Legislative Update Number 2007.07 -- March 2, 2007
Gardner co-sponsors bill to protect PeachCare
By Rep. Pat Gardner
The General Assembly is now in recess for two weeks, an attempt to give the federal government more time to fully fund the $131 million shortfall in the PeachCare for Kids Program, which will have a major impact on finalizing the annual state budget.
While the full legislature is in recess, lawmakers will be working on pending bills and resolutions at the committee level. Lawmakers are scheduled to reconvene on March 19 for the 28th day of the 40-day session, which according to a newly adopted schedule will stretch into at least mid-April.
Last week, I joined a bipartisan group of House members in co-sponsoring House Bill 620, the PeachCare for Kids Protection Act of 2007, as a means of addressing PeachCare’s short-term funding shortfall as well as stabilizing the program’s stability in the long term.
This proposal would allow Georgia to use federal Medicaid funds to provide health insurance for all currently covered children at a federal reimbursement rate of 62 percent during this critical time. This is accomplished by moving all PeachCare children into Medicaid temporarily. Once Congress provides State Children Health Insurance Program funds, which are reimbursed at 73 percent, Georgia could be reimbursed for the difference.
HB 620 would also provide that all children ages 1-18 with family incomes below 150 percent of the federal poverty level would remain in Medicaid. This approach also allows the children of state employees with family incomes below 150 percent of poverty to enroll in PeachCare.
Under legislation approved unanimously by House members, Georgians will be able to take advantage of two different sales tax holidays again this year.
If, as expected, HB 128 is approved by the Senate and signed into law, the first tax-free period will be Aug. 2-5, during back-to-school shopping. During that weekend, consumers would not have to pay local or state sales taxes on school supplies under $20, computer equipment $1,500 or less and clothing items under $100. With the state sales tax at 4 cents on a dollar and 1 to 3 cents locally, a shopper could see savings of $75 to $135 on a $1,500 computer.
Another holiday established in the bill applies to energy efficient products, with the government’s energy efficient star sticker that cost $1,500 or less. They also have to be purchased for noncommercial home or personal use. This holiday period would be Oct. 4-7.
Georgia’s sales tax holidays have become popular shopping periods, helping boost sales for retailers throughout the state.
Other legislation adopted last week by the House and sent to the Senate includes:
HB 202, which would prohibit a contractor who is more than 25 percent behind schedule on two or more state public works or Department of Transportation projects from bidding on additional state contracts until catching up or completing the current projects.
HB 243, which eliminates the HOPE cap for students who are dually enrolled in technical college and high school. I originally sponsored this bill last year and was delighted that this bill will move forward with my signature this year.
HB 208, which would require that parents represent a majority on school councils, and that a parent serve as chairperson of the council.
HB 274, which would require U.S. citizenship for persons applying to become a notary public.
HB 225, which would eliminate the $100,000 cap on college saving plans to allow grandparents to contribute.
HB 69, which would eliminate the fees charged by the Department of Motor Services for accessing a driving record online.
- Rep. Pat Gardner (D-Atlanta) represents the 57th District (Atlanta and DeKalb County) in the Georgia House of Representatives. Contact her at 604 Coverdell Office Building, Atlanta, GA 30334; by phone at 404-656-0265 or by e-mail at pat@patgardner.org.
