their legislators about Employment. Extra exciting was the two groups of high school students who came to advocate for their futures. We hope in the future to see more student groups involved. We also want to give a big thanks to retired Congressman Tony Coelho, father of the Americans with Disabilities Act, who came and spoke with our advocates and addressed the Senate at the invitation of the ever supportive Senator Butch Miller.
Looking Ahead
Plan to attend GCDD Advocacy Days. Register online at: bit.ly/2fRxoYX
Feb 28 – Enable Work and Families Advocacy Day (Family Care Act, Peach Work, and Phillip Payne Personal Assistance Program)
March 9 – Home & Community Advocacy Day (Elder & Disabled Abuser Registry, People First Language, Residential Housing Study Committee, Transportation)
Our Friend's Advocacy Days
Feb 28 – Anti-Sex Trafficking Lobby Day (City of Refuge, Freedom Coalition, GA Cares, Haven ATL, Out of Darkness, Street Grace, United Way of Greater Atlanta, Wellspring Living)
NOW Waiver Public Forum: As some of you may know, the NOW waiver is up for renewal in September of 2017. The Department of Community Health and the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities, will be holding public forums to allow advocates such as ourselves to make recommendations for how the NOW waiver could be improved. To register to click here. It is very important that advocates show up and voice their opinions.
March 1 - 1:00 to 3:00pm at University of Georgia Tifton Campus Conference Center, Tifton
March 6 - 7:00 to 8:00pm (Virtual Forum)
March 8 - 1:00 to 3:00pm at Clarence Brown Conference Center, Cartersville
March 9 - 11:00am to Noon (Virtual Forum)
March 13 - 1:00 to 3:00pm at Gwinnett Tech/Busbee Center, Lawrenceville
Keep Up to Date
Catch our weekly phone call, every Monday during session at 9:30am. Dial in at 1-888-355-1249, Code: 232357.
Join our Advocacy Network at bit.ly/GCDDAlerts To join you will need to provide an email address. When you sign up, be sure to select Public Policy Alerts and UNLOCK! alerts so you get the most up to date information. If you signed up last year, be sure to check and make sure your information is up to date.
Read Public Policy for the People. Released every other Monday. - Mar 13, Mar 27
Learn the Lingo
Sine Die: Some of you may recognize this as a repeat from our Legislative Primer, but in case you missed that issue let us take a moment to review this very important term. Sine Die is Latin for "without day." In Georgia, sine die refers to Day 40 which is the last day of session. This year, sine die will be on March 30. This is the last day a bill can pass, otherwise it must wait until the next year. Fun Fact: legislators celebrate by throwing paper up in the air - similar to the last day of school.
New Bills to Watch
As always, for a complete list of bills we are tracking, click here.
SB 237: Would require motorized wheelchairs and scooters sold in Georgia to have reflectors. (Donzella James). HB 486: Proxy Caregivers: Would allow non-medical professionals to train proxy caregivers to perform health maintenance activities for disabled individuals.
Call your State Senator and tell them to vote yes on HB343.
Next week we will release our Post-Legislative Wrap Up Edition.
Stay tuned for date & time of our Legislative Wrap Up Phone Call.
Ponders by Phillip:
Good public transportation means people can get somewhere safe and sound. Good transportation also means that it does not limit them to where they can go. Good public transportation is important to me because people with disabilities need good public transportation that is accessible to all. Good public transportation also means I can get to where I need to go because what if I lived in Buckhead and needed to get to school or work in Kennesaw, I would need to take accessible transportation. Good transportation needs to be reliable because people with disabilities need to get to school and work on time.
Bad transportation really affects people because many rely on it to live their everyday lives. I think there are some ways that transportation could be improved. For instance, I think there could be a lot more buses, which would help reduce travel time and not run into any travel snags. I would also like to ensure that all buses are handicap accessible so that no one is excluded.
– Phillip James Modesitt
I recently asked Phillip why transportation is so important. Drew Walker, of American Wheelchair Society, is working to form a Transportation Coalition here in Georgia. If you are interested in joining the transportation coalition, you can contact Drew at 404.919.6178 or
Be in the Know: Only 2 legislative days to go
Only two days to go until the 2017 Legislative Session comes to an end for the 2017 year. Midnight on Thursday will see the gavel fall for the last time this year. Bleary eyed legislators, lobbyists, and staffers will say goodbye to the Gold Dome and head back to their Georgia homes, whether that be Tifton, Valdosta, or Blue Ridge. In the past two weeks, the General Assembly has passed countless bills, eaten peanut butter and jelly sandwiches courtesy of the GA Peanut Commission celebrating Peanut Butter and Jelly Day at the Capitol, and dealt with a lockdown of the Gold Dome due to suspicious green goo.
FY 2018 Big Budget.Status: Waiting for the Governor's signature. Conference Committee ended on March 22, producing a budget that the House and Senate can both agree on it. The Senate and House have both voted and passed the Conference Budget. It now awaits the Governor's signature. Governor Deal has 40 days after Sine Die to act on the budget (May 9). Remember Governor Deal has the power of line item veto. Of note:
Inclusive Post-Secondary Education: The House had recommended transferring $175,000 out of GCDD's budget to GVRA to support Inclusive Post Secondary Education, allowing the money to take advantage of GVRA's 4:1 federal match. The Senate recommended that the amount transferred decrease to $125,000. Conference committee decided upon $175,00 being transferred from GCDD to GVRA. Exciting bit, the language around the number of scholarship was removed. In sum, total IPSE funding going to GVRA is $500,000 which may allow for a total up to $2.5 million, including federal draw down.
Of note, language was added attached to this item, stating GCDD will "recognize Memorandum of Understanding with GVRA to maintain council's active participation in the IPSE partnership."
Some language was added in DBHDD's section, stating "the department shall develop and report to the Georgia General Assembly on a multi-year plan to reduce and eliminate the waiting list for NOW and COMP waivers with yearly outcome measures by December 31, 2017."
The Family Care Act, SB 201, passed the House March 22 with a vote of 114 Yay, 51 Nay, 5 NV, and 10 Exc. Due to SB 201 having an amendment in the House, it will need to go back to the Senate for a vote of Agree/Disagree. While this is exciting news, GCDD will not relax until SB 201 is signed into law by the Governor.
HB 343, updating Georgia Code to reflect intellectual disability instead of the offensive MR language, cleared Rules Committee this afternoon. Thank you to everyone who took time to call their Senators. Remember, HB 343 must still have a full Floor Vote in the Senate before returning to the House for a vote of Agree/Disagree due to a change made, before it will finally make its way to the Governor's desk.
GCDD hosted a webinar two weeks ago to discuss the impact of the proposed American Health Care Act (AHCA) currently being discussed in Congress. We had 197 people on the webinar, learning how block grants and per capita caps would be detrimental to Georgia. We were thrilled with the high level of participation and great questions that were asked. We hope to host more webinars in the future. Please send us any suggestions you have for future topics.
