Mentalist Keith Matheny will be performing at the Family Life Center at 12 pm Thursday, February 26. Admission to the event is free. Bring your own lunch and come enjoy a great show by Mentalist and Motivational Speaker Keith Matheny. He recently performed at the Chamber’s annual banquet and due to his popularity we are bringing him back for an encore performance. Grab some take out from your favorite restaurant and come enjoy the free show. The following restaurants will be preparing brown bag lunches for the event Cadillac Ranch, Barry’s, Huddle House, and K&D Subs. Please call in advance to ensure your lunch is ready.
Hope to see you there.
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
CASA Appropriations
Congress has today posted its compromise agreement for FY 2009 appropriations (the fiscal year which runs October 1, 2008 – Sept 30, 2009). I am very pleased that the recommendation for CASA’s funding is $15 million, a 14% increase over the previous year. This is a testament to the reputation of CASA/GAL volunteer advocacy in communities across the country, and the efforts of our network in communicating with Congress, especially during CASA Meets Congress. This will translate into more grants that will be available in the current grants cycle. It will not affect the application process currently underway.
The 2009 appropriations measure also provides up to $365 million for state VOCA grants, an estimated 18% increase over FY 2008. Additionally, the Economic Stimulus package approved by Congress last week provides an additional $47.5 million for state grants. The Office of Victims of Crime will be working to expedite dissemination to states of the additional funds contained in the stimulus bill.
As you have heard, a key focus of last week’s stimulus bill provides temporary funding to state governments to deal with the economic crisis. Provisions in the economic stimulus package that help vulnerable families and our children include:
Tax Incentives to Hire “Disconnected Youth (up to age 25)
TANF
Increase in IV E foster care assistance
Temporary increase in Medicaid payment rate
Understanding that so many state budgets, and as a result CASA/GAL programs, are seriously challenged by the economic crisis, these developments may be a helpful bridge for many programs to sustain advocacy for children.
The 2009 appropriations measure also provides up to $365 million for state VOCA grants, an estimated 18% increase over FY 2008. Additionally, the Economic Stimulus package approved by Congress last week provides an additional $47.5 million for state grants. The Office of Victims of Crime will be working to expedite dissemination to states of the additional funds contained in the stimulus bill.
As you have heard, a key focus of last week’s stimulus bill provides temporary funding to state governments to deal with the economic crisis. Provisions in the economic stimulus package that help vulnerable families and our children include:
Tax Incentives to Hire “Disconnected Youth (up to age 25)
TANF
Increase in IV E foster care assistance
Temporary increase in Medicaid payment rate
Understanding that so many state budgets, and as a result CASA/GAL programs, are seriously challenged by the economic crisis, these developments may be a helpful bridge for many programs to sustain advocacy for children.
Foreclosure Assistance
I saw this story on ABC News and thought it might be helpful to families who are facing foreclosure. According to The Consumer Warning Network, one way to stall foreclosure proceedings is to ask the mortgage company to produce the original note that was signed when the mortgage was processed. In many cases, the rights to the mortgage has been sold so many times, the company that currently owns it can’t produce the original documents. If they can’t produce the documents, they can’t prove that the debt is legitimate.
Please visit the following Web site for more information:
http://www.consumerwarningnetwork.com/2008/06/19/produce-the-note-how-to/
Please distribute. I hope this helps someone.
Please visit the following Web site for more information:
http://www.consumerwarningnetwork.com/2008/06/19/produce-the-note-how-to/
Please distribute. I hope this helps someone.
Legislative News Bulletin
Legislators have completed 21 of 40 legislative days. Gov. Sonny Perdue announced last week that he was lowering the state’s revenue estimate for FY09 by $450 million. The FY09 budget shortfall has grown to $2.65 billion. Perdue directed state agencies to cut another $130 million from the FY09 budget. Only four months remain in the current fiscal year to make these additional cuts.
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, signed by President Barak Obama last week, will bring to Georgia an estimated $1.7 billion in increased Medicaid match funding between FY09 and FY11, more than $1.26 billion in an education block grant, and $280 million in a flexible block grant. Perdue has proposed using some of the Medicaid match funding to free up enough state funds to proceed with the Homeowner Tax Relief Grants in FY09, which will require $428 million.
