Legislative Update Number 2008.05 -- February 8, 2008
House Democrats working to restore school funding
By Rep. Pat Gardner
Georgia students and property taxpayers could see some much-needed help under a tax relief bill introduced in the House of Representatives last week. Data released this week shows that under HB 1057, DeKalb County schools would recover $15.8 million and Atlanta city schools would receive almost $8 million in state funding, reversing previous cuts that caused the tax burden to shift to local property owners.
This proposal, introduced by House Democrats, would produce a win-win scenario under which our schools receive relief from the state’s unfunded mandates, and property owners release true tax relief. Under the legislation, local school systems that lower property taxes can access their share of $300 million in restored state education funding.
The allocations would come the next two years from the state’s $1.6 billion reserve fund -- $300 million this year and $300 million next year toward the Quality Basic Education formula that funds public education in Georgia. HB 1057 is based on the Georgia values of equipping our students for the future and promoting the American dream of home ownership by reducing property taxes.
On Friday, House members approved a midyear adjustment to the annual state budget for the current fiscal year, which ends June 30. The supplemental budget measure, which now moves to the Senate for its consideration, restores some of Gov. Sonny Perdue’s education funding cuts and also adds money for health care programs.
The amended budget, HB 989, restores $30.7 million for equalization grants, which provide assistance to schools systems that do not have as much “wealth per student” as systems in more affluent counties. The governor’s plan would have slashed that funding.
The measure also sets aside $53 million to fund long-needed improvements in the state’s system of trauma care and puts an extra $6.5 million in the indigent care trust fund, reimbursing hospitals for the medical care they provide to uninsured and low-income patients who can’t pay their bills.
Family & Policy reports this week that Gov. Perdue has created a commission to consider the restructuring of the state Department of Human Resources. Later this year, the panel will issue a report recommending whether to combine or separate certain divisions to improve services and cost effectiveness.
The commission will have nine members, including five appointed by the governor and two each appointed by the House speaker and the lieutenant governor. The restructuring may involve the Department of Community Health and the State Personnel Administration, possibly moving public health to DCH.
As a senior member of the House Appropriations Committee, I will be closely monitoring the developments involved with the potential restructuring of the massive DHR.
Other Family & Policy issues this week include:
- HB 89, a gun-rights bill that includes dangerous provisions that would allow concealed weapons in public locations including churches and sports stadiums. Fortunately, Senate appointees to the conference committee on this proposal are expected to remove those provisions or defeat the bill all together.
- SB 88, which would enable grandparents to get powers of attorney and assistance for grandchildren. The bill is now in the House Judiciary Committee.
- HB 1087 and SB 404, which would encourage high deductible health plans with incentives for healthy behavior. Both bills were just introduced and assigned to their respective committees.
On Thursday, a majority of House members voted to reconsider legislation that had been approved the day before. By a margin of 91-73, the House had voted Wednesday to adopt HB 492, which would change the name of the Composite Board of Medical Examiners to the Georgia Composite Medical Board and make changes to its membership.
Under a law passed in 2006, the board is charged with approving regulations that allow advance practice registered nurses to write prescriptions. However, the current board is made up mostly of doctors and has passed regulations that are seen as too restrictive toward these nurses.
HB 492 would add two lay people and one more physician to the board, bringing the total number of members to 15. The legislation was amended to create a subcommittee of the board, composed of three nurses and three doctors, which would be charged with reviewing the rules on nurses writing prescriptions.
The Thursday vote to reconsider the measure was approved by a 101-58 margin, and HB 492 was sent back to the House Rules Committee.
- 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.