GCDD sent a group of Council Members and staff to Washington DC last week for the 2017 Disability Policy Seminar. While in Washington DC, the Georgia group attended sessions to learn more about the policy issues facing Americans with disabilities, as well as spent time in the US Capitol Building meeting with US Representatives and US Senators from Georgia. GCDD spoke about their concerns over the proposed healthcare changes found in the American Health Care Act (AHCA), especially around the Medicaid cuts caused by block grants/per capita caps. If you want to learn more about how the AHCA would impact Georgians with disabilities, visit http://medicaid.publicrep.org/, http://medicaid.publicrep.org/feature/georgia/, https://t.co/HLbadB9lj4 or http://www.c-c-d.org/. It is thanks to advocates such as yourself that Congress has chosen not to hold a vote on the American Health Care Act. Despite winning this round, we will be watching the federal healthcare landscape closely in the coming year.
Finally, GCDD joined with parent advocates last Friday at an event hosted by Representative Valencia Stovall to discuss HB 614, the Landon Dunson Act, which passed last year and allows for cameras to be placed in self-contained special needs classrooms in Georgia. Importantly, HB 614 does not require schools to put cameras in place, but does create a system by which they can be utilized. Representative Stovall and parents met to discuss how parents can better advocate for cameras to be placed in their children's self-contained classrooms. As one parent said, it's not just about keeping children from being abused, but also for keeping teachers from being falsely accused. We look forward to working with parents from the around the state in raising their voices in their local school districts.
Learn the Lingo
40 days: It will come as no shock to you, our readers, to know that Georgia's legislative session only lasts for 40 days. They can be continuous or spread out, but they will only meet officially for 40 day each year. Of course, the Governor can call a special session, but that rarely happens. By only meeting for 40 legislative days, GA legislators can maintain jobs outside of the session. This is much harder to do when you meet continuously throughout the year, such as in the US Congress.
Volume 4, Issue 3•2018 Legislative Session• January 28, 2018
Call to Action: Call your State Rep. Ask them to support the Governor's rec. for 125 new NOW/COMP waivers,and then ask for an additional 475 waivers for a total of 600 new NOW/COMP waiver slots.
Keep Up-To-Date
Catch our weekly phone call, every Monday during session at 9:30 am. Dial in at 1-888-355-1249, Code: 232357
What a wild two weeks under the Gold Dome! With snow, budget hearings, and advocacy days - GCDD's Public Policy Team has been quite busy.
GCDD held its very first Advocacy Day of 2018, focusing on DD Waivers. Despite some minor technical difficulties with our Facebook live stream, the day was a huge success. We hope you will register for some of our upcoming advocacy days.
We also ran into advocates at the following events: Spectrum Day, Mental Health Day, and Sickle Cell Day. Its always so nice to see other friendly faces down at the Capitol.
Both the House and the Senate have service animal bills now. The House bill, HB 288 would create penalties for using fake service animals, penalties for harming a service animal, and would allow the Department of Human Services to "authorize private service organizations...to create and issue information cards containing the department's seal" that explain the rights and penalties associated with service animals. The Senate version, SR 467 would simply create a study committee to explore the problem. See GCDD's Public Policy Director talking about the issue here.
Other things of note, GCDD attended the Georgia Budget and Policy Institute's Insights Conference. There we learned about "A People First Economic Vision for Georgia," GBPI's vision for Georgia's future. We encourage you to check it out.
Voices for Georgia's Children just released their Child Behavioral Health Workforce Analysis. Click here for the full report and here for the fact sheet.
The GA General Assembly also released their tentative calendar for the the rest of session.
Sine Die: Referring to the 40th Legislative Day, tentatively March 29th this year, Sine Die is the last day of the Georgia General Assembly. This means it is the last day a bill can pass and be sent to the Governor for signature.
Crossover Day: Always taking place on the 28th Legislative Day, tentatively February 28th this year, of the the GA General Assembly, Crossover Day is the deadline for legislation to move from the House to the Senate, or vice versa. If it does not make this deadline, the bill is dead.
Around Town with UNLOCK!
Welcome back policy advocates! We hope you took advantage of the information shared in our first UNLOCK! article. We shared the website, openstates.org, to help you find your legislator and their contact information.
Now, we encourage you to reach out and introduce yourself to your State Senator and State Representative. One terrific way to make this contact is by leaving a message with their office assistants. You can also ask for a meeting at their office if you need time for a longer conversation. Or - you can try "working the ropes" at the Capitol for a short conversation about a specific state legislative issue. Most of us have never heard of "the ropes", so here is a brief description:
The Senate and the House have “Chambers” on opposite sides of the 3rd floor of the State Capitol which are large meeting rooms where they come together, usually between 10am-noon on legislative days, to debate issues and discuss bills.
Just outside the doors of each chamber are red velvet ropes. Legislators are asked to leave the chamber to meet with advocates, lobbyists, and – YOU – their constituent at these ropes.
To make this happen, fill out a small form (white for the House and yellow for the Senate) with your legislator's name, your name, and what you would like to discuss. Be sure to include that you are a constituent!
Hand that sheet to one of the women located at the desk near the Chamber doors. They will hand the sheet to a Page who is then responsible for going into the Chamber to locate your legislator.
The legislator, if able, comes out to meet with you. She/he stands on the inside while you stay on the outside of the red velvet ropes.
This is your opportunity to briefly discuss an issue that matters to you. You will have about 2 to 3 minutes to discuss a focused, state legislative issue with your legislator.
Working the ropes can seem confusing the first time you try, but it gets easier with practice! If you would like additional training on working the ropes, please join us at the next GCDD Advocacy Day on Wednesday, January 31.
Also, join the UNLOCK! Coalition, a partnership of powerful policy advocates and agencies, by clicking the link below to complete your membership. Join us for our next article to learn about sharing your story. We hope to see you at the Gold Dome on January 31!
HB 668:(Price) Allows guardianship proceedings to begin when someone is 17 years old.
HB 635: (Cooper) Creates an at-risk adult protective investigative/coordination team in each judicial circuit in Georgia to coordinate investigations of suspected abuse, neglect, or exploitation of people with disabilities or the elderly.
SB 322: (James) Requires nonelectric personal assistive mobility devices to have front and rear reflectors when used on highways or sidewalks, as well as all electric and nonelectric personal assistive devices sold after December 31, 2018 to have reflectors.
SB 357: (Burke) Creates the Health Coordination and Innovation Council of the State of Georgia, a recommendation of the Lt. Governor Cagle's Health Care Reform Task Force.
SR 593: (Seay) A RESOLUTION urging the United States Congress to establish a policy whereby public facilities shall be required to provide adult changing stations.
SR 506: (Dugan) A RESOLUTION creating the Senate Study Committee on the Excessive and Duplicative Regulatory Oversight of Community Based Intellectual and Developmental Disability (IDD) Services.