Work is proceeding on the FY09 budget. Most House Appropriations Subcommittees, including those that deal with funding for the departments of Community Health, Human Resources, and Education, met on Feb. 23 to finalize their recommendations. The House is expected to vote on the FY09 budget this week.
LEGISLATION
Healthy Children
HB 39 (Rep. Ron Stephens, 164th) would increase tobacco tax by $1 per pack of cigarettes. Status: The Ways and Means Public Finance Subcommittee will hold a hearing on HB 39 on Feb. 25 at 1 p.m. in Room 341 of the Capitol.
HB 229 (Rep. Brooks Coleman, 97th) creates the SHAPE (Student Health and Physical Education) Act. Beginning in 2011 -12, students in grades 1 – 12 enrolled in physical education must have an annual fitness assessment approved by the State Board of Education. Status: In House Rules awaiting placement on calendar for a vote in the House.
HB 474 (Rep. Pat Gardner, 57th) increases the PeachCare income eligibility limit from 235 percent of the federal poverty level to 300 percent. Status: Assigned to House Appropriations.
SB 5 (Sen. Don Thomas, 54th) requires seat belts in all passenger vehicles, including pickup trucks and sport utility vehicles, used for transporting people, but excludes vehicles “used on a farm in connection with agricultural pursuits.” Status: Passed Senate. Assigned to House Agriculture & Consumer Affairs.
SB 92 (Sen. Judson Hill, 32nd) would dismantle current Medicaid and PeachCare programs, and provide low-income families with assistance to purchase private-sector health-insurance plans. Status: Discussion by Senate Insurance & Labor scheduled for Feb. 17 was postponed until Feb. 24. EDITOR’S NOTE: One to watch.
School Success
HB 193 (Rep. Tom Graves, 12th) would allow the requirement for a 180-day school year to be defined as an hourly equivalent. School districts could lengthen the school day and have a four-day school week. Status: Passed House Education Committee. In House Rules. HB 198 (Rep. Mark Williams, 178th) contains the same language. Status: Scheduled for discussion in House Appropriations Education Subcommittee on Feb. 23.
HB 215 (Rep. Steve Davis, 109th) creates the Graduating Everyone Matters Act, which establishes three diploma options for high-school students: a general diploma, a career/vocational/technical diploma and a college prep diploma. This would return Georgia to high-school graduation requirements abandoned in the late 1990s. Status: Amended to offer two diplomas: Career/Vocational/Technical and College Preparation. Passed House Education. Assigned to House Rules.
HB 400 (Rep. Fran Millar, 79th), titled Building Resourceful Individuals to Develop Georgia’s Economy Act, would develop programs to improve graduation rates and the preparedness of students for postsecondary education and careers, and provide for model programs for students at risk of dropping out of high school. Status: Assigned to House Committee on Education. Discussed on Feb.18 but with no action taken.
Stable, Self-Sufficient Families
HB 237 (Rep. Ed Lindsey, 54th) provides financial assistance to families adopting “hard-to-place” children with physical, mental, or emotional disabilities.
Status: Passed House. Assigned to Senate Health & Human Services.
HB 290 (Rep. Doug McKillip, 115th) increases minimum wage and provides for cost-of-living increases. Status: Assigned to House Industrial Relations.
Strong Communities
HB 245 (Rep. Wendell Willard, 49th) allows juvenile court to suspend the driver’s license of a child below age 17 charged with a delinquent act. Status: Assigned to House Committee on Judiciary Non-Civil.
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, signed by President Barak Obama last week, will bring to Georgia an estimated $1.7 billion in increased Medicaid match funding between FY09 and FY11, more than $1.26 billion in an education block grant, and $280 million in a flexible block grant. Perdue has proposed using some of the Medicaid match funding to free up enough state funds to proceed with the Homeowner Tax Relief Grants in FY09, which will require $428 million.
Work is proceeding on the FY09 budget. Most House Appropriations Subcommittees, including those that deal with funding for the departments of Community Health, Human Resources, and Education, met on Feb. 23 to finalize their recommendations. The House is expected to vote on the FY09 budget this week.
LEGISLATION
Healthy Children
HB 39 (Rep. Ron Stephens, 164th) would increase tobacco tax by $1 per pack of cigarettes. Status: The Ways and Means Public Finance Subcommittee will hold a hearing on HB 39 on Feb. 25 at 1 p.m. in Room 341 of the Capitol.
