Moving Forward: Volume 19, Issue 8
Home stretch! We are in the final days of the legislative session. Therefore, the House and Senate members are working in conference committee to create the final version of the FY 2015 budget. Some exciting news: $100,000 in NEW funding was added into the Senate Appropriations budget within the Georgia Council for Disabilities budget to expand Inclusive Post-Secondary Education within Georgia. Also, the Senate Appropriations added another $250,000 to the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities budget for a total of $500,000 to provide supported employment for 64 individuals with developmental disabilities.
Please contact your Representative and your Senator to thank them for their support, and ask for their continued support of these important and exciting budget items. Monday, March 3 was Crossover Day, or Day 30 of the legislative session. Any legislation that did not pass out of at least one chamber by that date will not pass this year unless it is attached to another bill that did cross over. Please see the bills on the back of this issue explaining which bills that Moving Forward is tracking that made it past crossover and which ones did not.
Get involved: (1) If you are not already a member of the GCDD advocacy network, we invite you to join and receive information as we work together to create a better place for Georgians with disabilities. Go to www.gcdd.org and click on Join our Advocacy Network and follow the instructions. (2) Join our weekly legislative update calls on Monday morning at 9:15 AM. Dial 1-888-355-1249 and enter passcode 232357 at the prompt. (3) Go to www.unlockthewaitinglists.com for the latest updates.