HB 160: (Tanner) Creates the Georgia Commission on Transit Governance and Funding.
SB 118: (Unterman) Change the age limit in private health care plan's coverage of autism to age 21.
HB 645: (Peake) To legalize possession of low THC oil and cultivation of cannabis for the production of low THC oil in the state of Georgia under certain conditions/medical conditions.
HB 482: (Trammel) Educational Scholarship Act - Allows parents to use the money the state would have spent on their child's public school education to pay for private school education.
Today is Day 9 of the Georgia General Assembly. Plan to attend GCDD's Advocacy Day this Wednesday, Feb 1, to talk with your legislator about increasing funding for more DD waivers and for Inclusive Post-Secondary Education.
To all of our amazing advocates,
We at GCDD want to apologize for the confusion and inconvenience this morning. Due to technical difficulties, we were unable to use our conference call line for our weekly Monday morning Public Policy Call at 9:30am.
At this time, we have decided to simply wait until next week's Monday morning Public Policy phone call and not reschedule this week's call.
We hope you will give us another chance and join us next Monday, February 6 at 9:30am. We realize that one of the benefits of the call is creating a space to learn, ask questions, and discuss what is happening under the Gold Dome. Should you have any questions or want to speak more about anything covered in this issue, feel free to reach out to us.
Thank you,
Dawn Alford , & Hanna Rosenfeld,
The Advocates Corner
Hello, my name is Phillip Modesitt and I am a student with a disability called Cerebral Palsy and Diabetes. I am 27 years old and I am from Atlanta, Georgia. I am also enrolled in a program called the Kennesaw State University Academy for Inclusive Learning and Social Growth.
The issues that I face related to getting a good education, that I so well deserve, is increased funding for the Inclusive Post-Secondary education programs. I want increased funding because I want to get a really good education. It is important that I get a good quality education because I learn better that way. It is also important to me because it will be something that benefits me for the rest of my life.
A fun fact that I want to include is the first Georgia State Capitol Building in Atlanta used to be the Kimball Opera House. The Georgia General Assembly used it from 1869 to 1889. I am thankful for this opportunity to write about myself and the issues that I am passionate about.
To learn more about GCDD's budget ASK for the Inclusive Post-Secondary education programs, such as the one Phillip attends at KSU, click here and scroll down to "Support Students to Attend Inclusive Post-Secondary Education Programs in Georgia"
Looking Ahead
Plan to attend GCDD Advocacy Days. Register online at: bit.ly/2fRxoYX
Feb 1 – DD Waivers Advocacy Day 1 & Inclusive Post-Secondary Education Advocacy Day
Feb 7 – DD Waivers Advocacy Day 2
Feb 23 – Employment Advocacy Day
Feb 28 – Enable Work and Families Advocacy Day (Family Care Act, Peach Work, and Phillip Payne Personal Assistance Program)
March 9 – Home & Community Advocacy Day (Elder & Disabled Abuser Registry, People First Language, Residential Housing Study Committee, Transportation)
Our Partner's Advocacy Days (we share a common legislative goal)
Feb 28 – Anti-Sex Trafficking Lobby Day (City of Refuge, Freedom Coalition, GA Cares, Haven ATL, Out of Darkness, Street Grace, United Way of Greater Atlanta, Wellspring Living)
If you know of an Advocacy Day that our readers might be interested in learning about, please email Include your name, contact information, time, date, sponsoring organization, and summary of purpose for holding the event.
Keep up to date
Catch our weekly phone call, every Monday during session at 9:30am. Dial in at 1-888-355-1249, Code: 232357.
Join our Advocacy Network at bit.ly/GCDDAlerts To join you will need to provide an email address. When you sign up, be sure to select Public Policy Alerts and UNLOCK! alerts so you get the most up to date information. If you signed up last year, be sure to check and make sure your information is up to date.
Read Public Policy for the People. Released every other Monday. - Feb 13, Feb 27, Mar 13, Mar 27
Learn the Lingo
In the Hopper?? A funny name for the place where legislators place their bills when they are ready to introduce them.
The Well? We haven't traveled back in time and I promise the water fountains in the Capitol are still working. "The Well" is the traditional name for the area at the front of the chamber containing the lectern or podium from which legislators address the full house during debate. The phrase "to take the well" means to come forward to speak to the full body after being recognized by the presiding officer for that purpose. With 180 members of the GA House of Representatives and 56 in the Senate, The Well helps keep order in the room.
CLOB? Not as weird as it sounds. CLOB for the Coverdell Legislative Office Building. That is quite a mouthful and so is affectionately referred to as CLOB instead. It is right across the street from the Capitol and is home to many legislator's offices. As the number of legislators has grown, they no longer all fit in the Capitol.
Be in the Know: Rumblings Under the Gold Dome
Today marks Day 9 of the 2017 General Assembly. Only 31 days to go before the gavel falls for the last time in 2017! Of course those 31 days will likely be spread out, meaning we will likely be in session until March at least!
Since we last spoke, GCDD has been very busy. Every day brings another committee meeting or legislator to speak with down at the Capitol. If you are ever curious, I encourage you to come down and sit in on a committee hearing. It is really quite something watching Georgia's government at work. If you want some company, feel free to reach out to GCDD's Public Policy Team and see where we will be -the more the merrier. To find out when committee meetings are, go to bit.ly/GAHouseMeetings and bit.ly/GASenateMeetings.
The Amended Fiscal Year 2017 Budget was passed by the House Appropriations Committee. While there were no changes in the DBHDD budget, the DCH budget had a few changes. If you are interested in seeing the specific changes, click here for the tracking sheet. It shows the Governor's recommendations and the House's recommendations side by side. Quick tip, DCH is on page 22.
The entire House voted and passed their version of the budget. It has now been sent over to the Senate. The Senate Appropriations Committee will make some changes, the Senate as a whole will pass it, and we will then have two different budgets -the House and the Senate's. Senators and Representatives will enter into something called a Conference to come to an agreement. The compromise filled budget will then be sent to the Governor to sign. Remember though, this is only the Amended Fiscal Year 17 Budget, Georgia must still go through this whole process again with the Fiscal Year 18 Budget.
Moving on to Proxy Caregiving. The House Human Relations and Aging Committee held a hearing about Proxy Caregiving last week. For those of you who don't know, proxy caregiving is when a medical professional trains a caregiver to perform health maintenance activities (any activity which, if not for the disability, the person could likely perform for themselves). The Service Providers Association for Developmental Disabilities (SPADD) expressed concerns relating to challenges they face with medication administration as a health maintenance activity in certain residential settings. GCDD testified to ask the committee to ensure any potential solutions that are considered not cause any negative consequences to those who currently benefit from proxy caregiving. We will keep you posted on what we learn in terms of what the committee may recommend based on the testimony they heard. For a quick refresher on Proxy Caregiving, click here.