HB 229 (Rep. Brooks Coleman, 97th) creates the SHAPE (Student Health and Physical Education) Act. Beginning in 2011 -12, students in grades 1 – 12 enrolled in physical education must have an annual fitness assessment approved by the State Board of Education. Status: In House Rules awaiting placement on calendar for a vote in the House.
HB 474 (Rep. Pat Gardner, 57th) increases the PeachCare income eligibility limit from 235 percent of the federal poverty level to 300 percent. Status: Assigned to House Appropriations.
SB 5 (Sen. Don Thomas, 54th) requires seat belts in all passenger vehicles, including pickup trucks and sport utility vehicles, used for transporting people, but excludes vehicles “used on a farm in connection with agricultural pursuits.” Status: Passed Senate. Assigned to House Agriculture & Consumer Affairs.
SB 92 (Sen. Judson Hill, 32nd) would dismantle current Medicaid and PeachCare programs, and provide low-income families with assistance to purchase private-sector health-insurance plans. Status: Discussion by Senate Insurance & Labor scheduled for Feb. 17 was postponed until Feb. 24. EDITOR’S NOTE: One to watch.
School Success
HB 193 (Rep. Tom Graves, 12th) would allow the requirement for a 180-day school year to be defined as an hourly equivalent. School districts could lengthen the school day and have a four-day school week. Status: Passed House Education Committee. In House Rules. HB 198 (Rep. Mark Williams, 178th) contains the same language. Status: Scheduled for discussion in House Appropriations Education Subcommittee on Feb. 23.
HB 215 (Rep. Steve Davis, 109th) creates the Graduating Everyone Matters Act, which establishes three diploma options for high-school students: a general diploma, a career/vocational/technical diploma and a college prep diploma. This would return Georgia to high-school graduation requirements abandoned in the late 1990s. Status: Amended to offer two diplomas: Career/Vocational/Technical and College Preparation. Passed House Education. Assigned to House Rules.
HB 400 (Rep. Fran Millar, 79th), titled Building Resourceful Individuals to Develop Georgia’s Economy Act, would develop programs to improve graduation rates and the preparedness of students for postsecondary education and careers, and provide for model programs for students at risk of dropping out of high school. Status: Assigned to House Committee on Education. Discussed on Feb.18 but with no action taken.
Stable, Self-Sufficient Families
HB 237 (Rep. Ed Lindsey, 54th) provides financial assistance to families adopting “hard-to-place” children with physical, mental, or emotional disabilities.
Status: Passed House. Assigned to Senate Health & Human Services.
HB 290 (Rep. Doug McKillip, 115th) increases minimum wage and provides for cost-of-living increases. Status: Assigned to House Industrial Relations.
Strong Communities
HB 245 (Rep. Wendell Willard, 49th) allows juvenile court to suspend the driver’s license of a child below age 17 charged with a delinquent act. Status: Assigned to House Committee on Judiciary Non-Civil.
Friday, February 20, 2009
South Georgia at the State Capitol
By State Sen. Greg Goggans
ATLANTA (February 20, 2009) – This week was a great week for Georgia homeowners, small businesses, and citizens alike here at the General Assembly. As me move into the second half of the 2009 Session, I am proud to report solid measures that I am sponsoring and supporting are making their way through the legislative process and hopefully will bring much needed job creation, homeowner tax relief, and a funded trauma care network.
Senate and House members announced the Jobs, Opportunity, and Business Success Act of 2009 recognizing that the greatest stimulus for a prosperous economy comes from an environment that promotes opportunity, productivity, and innovation. This plan recognizes that we are currently in very difficult times for most families and businesses, and offers initiatives like a $500 credit toward unemployment insurance tax for eligible employees hired, a $2,400 income tax credit for hired employees, elimination of the state inventory and sales tax deposit for all Georgia businesses, and the gradual removal of the corporate income tax. There will also be a “Start a New Business Holiday” where entrepreneurs can have business application fees waived.
This plan spends no taxpayer money and allows the market to respond immediately. It will create an attractive environment for new business startups and others looking at out state for possible expansion. This proposal is the exact opposite of what the federal stimulus needed to be about, which is empowering small business, not the government.
I firmly believe that the hard-working citizens of Georgia are the answer to finding economic success, not inflating government to solve all our problems. We must find ways to create true and sustainable job creation and take advantage of the intellectual and entrepreneurial spirit of everyday Georgians. This plan sets Georgia on the right path towards economic recovery with investing in hard-working people and free-market solutions, and getting government out of the way.
