Georgia Legislative Report -- July 16, 2007

State to investigate Grady financial crisis

By Rep. Pat Gardner

In Georgia, according to a study conducted by the Georgia Health Policy Center, over 1 million Georgians younger than 65 are without health care coverage.

In a population just over 9.3 million, one out of nine people must rely on indigent service or pay out of pocket to receive medical treatment. For this reason alone, an institution like Grady Hospital is vital if hardworking Georgians are going to have reliable access to medical service.

I am glad Speaker Glenn Richardson had the foresight and wisdom to establish a House study committee to investigate the Grady financial situation. He was correct in stating that "each of Georgia's 159 counties sends patients to Grady."

Although this point is acknowledged by all, only Fulton and DeKalb County provide any money to the hospital. It is time for the state to identify and establish a statewide funding mechanism that is fair and equitable.

In 2005, I co-sponsored HB 317 to address hospital care for nonresident indigents, so as to provide for alternative procedures and sources of funding for reimbursing hospitals. As the Speaker stated, we all benefit from Grady and should contribute to its fiscal viability.

If not for the existence of Grady, many of our poorest residents would seek similar services at local hosiptals that do not have the resources or personnel to efficiently provide indigent care. Grady might be located in Atlanta, but it serves the state. It provides the best trauma care in the region and trains hundreds of doctors with real world experience.

For the sake of our state, we need to support Grady Hospital so it can continue to offer quality medical treatment to those who cannot afford health care coverage.

Peach Care Available to Children Again:

The Community Board of Health has lifted its freeze on applications for the PeachCare and set a new cap on enrollment of 295,000 children.

The board's unanimous action allows the state to address a backlog of 22,000 applications.

I am a strong supporter of PeachCare and believe in its mission to provide quality healthcare to the children of hardworking parents. During the past legislative session I co-sponsored legislation to allow the state to fund PeachCare when federal funding is not available. As well I sought to expand the program to cover all children in the state. The state of Georgia has $600 million in surplus revenue, surely some of that money can go to protecting PeachCare and assisting Georgia families with affordable health coverage for their children

Fortunately, Congress was able to appropriate the necessary funds to support the program for several more years.

Health care should not be enjoyed by only the few, but be made available to all people who work hard and support their families.

New Laws Now in Effect:

HB 147 requires that women seeking an abortion be given the opportunity to view the results of a sonogram or ultrasound scan.

SB 60 establishes the Georgia Trauma Commission that is charged with creating and administering a statewide trauma care network.

HB 429 requires physicians to test pregnant women for HIV except in cases where the woman refuses to undergo the test. The new law also makes the Department of Community Health's Health Strategies Council an advisory rather than a policy body on issues like certificate of need.

SB 95 makes it illegal for minors to buy cigarettes from vending machines.

SB 123 allows parents to decide whether twins will stay together in school or be separated.

SB 168 requires local school systems to fulfill the communications needs of hearing-impaired students and guarantee that deaf students are instructed in whatever communication mode or language is deemed necessary.

HB 655 creates a state commission for the hearing impaired.

SB 9 prohibits school administrators from forcing teachers to change a student's grade.

Georgia Lottery Surpasses Previous Revenue Record

Last week the Atlanta Journal Constitution reported the Georgia lottery continues to set records by topping $3.4 billion for the first time, more than $244 million ahead of last year.

Not too long ago members of the Georgia General Assembly were demanding changes in how lottery dollars were allocated; namely to decrease HOPE scholarship spending. Obviously, those fears should be finally put to rest.

As legislators, and representatives of the people, we should not play politics with the Georgia lottery or make any rash decisions on whether to spend more or less on lottery funded education programs.

My concern is the long term sustainability of the pre-K program and the HOPE scholarship. Let us prepare for the inevitable down cycle when revenues will not be so robust.

I look forward to working with my colleagues in the House to develop a long term strategy that is fiscally responsible, fair, and beneficial to all Georgians. The education of our children depends on it.

Sales Tax Holiday

The state's back-to-school sales tax holiday will run from 12:01 a.m. Aug. 2 until midnight Aug. 5, offering consumers the opportunity to buy certain clothing items, school supplies, computers and computer accessories without paying state and local sales tax.

Clothing and footwear up to $100 per item will be exempt, but if the price exceeds $100, then the item will be taxed at its full retail price.

School supplies bought for classroom use or classroom-related activities are exempt if they cost $20 or less per item, and purchases of personal computers and accessories are exempt up to $1,500 per transaction.

A list of exempt items is available on the state Department of Revenue's Web site, www.dor.ga.gov.