The Family Care Act: While it has yet to be dropped in the hopper, we will keep you posted on when it does and let you know the bill number so you can support it! Remember, Senator Butch Miller is sponsoring, so if you do see him be sure to thank him. As soon as we have a bill number, we will send out. In the meantime, be sure to come out February 28 to show your support for the Family Care Act as they will be one of the participating organizations for GCDD Advocacy Days.
The Georgia Budget & Policy Institute held their annual conference to discuss their analysis of the budget. GCDD's Public Policy team was in attendance for a full day of learning. Of note, most speakers agree that the big focus this session will be on healthcare and education. We also spent quite a bit of time on the 2018 Fiscal Year Budget. Here are a few highlights courtesy of the Georgia Budget & Policy Institute. If you feel like putting your policy wonk hat on for a moment, I recommend you click here for their full report.
Despite 2018 being Georgia's biggest budget yet, in terms of per person spending we are just below our pre-recession levels.
Education and Healthcare represent 2/3 of Georgia's budget.
Georgia's Rainy Day Fund is just over $2 billion, enough to fund Georgia's many government functions for 30 days.
New Bills to Watch
Click here for status updates on all the bills we are tracking.
SB 53 would require all commercial venues that hold at least 1,000 people to install one adult changing station for a person with a disability. Historic structures or anything smaller than 1,000 people would be exempt. (Seay)
SB 70 would extend the hospital Medicaid financing program, often referred to as the bed tax, until 2020. (Miller)
HB 77 would require the Department of Education to work with the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities to provide all school systems in Georgia a list of training materials for awareness in mental health, behavioral disabilities, and learning disabilities. (Kendrick)
Catch our final Public Policy Call of the year, this Thursday at noon! 1-888-355-1249, Code: 232357
Ponders by Phillip:
Since the legislative session ended yesterday, there are a few laws that I would like to talk about. First, there is HB343, which gets rid of the phrase "mental retardation" and replaces it with "intellectual disability." This is important to me because mental retardation can have a very negative meaning surrounding it. Intellectual disability is a more modern label.
Next I would like to talk about SB 201, the Family Care Act. This allows employees to use up to five days of earned sick leave in order to care for immediate family members. For example, if someone's spouse got sick, they would be able to get paid time off to take care of them.
Lastly I would absolutely like to talk about the Inclusive Post-Secondary Education funding. This will allow more schools in Georgia to have Inclusive Post-Secondary Education Programs like the Academy for Inclusive Learning and Social Growth here at Kennesaw State University. It will also allow existing programs to be improved.
– Phillip James Modesitt
Events
The Georgia Advocates Group (GAG) Monthly Call
A cross disability coalition of advocates from across the state, joining together to exchange information and collaborate on various projects.
Next Call: April 19 at 1pm 641-715-3680 access code: 761894#
Contact: Charlie Miller at
The Georgia Accessible Transportation Coalition
Join with advocates from the across the state to discuss the need for more accessible transportation.
April 13, 10am to noon, at the Georgia Advocacy Office located at 1 West Court Square #625, Decatur, GA 30030.
The Georgia Department of Education is in the preliminary stages of drafting a new state rule governing the GNETS program and services, and they want to hear from Georgia families.
The DOE is hosting four regional feedback meetings to get your input on the proposed draft rule regarding how Georgia provides supports for behavioral-related disabilities and the current GNETS programs.
GNETS feedback meeting locations:
Date
Meeting time
Buford City
April 12
3pm - 6pm
Dublin
April 13
3pm - 6pm
Thomasville
April 19
3pm - 6pm
Atlanta
June 15
9:30am
At these meetings, speakers will have 3 minutes to share their thoughts on the draft of the new proposed rule. If you cannot attend any of these meetings and want to provide public feedback, you can email your comments to and
The Georgia Advocacy Office & Parent 2 Parent of GA would like to support families and students with disabilities as you develop your speaking points, and invite you to join us in one of our several informational conference calls, where we will discuss the draft proposed rule and upcoming feedback meetings.
If you are interested in joining us for one of these conference calls, please follow the link below to the session you would like to participate in. We will send the call-in information prior to the event.
Contact Leslie Lipson of the Georgia Advocacy Office with any questions about the prep sessions. or (404) 885-1234.
Looking Back
40 days has come and gone. The Georgia General Assembly closed up shop a little before 1am last Thursday, making Sine Die officially occurring on March 31st. Legislators will be returning home now to their various communities across Georgia, taking off their government hats and becoming our neighbors once again.
Overall it was a good session, due in large part to your hard work. We thank each and every one of you who made a phone call, wrote a letter, or showed up in person at an Advocacy Day. Your constant advocacy helped us achieve a lot. Still, we have a lot of work to do. We had some wins and some losses. GCDD is already starting to strategize for how we can be more successful next year. We will need your help, so please do stay tuned for advocacy opportunities throughout the off-season. This is a great time to connect with your legislators out in the community as well.
The Budget
The GA General Assembly did its one required job this year when they passed the FY 2018 Budget. Each chamber passed their own version and then came together in Conference Committee to compromise and produce the one version that now sits on Governor Nathan Deal's desk. If you would like to read more about each chambers version, click here.
The important thing to remember is that the Governor has 40 days to act on the budget. He has 3 options:
Sign the Budget - it becomes law
Don't sign the budget - it still becomes law
Line Item Veto -Governor can veto a specific line of the budget without vetoing the whole budget. This makes him extra powerful because anything in the budget is open to the Governor's veto, which would make that line null and void.
We had two budget asks this year.
1. DD Waivers
There was no increase in DD waiver funding this year, beyond that which is required by the DOJ Extension Agreement with DBHDD. This is a problem because the 250 spots added in the FY 18 Budget per the DOJ Extension Agreement will go mostly to transitioning people out of Gracewood State Hospital. While this is important, it will do little to reduce the 8,698 Georgians waiting for a DD waiver in GA.
We were able to get some budget language added, instructing DBHDD to:
57.15 The department shall develop and report to the Georgia General Assembly on a multi-year plan to reduce and eliminate the waiting list for NOW and COMP waivers with yearly outcome measures by December 31, 2017.
We hope to work with DBHDD as they make their multi-year plan to reduce and eliminate the waiting list.
2. IPSE
We advocated for $300,000 in new IPSE funding, to allow for scholarships to students and sustainability. We are very excited to say that we got an increase of $325,000 this year.
Of note, traditionally IPSE funding has been funneled through GCDD. This year, it was moved to GVRA (the Georgia Vocational Rehabilitation Agency), which is hoping to utilize their Federal 4 to 1 match. So in total GVRA will have $500,000 in state funds to use for IPSE programs, which could potentially draw down up to an additional $2 million.
We are excited to see all the good this additional funding will do for students across the state.
Non-Budget Asks. AKA Bills.