Senate Resolution 277, the legislation I authored which establishes the Georgia Trauma Trust Fund, just passed favorably out of the Senate Finance Committee and will soon be heard on the Senate floor. The measure would impose a charge of $10.00 per year on each passenger vehicle licensed and registered in the state. A dedicated funding source is sorely needed for our state to manage and improve our trauma care system, which could help save over 700 lives a year. There is no price you can put on life and its time Georgia steps up to the plate and creates a permanent source of revenue for this essential and urgent need. I am proud to lead the charge in making sure every person in the state has access to trauma care and will fight hard to see this measure though this year.
At the start of the 2009 Session, I joined Senators and House members to make funding the $428 million 2009 Homeowners Tax Relief Grant (HTRG) our top legislative priority. I did not want to have over 3 million Georgia homeowners forced to pay an additional $200 to $300 in property taxes at a time when every dollar counts for families being forced to make tough financial decisions. House Bill 143 would guarantee that HTRG be honored this year and sets up a system to where any future grants would be based on available funds from a revenue surplus. On Tuesday Governor Sonny Perdue signed HB 143 into law.
I have been working on an important bill that seeks to add integrity to our state Medicaid and PeachCare programs. Senate Bill 165 would authorize the Department of Community Health (DCH) to obtain income eligibility verification from the Department of Revenue (DOR) for applicants to the state health care program. DCH will have the ability to make sure any applicant is not exceeding the income threshold to receive the service. Ensuring all Medicaid and PeachCare funds are going toward only those who qualify is something I hope to maintain and protect with this bill. The measure passed the Senate Health and Human Services Committee Thursday and will head to the Senate floor for consideration.
Please remember to contact me in my office on the issues that are affecting you and your area. I am here to represent you and it is an honor for me to work on your behalf. As always, I’d like to thank members of the Senate staff, who contribute regularly to my column.
# # # #
Sen. Greg Goggans represents the 7thSenate District, which includes Atkinson, Bacon, Berrien, Clinch, Coffee, Echols, Lanier, Pierce and Ware counties and a portion of Cook County.
ATLANTA (February 20, 2009) – This week was a great week for Georgia homeowners, small businesses, and citizens alike here at the General Assembly. As me move into the second half of the 2009 Session, I am proud to report solid measures that I am sponsoring and supporting are making their way through the legislative process and hopefully will bring much needed job creation, homeowner tax relief, and a funded trauma care network.
Senate and House members announced the Jobs, Opportunity, and Business Success Act of 2009 recognizing that the greatest stimulus for a prosperous economy comes from an environment that promotes opportunity, productivity, and innovation. This plan recognizes that we are currently in very difficult times for most families and businesses, and offers initiatives like a $500 credit toward unemployment insurance tax for eligible employees hired, a $2,400 income tax credit for hired employees, elimination of the state inventory and sales tax deposit for all Georgia businesses, and the gradual removal of the corporate income tax. There will also be a “Start a New Business Holiday” where entrepreneurs can have business application fees waived.
This plan spends no taxpayer money and allows the market to respond immediately. It will create an attractive environment for new business startups and others looking at out state for possible expansion. This proposal is the exact opposite of what the federal stimulus needed to be about, which is empowering small business, not the government.
I firmly believe that the hard-working citizens of Georgia are the answer to finding economic success, not inflating government to solve all our problems. We must find ways to create true and sustainable job creation and take advantage of the intellectual and entrepreneurial spirit of everyday Georgians. This plan sets Georgia on the right path towards economic recovery with investing in hard-working people and free-market solutions, and getting government out of the way.
Senate Resolution 277, the legislation I authored which establishes the Georgia Trauma Trust Fund, just passed favorably out of the Senate Finance Committee and will soon be heard on the Senate floor. The measure would impose a charge of $10.00 per year on each passenger vehicle licensed and registered in the state. A dedicated funding source is sorely needed for our state to manage and improve our trauma care system, which could help save over 700 lives a year. There is no price you can put on life and its time Georgia steps up to the plate and creates a permanent source of revenue for this essential and urgent need. I am proud to lead the charge in making sure every person in the state has access to trauma care and will fight hard to see this measure though this year.
