PRE-SESSION BRIEF

Georgia legislators are preparing for the opening of the 2009 General Assembly on Monday, January 12. With the budget shortfall nearing $2.5 billion, the priority this session will be determining how to manage the deficit for the remainder of FY09. Current budget forecasts note that an economic recovery may not occur until fall 2010; this will have major impact on the FY10 budget.

In late July, Gov. Sonny Perdue ordered the Office of Planning and Budget to cut six percent from every state agency with exceptions for Medicaid and PeachCare (5 percent) and the Quality Basic Education (QBE) budget (two percent).

As the budget deficit continues to grow, agency cuts at the eight percent level have been made and some expect the cuts could reach 10-percent or higher. Unless Georgia finds revenue from other sources, the state will face additional cuts for the remainder of FY09 and into FY10.

Other key issues
Georgia is also on the brink of a major restructuring of the state agencies that provide health and human services. A task force of nine members, including representatives from the Office of the Governor, two senators (Sen. Jack Hill and Sen. Renee Unterman) and two representatives (Rep. Ben Harbin and Rep. Mark Butler) met for several months and have the following recommendations for the restructuring of the current Department of Human Resources:

-Division of Public Health will move to the current Department of Community Health, which will be renamed the Department of Health.
-The current Division of Mental Health, Addictive Diseases and Developmental Disabilities will be divided, with Mental Health and Addictive Diseases forming a new Department of Behavioral Health.
-The Department of Human Services will be comprised of the Developmental Disabilities, Aging, Family and Children’s Services, and Child Support.

Legislation to achieve these changes will be introduced during the early days of the session.

Prefiled Healthy Children Legislation

SB 5 (Sen. Don Thomas, 45th) and HB 22 (Rep. Mary Margaret Oliver, 83rd) would require safety belts in pickup trucks, vans, and sport utility vehicles, with the exception of farm vehicles used on a farm in connection with agricultural pursuits. Georgia law currently exempts these vehicles from the safety belt law, costing the state millions in federal transportation dollars.

HB 19 (Rep. Oliver, 83rd) would add a points penalty for the use of cellular, hands-free or mobile telephones while driving. Emergency calls to police, emergency medical response units, etc. would be exempt.
HB 21 (Rep. Oliver, 83rd) would prohibit anyone with an instructional driver’s permit or a Class D license (age 18 with one year’s driving experience) from using cellular, hands-free or mobile telephones.