Unlike with the Budget where the Governor has a line item veto power, with Bills the Governor must either:
Veto the whole bill - does not become law
Sign the bill - becomes law
Don't sign the bill - becomes law
SB 201: The Family Care Act
With a few modifications, the Family Care Act has passed! It is now waiting for the governor's signature. We owe Senator Butch Miller a great deal of thanks for all his hard work. Should you see him, or simply want to reach out, please let him know how grateful Georgians with disabilities are for his hard work. Assuming Governor Deal signs the bill, Georgians who work 30 hours a week or more, at a company that employees over 25 people and does not offer its employees a stock ownership plan, will be able to use up to five days of earned sick leave to care for a family member.
Important note, there is a sunset provision. That means that unless the Family Care Act is extended, it will be repealed July 1, 2020.
Contact Cindia Cameron of the GA Job Family Collaborative at with any questions.
HB 343: The offensive MR word removed
We are excited to say that HB 343, which updates GA code to replace the offensive MR word with Intellectual Disability, passed this session. We thank Representatives Scott Hilton and David Dreyer, as well as Stacey Ramirez of The Arc GA for all their hard work.
Contact Stacey Ramirez of The Arc GA with any questions at
Looking Ahead
Employment First
We at GCDD remain firm in the belief that everyone, regardless of their ability, can work with the right supports, should they so choose. GCDD looks forward to engaging with partners such as DBHDD and GVRA to ensure a time comes, soon, when GA commits to making employment, in an integrated setting, with pay at or above minimum wage for everyone a top priority.
Children's Freedom Initiative
Many may not know, but there are still children with developmental disabilities under the age of 22 living in institutional settings here in GA. The Children's Freedom Initiative remains committed to the belief that all children should have a permanent loving home.
To learn more or find out how you can get involved, please contact Joe Sarra of the Georgia Advocacy Office at
SB 185: Changing the Standard to Prove Intellectual Disabilities
SB 185 did not make Crossover Day. While the bill is dead until next year, we are incredibly optimistic about SB 185's prospects moving forward. We thank Senator Elena Parent for all her hard work on this legislation. Despite not making Crossover Day, SB 185 did have a hearing in the Senate Judiciary Non-Civil Committee, Sub Committee B. While no vote was taken, this was an excellent opportunity for advocates to provide testimony on the issue and for the Senators present to ask questions and get more information on the issue. We have made incredible progress on this issue this year intend to spend the off-season preparing for the 2018 session!
To learn more, contact Caitlin Childs of the P.A.P.E Coalition at
Transportation
We continue to support the work of Drew Walker, of the American Wheelchair Society, to create the Georgia Accessible Transportation Coalition to advocate for accessible transportation across the state.
To learn more, or how you can get involved, contact Drew Walker at See above in the events section for how you can attend a GA Accessible Transportation Coalition Meeting.
Elder and Disabled Abuser Registry
We continue to support the work of our partner, the Georgia Council on Aging (CO-AGE), in working with Chairman Cooper, the Department of Community Health, and Georgia Bureau of Investigation, to create a registry where employers and families can perform checks on all personal care aides. This would expand the current registry, which only includes Certified Nursing Assistants (CNAs).
To learn more, contact Kathy Floyd of the Georgia Council on Aging at
Other Bills of Interest awaiting Governor's signature:
SB 16: Expanding those who can use low THC Oil to include Alzheimer's disease, AIDS, autism, epidermolysis bullosa, peripheral neuropathy, Tourette's syndrome, and those in hospice care. It also allows people from out of state, with a registration card issued by another state that allows the same possession of low THC oil as Georgia, to use the card when in GA for less than 45 days. (Ben Watson)
SB 70: Reauthorizes the collection of the Hospital Provider Fee until 2020. It is a fee based on a percentage of patient revenue and is used to fund GA's Medicaid program. (Butch Miller)
SB 149:Deals with School Resource Officer training and requirements, notably requiring school resource officers to be trained in interacting with students with mental health labels. (Emanuel Jones)
SB 206: Requires health plans to provide coverage of hearing aids for children, $3,000 per ear, every 48 months. Certain exceptions apply. (P.K. Martin)
HB 221: Updates GA's power of attorney statute to allow for protections for individuals who grant the power of attorney while also giving clarification for responsible caregivers and financial institutions. (Chuck Efstration)
HB 241:Cove's Law, this adds Krabbe disease to the list of metabolic and genetic conditions for which newborn screenings may be conducted. (Lee Hawkins)
HB 425:Clarifies that parents can, without penalty, opt their child out of standardized testing in schools, as well as choose for their child to use paper and pencil, rather than a computer, when testing. (Joyce Chandler)
HB 486:Allows for the DBHDD and DCH to select and approve a training curriculum for instructing Proxy Caregivers in medicine administration. Previously only medical professionals could provide the training, but now providers may train with the curriculum and not have to find a medical professional. (Tommy Benton)
HB 154:Allows dental hygienists working for a dentist to provide teeth cleanings within safety net settings such as schools, hospitals, clinics, federally qualified health centers, volunteer community health settings, senior centers, and family violence shelters. (Sharon Cooper
2019 GCDD Advocacy Days Feb 12: Home & Community Based Waivers Day Feb 14: Everyone Out! of Institutional Settings Day Feb 27: Direct Support Professionals Day Mar 6: Supported Decision Making Day
Well advocates, since we last spoke your lawmakers have been spending much of their time on the state's budget. As a quick reminder, the budget process has five steps.
Governor Kemp shares recommendations for the budget.
The House of Representatives holds budget hearings, makes changes to Governor Kemp's recommendations, passes a bill, and then sends the bill to the Senate
The Senate takes the House's version, holds budget hearing, makes changes, and then passes a bill.
The House and Senate come together in Conference Committee to iron out any differences. Both the House and Senate must agree on the same bill.
Then Governor Kemp will sign the bill, veto the bill, or line item veto the bill.
With a state budget over $26 million, the budget process is understandably slow and complex. On a positive note, this allows advocates such as yourself plenty of time to make an impact on the budget process by voicing your opinions. This is where we need your help!
If you have not already contacted your State Representative and Senator, please make plans to do so this week. Here at GCDD we have two budget requests for the Fiscal Year 2020 budget. We need your help to educate our elected officials on why these budget requests are important to Georgia's disability community. You can your elected officials by visiting www.openstates.org
CALL TO ACTION: Please educate your State Senator and Representative on two things.
Support the Governor’s recommendation for 125 NOW & COMP waivers, and add an additional $17.8 million to DBHDD’s FY20 budget to fund 525 more NOW & COMP waivers.
For Inclusive Post-Secondary Education, increase legislative funding from the existing $500,000 to $1,000,000 in total within the Georgia Council on Developmental Disabilities Budget.
On a more somber note, Senator Butch Miller introduced Senate Resolution 60 to honor the life and memory of one of Georgia's disability warriors, Justin A Pressley. The resolution aptly points out that "Justin leaves behind a glowing legacy as an indefatigable fighter who turned his disability into a quest to improve the lives of others." We hope you will join us at GCDD in remembering Justin and working towards a Georgia where all people can live, work, and play across Georgia's many communities.