At the start of the 2009 Session, I joined Senators and House members to make funding the $428 million 2009 Homeowners Tax Relief Grant (HTRG) our top legislative priority. I did not want to have over 3 million Georgia homeowners forced to pay an additional $200 to $300 in property taxes at a time when every dollar counts for families being forced to make tough financial decisions. House Bill 143 would guarantee that HTRG be honored this year and sets up a system to where any future grants would be based on available funds from a revenue surplus. On Tuesday Governor Sonny Perdue signed HB 143 into law.
I have been working on an important bill that seeks to add integrity to our state Medicaid and PeachCare programs. Senate Bill 165 would authorize the Department of Community Health (DCH) to obtain income eligibility verification from the Department of Revenue (DOR) for applicants to the state health care program. DCH will have the ability to make sure any applicant is not exceeding the income threshold to receive the service. Ensuring all Medicaid and PeachCare funds are going toward only those who qualify is something I hope to maintain and protect with this bill. The measure passed the Senate Health and Human Services Committee Thursday and will head to the Senate floor for consideration.
Please remember to contact me in my office on the issues that are affecting you and your area. I am here to represent you and it is an honor for me to work on your behalf. As always, I’d like to thank members of the Senate staff, who contribute regularly to my column.
# # # #
Sen. Greg Goggans represents the 7thSenate District, which includes Atkinson, Bacon, Berrien, Clinch, Coffee, Echols, Lanier, Pierce and Ware counties and a portion of Cook County.
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
BILLIONS IN NONPROFIT PROJECTS HALTED BY CREDIT CRISIS
Johns Hopkins researchers estimate $166 billion in infrastructure projects delayed nationwide.
Like state and local governments and private businesses, America’s 1.4 million nonprofit organizations have many major “shovel-ready” infrastructure projects on hold because of the credit crisis, according to a new survey by the Johns Hopkins University Nonprofit Listening Post Project. For a country eager to promote employment, these projects offer an inviting target.
Nonprofits always struggle to generate investment capital due to their nonprofit status and their inability to access the equity markets, but the survey results show that the recession has compounded their woes: The 1,837 organizations surveyed identified 1,065 shovel-ready projects stalled by the inability to secure financing. A state-by-state listing of these projects is at http://www.jhu.edu/listeningpost/news.
The organizations that participated in the survey differ widely in size, cover all regions, and represent a diverse array of fields, including children and family services, elderly services and housing, community development, arts and culture, and others. Based on survey results, the researchers estimate that even excluding hospitals and higher education, which were not covered in this survey, nonprofit organizations nationwide have over $166 billion worth of community infrastructure projects ready to go if funding were available.
“As Congress, the president, and state governments begin making concrete plans for allocating the economic recovery funds recently enacted by Congress, they would do well to consider the considerable backlog of worthy projects stalled at the country’s nonprofit organizations,” said Lester M. Salamon, director of the Johns Hopkins Center for Civil Society Studies, which conducted this survey as part of its Listening Post Project.
“Nonprofit infrastructure projects have the double benefit of strengthening our communities and generating jobs—both of which are needed in this time of testing for our nation,” observed Peter Goldberg, president of the Alliance for Children and Families and chairman of the Listening Post Project Steering Committee.
Examples of projects delayed indefinitely by the credit crisis include the Southside Youth Center planned by the 25-year-old San Antonio Youth Centers to provide classrooms, a workforce training center, and a child development center to a deeply impoverished community; and the 105-year-old Family Service of Roanoke Valley’s plans to renovate a downtown facility to provide mental health services for children, families and older adults.
Other key findings of this survey include:
* More than 40 percent of the responding organizations reported that they had “shovel-ready” infrastructure projects, and 13 percent said they had more than one.
* Of these projects, 27 percent are for new construction projects and 73 percent are renovations or expansions;
* Typical examples of these projects, in addition to those cited above, include an employment training center in Louisville, a social enterprise and volunteer center in Michigan, the expansion and renovation of a children’s museum and art gallery in Florida, and a range of continuing care facilities, brownfield cleanup efforts, river restoration projects, and physical improvements to blighted neighborhoods.
* California and New York head the list of states with sizable amounts of estimated shovel-ready nonprofit infrastructure projects, but sizable amounts exist in virtually all states.
“Thanks to this eye-opening data, we now know about existing significant opportunities not just to stimulate employment but also to improve the social infrastructure of our communities,” said Tim Delaney, president and CEO of the National Council of Nonprofits, a Listening Post Partner organization. “Let’s make sure nonprofit infrastructure projects are given as much consideration as roads, public buildings, and businesses in the uses made of economic recovery and bank bail-out funds.”
The full text of the report “’Shovel-Ready’” but Stalled: Nonprofit Infrastructure Projects Ready for Economic Recovery Support,” complete with state-by-state estimates, is available online at http://www.jhu.edu/listeningpost/news.
Like state and local governments and private businesses, America’s 1.4 million nonprofit organizations have many major “shovel-ready” infrastructure projects on hold because of the credit crisis, according to a new survey by the Johns Hopkins University Nonprofit Listening Post Project. For a country eager to promote employment, these projects offer an inviting target.
Nonprofits always struggle to generate investment capital due to their nonprofit status and their inability to access the equity markets, but the survey results show that the recession has compounded their woes: The 1,837 organizations surveyed identified 1,065 shovel-ready projects stalled by the inability to secure financing. A state-by-state listing of these projects is at http://www.jhu.edu/listeningpost/news.
The organizations that participated in the survey differ widely in size, cover all regions, and represent a diverse array of fields, including children and family services, elderly services and housing, community development, arts and culture, and others. Based on survey results, the researchers estimate that even excluding hospitals and higher education, which were not covered in this survey, nonprofit organizations nationwide have over $166 billion worth of community infrastructure projects ready to go if funding were available.
“As Congress, the president, and state governments begin making concrete plans for allocating the economic recovery funds recently enacted by Congress, they would do well to consider the considerable backlog of worthy projects stalled at the country’s nonprofit organizations,” said Lester M. Salamon, director of the Johns Hopkins Center for Civil Society Studies, which conducted this survey as part of its Listening Post Project.
“Nonprofit infrastructure projects have the double benefit of strengthening our communities and generating jobs—both of which are needed in this time of testing for our nation,” observed Peter Goldberg, president of the Alliance for Children and Families and chairman of the Listening Post Project Steering Committee.
Examples of projects delayed indefinitely by the credit crisis include the Southside Youth Center planned by the 25-year-old San Antonio Youth Centers to provide classrooms, a workforce training center, and a child development center to a deeply impoverished community; and the 105-year-old Family Service of Roanoke Valley’s plans to renovate a downtown facility to provide mental health services for children, families and older adults.
Other key findings of this survey include:
* More than 40 percent of the responding organizations reported that they had “shovel-ready” infrastructure projects, and 13 percent said they had more than one.
* Of these projects, 27 percent are for new construction projects and 73 percent are renovations or expansions;
* Typical examples of these projects, in addition to those cited above, include an employment training center in Louisville, a social enterprise and volunteer center in Michigan, the expansion and renovation of a children’s museum and art gallery in Florida, and a range of continuing care facilities, brownfield cleanup efforts, river restoration projects, and physical improvements to blighted neighborhoods.
* California and New York head the list of states with sizable amounts of estimated shovel-ready nonprofit infrastructure projects, but sizable amounts exist in virtually all states.
“Thanks to this eye-opening data, we now know about existing significant opportunities not just to stimulate employment but also to improve the social infrastructure of our communities,” said Tim Delaney, president and CEO of the National Council of Nonprofits, a Listening Post Partner organization. “Let’s make sure nonprofit infrastructure projects are given as much consideration as roads, public buildings, and businesses in the uses made of economic recovery and bank bail-out funds.”
The full text of the report “’Shovel-Ready’” but Stalled: Nonprofit Infrastructure Projects Ready for Economic Recovery Support,” complete with state-by-state estimates, is available online at http://www.jhu.edu/listeningpost/news.
Friday, February 13, 2009
South Georgia at the State Capitol
By State Sen. Greg Goggans
ATLANTA (February 13, 2009) – This week I proposed and supported legislation that will more efficiently provide Georgians with protection in crucial areas of their lives—trauma care, food safety, and child security from sexual predators.
More than one million Georgians live more than 50 miles from a trauma center. This puts them way beyond the golden hour when emergency caregivers have the greatest chance to save someone’s life. I have made a commitment to the people in my district to make Georgia safer and improve the quality of life. To honor my commitment, I have introduced Senate Resolution 277, which establishes the Georgia Trauma Trust Fund. The life saving measure would impose a trauma charge of $10.00 per year on each passenger vehicle licensed and registered in the state.