Finally, the House and Senate have significantly increased their video recording system. Floor sessions and committee meetings can often be streamed live online. If you miss them, you can catch up in their archives.
Appropriations Bill: Just another way of saying the bill deals with the state's budget.
Conference Committee: When the House and the Senate pass different versions of the same bill, they come together to work out their differences.
Bills to Watch:
HB 1: Rename the Georgia Special Needs Scholarship the Senator Eric Johnson Scholarship (Rep. Jesse Petrea).
HB 18: Automatic registration of voters who obtain, renew, or change their name or address on a drivers license card in Georgia (Rep. Sandra Scott).
HB 19: Comprehensive state civil rights law protecting individuals from discrimination in employment, housing, and public accommodations. Expands to cover discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity, and age. Removes the term handicap and leaves the pre-existing term of disability (Rep. Sandra Scott).
HB 40: To require local school systems to conduct screenings for dyslexia (Rep. Sandra Scott).
HB 69: Altering the prior school year requirement for the Georgia Special Needs Scholarship Program (Rep. Scot Turner).
HB 79: Establishment of procedural safeguards that require adherence to due process and equal protection rights of blind parents in the context of child welfare, foster care, adoption, and family law (Rep. Carl Gilliard).
HR 52: Encourage all schools, local educational agencies, and the state educational agency to recognize that dyslexia has a profound educational impact that must be addressed (Rep. John Corbett).
SB 10: to provide that possession of certain quantities of marijuana constitute a misdemeanor (Sen. Harold Jones)
SB 22: Increased Privacy and security for mail-in absentee ballots (Sen. Donzella James)
SB 24: Requires the registration of certain electric personal assistive mobility devices (Sen. Donzella James)
SB 48: To require that all kindergarten through second grade students are screened for dyslexia and increase dyslexia focused professional development for teachers (Sen. P.K. Martin IV).
Volume 4, Issue 1•2018 Legislative Session• January 8, 2018
Call to Action:Sign upfor 2018 Advocacy Days and ask five friends to do the same.
Hello fearless advocates,
It is day one of the Georgia General Assembly and that means Public Policy for the People is back! For our new readers, Public Policy for the People is GCDD's bi-monthly legislative e-newsletter. It will keep you up to date on the happenings of the Georgia General Assembly, how that might impact Georgians with disabilities, and what you can do to influence the process. We hope you will stick with us over the next three months as we embark on the civic adventure that is Georgia's state legislature.
Talk with you soon, Your Public Policy Team
Keep Up-To-Date
Catch our weekly phone call, every Monday during session at 9:30 am. Dial in at 1-888-355-1249, Code: 232357. First call will occur January 16 on account of MLK Day.
Bicameral: A fancy way of saying the Georgia General Assembly is made up of the House of Representatives & the Senate, as opposed to just having one.
Two Year Cycle: Every two years, the all members in the Georgia General Assembly run for re-election & all pending bills are wiped clean. We are in year two, which means that all bills introduced last year are still in play through the 2018 Session.
Volume 5, Issue 7•2019 Legislative Session• April 1, 2019
Members of the Children's Freedom Initiative gathered last Friday with Representative David Dreyer and his colleagues Representatives Matthew Wilson, Sandra Scott, J. Craig Gordon, and Shelly Hutchinson to recognize the coalition's work to stop the institutionalization of children in Georgia.
Only one more legislative day to go! Indeed, the gavel will fall for the last time tomorrow evening, marking the end of the 2019 legislative session. Of note, this will be our last Public Policy for the People Legislative Newsletter. Our next edition will appear in the Spring edition of Making A Difference Magazine. You can expect a copy to arrive in our inbox mid-April, or find a copy at www.gcdd.org.
With that in mind, we will waste no more time and dive right in to our legislative updates.
Healthcare: The Governor signed SB 106 into law on March 27, officially empowering the Governor and the Department of Community Health to draft and submit a plan for Georgia's partial Medicaid expansion. Specifically, Governor Kemp may submit a 1332 Waiver to customize the private health insurance market and a 1115 Waiver to expand Medicaid for those living up to 100% of the federal poverty level. It is important to remember that this bill only grants Governor Kemp the authority to submit a waiver. There is still much work to be done. It is our hope that Governor Kemp will keep the needs of Georgian's with disabilities in mind as he crafts his waivers.
Budget: The House and Senate worked out their differences in Conference Committee on April 28. While you can find the full version of the FY 2020 budget online, we did want to highlight a few areas for you.
Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities
$3.7 million to annualize 125 NOW and COMP waivers added in FY 19
$4.2 million to fund 125 new NOW and COMP waivers
$120,417 to fund a provider rate increase of 10% for Supported Employment for individuals with developmental disabilities
$50,000 in one time funding for permanent supported housing for individuals with developmental disabilities in Forsyth County and create a model plan for statewide utilization
Utilize $100,000 in existing funds to provide the final installment of the three-year plan for Georgia Options
$7 million to offset a reduction in Medicaid patient revenues to maintain ongoing state hospital system operations
Department of Community Health
$737,639 to fund four additional positions, training, and associated operations for increased background checks for owners and employees of long-term care facilities pursuant to SB406(2018 Session)
$513,000 to serve medically fragile children through the Champions for Children program
$401,524 in funds for the second installment of a two-year plan to increase the personal needs allowance for nursing home residents by $5 to meet the $20 per month requirement pursuant to the passage of HB2016(2017 Session)
$330,000 in funds for nursing homes to support enhanced background checks
Department of Human Services
$143,991 in funds for the second installment of a two-year plan to increase the personal needs allowance for nursing home residents by $5 to meet the $20 per month requirement pursuant to the passage of HB206 (2017 Session)
$1.3 million to fund 17 new adult protective services caseworkers
$366,752 to fund 5 new public guardianship caseworkers
$338,802 to sustain options counseling, program outreach, and quality assurance for the Aging and Disability Resource Connection (ADRC)
$157,000 for assistive technology to assist older Georgians, to be dispersed to the 9 Centers for Independent Living and 12 Area Agencies on Aging at approximately $7,500 per location
$849,951 to fund 50 new Medicaid Aged, Blind, and Disabled eligibility caseworkers
Georgia Vocational Rehabilitation Agency
$149,733 to expand outreach of independent living for individuals with disabilities in undeserved areas
$105,500 Increase funds to provide a state match to deploy Academic Transition Teachers in Inclusive Post-Secondary Education (IPSE) programs and, in collaboration with the Center for Leadership in Disability and the Georgia Council on Developmental Disabilities, develop job descriptions and memorandums of understanding that are in compliance with Federal statutes, regulations, and the terms and conditions of the federal grant fund to be implemented on July 1, 2019
Low THC: The Senate Regulated Industries and Utilities Committee made significant changes to HB 324. Scheduled for a vote in the Senate last Friday, the bill passed with a vote of 44 to 8. Among the many changes the Senate made include provisions to create the Georgia Access to Medical Cannabis Commission with the authority to import Low THC Oil from other states, as well directing the University of Georgia and Fort Valley State University to research and cultivate Low THC Oil. Additionally, the Senate version of HB 324 allows for two private companies to cultivate in state. As the Senate changed the bill, a Conference Committee has been appointed to work out their differences.