In Metro Atlanta a fatality occurs once every 339 accidents; in rural Georgia a fatality occurs once every 74 accidents. This higher death rate in areas such as ours is no accident due to the injured that are unable to get to a hospital in time. Crash data show accident death rates increase the further victims are from a trauma center. The Georgia trauma death rate is 63 percent while the national average is 56 percent. Experts say we could save 700 more lives by fully funding trauma care—I believe we could save more. Trauma care cost money; no trauma care will cost more. There is no price on saving someone’s life.
Georgia is the number one peanut producer in the nation producing 45 percent of the United States’ peanuts. Consumers must be assured their food is safe and we must protect the integrity of Georgia’s producers. This week my colleagues and I of the Senate Agriculture and Consumer Affairs Committee unanimously passed Senate Bill 80, the Food Safety Testing, Reporting & Record Keeping bill. The legislation imposes stricter guidelines on food testing for processing plants in response to the nationwide salmonella outbreak that was linked to a South Georgia peanut butter plant in Blakely.
This legislation provides the Department free access to any food processor’s testing records for the presence of contaminants. The Commissioner of Agriculture is also directed to establish requirements for regular food testing on a yearly or more frequent basis. Processors are to report suspicions or positive finds of contaminates within one business day of the discovery directly to the state. The bill gives the commissioner the right to test any food if there are reasonable grounds to suspect contamination.
A measure to help protect school children from sexual predators also overwhelmingly passed. Senate Bill 14 amends current state law by adding that no one on the National Sex Offender Registry or the state sexual offender registry can be elected to serve on a local board of education. The idea that a pedophile can be a member of a local school board and have unrestricted access to schools cannot be tolerated. We must do everything in our power to protect the children of our state and this bill will help us achieve that goal.
Please remember to contact me in my office on the issues that are affecting you and your area. I am here to represent you and it is an honor for me to work on your behalf. As always, I’d like to thank members of the Senate staff, who contribute regularly to my column.
# # # #
Sen. Greg Goggans represents the 7th Senate District, which includes Atkinson, Bacon, Berrien, Clinch, Coffee, Echols, Lanier, Pierce and Ware counties and a portion of Cook County.
ATLANTA (February 13, 2009) – This week I proposed and supported legislation that will more efficiently provide Georgians with protection in crucial areas of their lives—trauma care, food safety, and child security from sexual predators.
More than one million Georgians live more than 50 miles from a trauma center. This puts them way beyond the golden hour when emergency caregivers have the greatest chance to save someone’s life. I have made a commitment to the people in my district to make Georgia safer and improve the quality of life. To honor my commitment, I have introduced Senate Resolution 277, which establishes the Georgia Trauma Trust Fund. The life saving measure would impose a trauma charge of $10.00 per year on each passenger vehicle licensed and registered in the state.
In Metro Atlanta a fatality occurs once every 339 accidents; in rural Georgia a fatality occurs once every 74 accidents. This higher death rate in areas such as ours is no accident due to the injured that are unable to get to a hospital in time. Crash data show accident death rates increase the further victims are from a trauma center. The Georgia trauma death rate is 63 percent while the national average is 56 percent. Experts say we could save 700 more lives by fully funding trauma care—I believe we could save more. Trauma care cost money; no trauma care will cost more. There is no price on saving someone’s life.
Georgia is the number one peanut producer in the nation producing 45 percent of the United States’ peanuts. Consumers must be assured their food is safe and we must protect the integrity of Georgia’s producers. This week my colleagues and I of the Senate Agriculture and Consumer Affairs Committee unanimously passed Senate Bill 80, the Food Safety Testing, Reporting & Record Keeping bill. The legislation imposes stricter guidelines on food testing for processing plants in response to the nationwide salmonella outbreak that was linked to a South Georgia peanut butter plant in Blakely.
This legislation provides the Department free access to any food processor’s testing records for the presence of contaminants. The Commissioner of Agriculture is also directed to establish requirements for regular food testing on a yearly or more frequent basis. Processors are to report suspicions or positive finds of contaminates within one business day of the discovery directly to the state. The bill gives the commissioner the right to test any food if there are reasonable grounds to suspect contamination.
A measure to help protect school children from sexual predators also overwhelmingly passed. Senate Bill 14 amends current state law by adding that no one on the National Sex Offender Registry or the state sexual offender registry can be elected to serve on a local board of education. The idea that a pedophile can be a member of a local school board and have unrestricted access to schools cannot be tolerated. We must do everything in our power to protect the children of our state and this bill will help us achieve that goal.