Parental Rights: Spearheaded the National Federation of the Blind, Georgia Affiliate, HB 79 seeks to diminish the discrimination parents who are blind face when raising children. While the bill has now passed the House and the Senate, a few tweaks in the Senate Judiciary Committee mean HB 79 must return to the House for a final vote.
Don't forget, the House and Senate have a fairly comprehensive video recording system. It is easy to stream committee meetings, floor sessions, or even watch a recording of a past meeting.
Finally, to see all the bills GCDD is tracking, click here!
Veto:In its most basic form, a veto is simply a rejection. When it comes to the legislative process in Georgia, a veto is when the Governor rejects a bill that the legislature has passed. If a bill is vetoed by the Governor, both the Senate and the House would need a 2/3 majority vote to override the Governor. This rarely occurs and so typically a veto is the end of a bill for that year.
Volume 6, Issue 7•2020 Legislative Session• April 13, 2020
Hello, advocates! Although Georgia's state legislative session continues to be suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we want to take the opportunity to update you all on many important policy decisions happening at the state and federal level regarding COVID-19. GCDD continues to monitor the state and federal response to the quickly evolving outbreak, and we are dedicated to keeping you informed.
For information and resources regarding how you can keep you and your loved ones protected during this time, please visit our website.
Alyssa Lee, PsyD, Public Policy Research and Development Director
Charlie Miller, Legislative Advocacy Director
Join the DD Network Zoom Meeting
Last Tuesday, the Georgia Disability Network, a group comprised of numerous disability organizations across Georgia, held it's first call related to supporting people with intellectual and developmental disabilities during the COVID-19 pandemic. We had approximately 300 attendees including people with disabilities, family members, state agencies, and policymakers. People were given time to share their concerns so that we can begin gathering answers!
This Tuesday will be the second session of COVID-19 in GA: Supporting People w/ Intellectual & Developmental Disabilities, hosted by the Georgia Disability Network. This week's topic will include the #CARESAct & Family Supports. Leadership from Association of University Centers on Disabilities will speak on federal legislation. If you would like to join the call, please register HERE!
Georgia Submits Emergency Waivers
UPDATE: On April 9th, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) approved Georgia's Appendix K, and emergency application requesting flexibility in how NOW/COMP services are provided.
The Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities (DBHDD) plans to host a webinar for the community this Wednesday, April 15th, from 2-4pm to provide guidance on the changes in Appendix K. DBHDD has not yet released registration details. Stay tuned!
Disability Rights Protected at Federal Level
On March 28th, the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), issued a bulletin reminding agencies that civil rights laws prohibit discrimination on the basis of disability, including health care services related to COVID-19 treatment. This guidance comes at a time when disability groups across the nation filed discrimination complaints in multiple states, challenging the states' COVID-19 healthcare rationing plans.
Update: A group of national disability rights organizations created a document providing guidance on how to avoid disability discrimination in medical rationing plans. You can read the entire document HERE.
CARES Act Passed – Stimulus Check Guidance
On March 27th, Congress passed the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, the largest relief aid package in our history. The CARES Act is the 3rd piece of federal legislation aimed at addressing the needs of the nation during the COVID-19 pandemic. Disability advocates spent many hours advocating for inclusion of the needs of the disability community in the CARES Act, with some success. A big win came with the decision to expand who qualifies for the $1,200 stimulus payment. For people with disabilities who receive social security benefits, they will qualify for a stimulus payment regardless of whether of not the filed tax returns.
Guidance was just released this weekend from the IRS that states for people who get social security but are unsure of whether or not they have filled out the SS Form 1099 should visit this PORTAL to enter their personal information to ensure they receive their payment.
The Arc of the United States recently created a fact sheet to help us better understand the stimulus payments. You can find more information HERE.
You can stay up-to-date on federal legislative activities by visiting the Center for Public Representation's COVID-19 resource page.
GCDD's Advocate Check-In
Make sure to join GCDD every other Monday for our Advocate Check-in hosted by Charlie Miller. The next call takes place next Monday, April 20th from 9am-10am.
Dial-in: 1-605-475-4063
Code: 737091
PublicPolicy for the People e-newsletter is distributed every other week during the State of Georgia's legislative session. The last publication date is April 13.
Catch our Public Policy Phone Calls at 12:00 noon every Friday. Join via zoom with meeting ID: 889 9004 7028 and passcode: 490274, or by phone at 646 876 9923.
Thank you for taking the time to read GCDD’s 2021 Crossover Edition of Public Policy for the People! We have had a busy couple of months with the 2021 legislative session, with Crossover Day taking place Monday, March 8th. What is Crossover Day? It is Day 28 of Georgia’s legislative session and represents the final opportunity that a bill has to pass at least one chamber (House or Senate) if the bill is to move on in the lawmaking process. If a bill does not pass one chamber before Crossover Day, that means it cannot pass and become law during the current legislative session.
Since we just made it through Crossover Day, and have a good idea of what bills are still active, we wanted to take the time to update you on all the details! Take a look at a few of the bills we are watching most closely, and the action steps you might take to make your voice heard:
House Bill 531 Description: This bill is the House version of a voting omnibus bill meaning it contains numerous proposals to change the way we vote in Georgia. GCDD opposes this bill as some of the proposals would make it harder to vote like restricting drop box locations, requiring additional ID for absentee ballots, and limiting early voting opportunities.
Location: This bill passed the House and is in the Senate Committee on Ethics. As of right now, the Committee is scheduled to meet Monday, March 15th at 3:30 pm and Wednesday, March 17th at 8:00 am. HB531 is on the agenda for the March 15th meeting as “hearing only”, meaning there will be no public testimony. You can livestream the committee meeting HERE.
Action: It is up to US to make sure we do not allow lawmakers to make it harder for us to vote! Contact your state senators and let them know what you think. Also, keep an eye out for any action alerts from GCDD as there might be future opportunities to provide public testimony on this bill.
Senate Bill 241 Description: This bill is the Senate version of a voting omnibus bill. It contains similar proposals as HB531 but also proposes to eliminate no-excuse absentee voting. GCDD opposes this bill and has serious concerns about the proposal to eliminate no-excuse absentee voting as approximately 75% of people with disabilities voted absentee in the previous election!
Location: This bill passed the Senate and is in the House Special Committee on Election Integrity. There are currently no future meetings of the Committee scheduled. You can keep an eye out for future meetings HERE.
Action: Again, it is up to US to make sure our elected officials do not make it harder for us to exercise our right to vote! Please contact your state representatives and let them know your thoughts. Also, stay tuned for future action alerts from GCDD as there might be future opportunities to provide public testimony.
House Bill 290 Description: This bill was originally a hospital visitation bill, but it was changed during its time in the House Committee on Human Relations and Aging to include a new “legal representative” who could make significant decisions on behalf of a patient, including managing financial matters and accessing medical or personal information of the patient’s. GCDD opposes this bill as we are concerned about the implications of expanding the abilities of a “legal representative” and what that might mean for the rights of people with disabilities in hospitals and long-term care facilities.
Location: This bill passed the House and is currently in the Senate Committee on Health and Human Services. The Committee is scheduled to meet on Tuesday, March 16th at 2:15 pm. There is not currently an agenda for the meeting.
Action: Let your state senator know your thoughts on the bill, and stay tuned to future action alerts from GCDD as there may be an opportunity for public testimony.
Gracie’s Law-HB128 Description: GCDD has supported this bill since it was originally introduced in 2020. HB128 bill would prohibit discrimination of potential organ transplant recipients based on disability status. People with disabilities have been denied life-saving organ transplants due to discriminatory ideas of healthcare providers regarding the abilities and quality of life of people with disabilities.
Location: This bill passed the House and is currently in the Senate Committee on Health and Human Services. The Committee is next scheduled to meet on Tuesday, March 16th at 2:15 pm. However, there is not currently an agenda for that meeting so we do not know if this bill will be heard.
Action: Reach out to Chairman Ben Watson’s office to educate them on the issue and request that the bill be heard in the Committee. You can also reach out to your state senator and ask that they support this bill being heard in the Committee. Also, stay tuned for future GCDD action alerts as there might be an opportunity to provide public testimony.
If you do not know who your state representative and senator is, please enter your full home address HERE. And, as always, if you need additional assistance or have any questions, reach out to the members of GCDD’s Public Policy Team: Alyssa Miller, Public Policy Research Director and Charlie Miller, Legislative Advocacy Director.
Volume 6, Issue 3•2020 Legislative Session• February 17, 2020
Hello, advocates! We are back with the third issue of our 2020 PublicPolicy for the People, GCDD's publicpolicy newsletter. This electronic-only newsletter goes out approximately every other week during the legislative session.
This week's newsletter is all about home and community-based services (HCBS)! As session is still adjourned until tomorrow, and our HCBS Advocacy Day is Wednesday, we are focusing on all things HCBS, including HCBS budget, state policy, and federal policy issues.
Continue reading to stay up-to-date on what's happening in the 2020 legislative session, and how you can be involved.
See you at the Capitol!
Alyssa Lee, PsyD, Public Policy Research and Development Director
Charlie Miller, Legislative Advocacy Director
HCBS: What They are and Why They Matter
Home and Community Based Services assist people with disabilities to live inclusive lives in their communities. These services are delivered through a waiver system because traditional Medicaid does not pay for these services to be provided in the community, although Medicaid will pay for similar services to be provided in institutional settings. Because people with disabilities have a legal right to live in their communities, states use a waiver system to provide the services. Some of Georgia's waivers go by the names NOW/COMP, ICWP, and SOURCE. So what do these waivers do? They:
support people to live in a group home, with a roommate or on their own (rather than a nursing home or institution)
help people find and keep jobs through supported employment services
provide for physical, occupational, and speech therapies, as well as behavioral supports
pay for personal care attendants to assist people with disabilities with bathing, dressing, eating, and getting to work
Although HCBS waivers allow people with disabilities to live independent lives in their communities, many people are waiting for a waiver. Right now, over 6,000 Georgians with disabilities are on a waitlist, and many people have been waiting for a waiver for over 10 years! Not only will new waivers assist people with disabilities to live independently, they will also:
create jobs and pump money back into local economies
save taxpayer money, as HCBS waivers, on average, cost less than institutional settings
Keep families out of crisis through respite care and assisting families in keeping their jobs
HCBS: What's in the Budget
Governor Kemp released his budget recommendations for Fiscal Year 2021 (July 1, 2020-June 30, 2021), and, for the FIRST time since the creation of the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities (DBHDD), the Governor has recommended that ZERO new NOW/COMP waivers be created. This position marks the first time in over a decade that Georgia’s Governor has not attempted to shorten the waiver waitlist by introducing new waiver slots.
The members of the Senate Appropriations Human Development and Public Health Subcommittee and the House Appropriations Human Resources Subcommittee need to hear from you!
When you reach out, make sure to:
Introduce yourself and let them know if you live in their district
Tell them why you are calling (e.g., I am calling to discuss the lack of NOW/COMP waiver slots in the Governor’s recommended budget)
Tell them why this is important to you (e.g., I am on the waitlist, my family member/friend is waiting for services, etc.)
Tell them what you would like them to do (e.g., I would like you to include the addition of new waiver slots in the budget)
Federal Update: HCBS Infrastructure Improvement Act
On February 12, 2020, Senator Casey (D-PA) introduced the HCBS Infrastructure Improvement Act (S. 3277). This legislation would allow states to apply for a one-time, 7-year grant which would provide federal dollars to the state to work on improving their HCBS delivery systems. States could use the funds to improve services and/or shrink their waitlist! This type of funding could greatly improve the current state of Georgia's home and community based services.
Contact Georgia's US Senators to discuss their co-sponsorship of the HCBS Infrastructure Improvement Act!
PublicPolicy for the People e-newsletter is distributed every other week during the State of Georgia's legislative session. The next publication dates are March 2, March 16, March 30 and April 13.
Join us on February 24, March 23, and April 6 for our PublicPolicy for the People Calls. Dial-in: 1-605-475-4063; Code: 737091
Please click the image to download the flyer.
Starting on Monday, January 13, 2020, the Georgia General Assembly will begin its race towards the finish line. The Georgia Constitution only grants the assembly 40 days to complete all its work. While the days do not have to be continuous, the assembly’s traditional deadline of late March or early April does not allow for much dawdling. 
Substitute Bill:This is an alternative version of a bill, meaning that changes have occurred within the bill since it was first introduced. While sometimes the changes are minor, they can also be very substantial. For instance, the original bill language might be replaced by entirely new language. The bill's author does not have to approve the changes. Such tactics allow a legislator whose bill did not make Crossover Day to still become law.
How to stay involved after session:
Make sure to join GCDD every other Monday for our Advocate Check-in hosted by Charlie Miller. The next call takes place next Monday, April 20th from 9am-10am.
Home and Community Based Services assist 
Governor Kemp released his budget recommendations for Fiscal Year 2021 (July 1, 2020-June 30, 2021), and, for the FIRST time since the creation of the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities (DBHDD), the Governor has recommended that ZERO new NOW/COMP waivers be created. This position marks the first time in over a decade that Georgia’s Governor has not attempted to shorten the waiver waitlist by introducing new waiver slots.
Although our HCBS Advocacy Day, this WEDNESDAY, February 19th, is technically sold out, there are many ways you can still participate!