Please remember to contact me in my office on the issues that are affecting you and your area. I am here to represent you and it is an honor for me to work on your behalf. As always, I’d like to thank members of the Senate staff, who contribute regularly to my column.
# # # #
Sen. Greg Goggans represents the 7th Senate District, which includes Atkinson, Bacon, Berrien, Clinch, Coffee, Echols, Lanier, Pierce and Ware counties and a portion of Cook County.
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
News Bulletin--February 10, 2009
Legislators have completed 15 of 40 legislative days. Economic news continues to worsen, as state revenue figures for the month of January showed a decline of 14.3 percent as compared to Jan. 2008. The year-to-date revenue decline is 4.8 percent. Gov. Sonny Perdue’s revenue estimate, which is the foundation for his budget proposals for Amended FY09 and FY10, was based on a revenue decline of 4.6 percent.
House and Senate leaders announced a new schedule last week. They will continue to meet three days a week on Tuesdays through Thursdays until March 25, the 35th legislative day. The session will adjourn until the last week in June, when legislators will return for the final five legislative days. This schedule, which would postpone finishing the state budget process until Congress approves a federal stimulus package, will leave state leaders little time before the new fiscal year begins on July 1.
LEGISLATION
Healthy Children
HB 39 (Rep. Ron Stephens, 164th) would increase the tobacco tax on cigarettes by $1 per pack to generate new revenue. Status: Assigned to House Ways and Means.
HB 229 (Rep. Brooks Coleman, 97th) creates the SHAPE (Student Health and Physical Education) Act. Beginning in 2011-2012, students enrolled in physical education in grades 4 – 12 must have an annual fitness assessment approved by the State Board of Education. Status: Hearing scheduled for Feb.10 in House Education Academic Support Subcommittee.
HB 307 (Rep. Jim Cole, 125th) is Perdue’s bill to broaden an existing provider fee for Medicaid managed care organizations to all commercial HMOs in Georgia and implement new provider fees for hospitals. Revenue from the fees will be used to protect funding for Medicaid and PeachCare programs.
Status: Assigned to House Appropriations.
SB 92 (Sen. Judson Hill, 32nd) would dismantle current Medicaid and PeachCare programs, allowing low-income families to receive premium assistance to purchase private sector health insurance plans. Status: Senate Insurance and Labor.
School Success
HB 278 (Rep. Matthew Ramsey, 72nd) would ease expenditure controls for Quality Basic Education for 2008-2009 and 2009-2010 school years to help local school systems dealing with deep budget cuts. Status: House Education.
HB 193 (Rep. Tom Graves, 12th) would allow the requirement for a 180-day school year to be defined as an hourly equivalent. School districts could lengthen the school day and have a four-day school week. HB 198 (Rep. Mark Williams, 178th) contains the same language. Status: Both were assigned to House Education. HB 198 was withdrawn and reassigned to House Appropriations.
SB 90 (Sen. Eric Johnson, 1st) provides a voucher for parents to enroll a public-school child in another school within the local school system, or in a private school. The school has discretion to accept the child in accordance to policy. Status: Senate Education & Youth.
Stable, Self-Sufficient Families
HB 237 (Rep. Ed Lindsey, 54th) provides financial assistance to families adopting “hard-to-place” children with physical, mental, or emotional disabilities. Status: House Children & Youth.
HB 290 (Rep. Doug McKillip, 115th) provides for an increase to the minimum wage and subsequent cost-of-living increases. Status: House Industrial Relations.
Strong Communities
HB 245 (Rep. Wendell Willard, 49th) allows a juvenile court to suspend the driver’s license of a child below age 17 if charged with a delinquent act. Status: House Judiciary Non-Civil.
House and Senate leaders announced a new schedule last week. They will continue to meet three days a week on Tuesdays through Thursdays until March 25, the 35th legislative day. The session will adjourn until the last week in June, when legislators will return for the final five legislative days. This schedule, which would postpone finishing the state budget process until Congress approves a federal stimulus package, will leave state leaders little time before the new fiscal year begins on July 1.
LEGISLATION
Healthy Children
HB 39 (Rep. Ron Stephens, 164th) would increase the tobacco tax on cigarettes by $1 per pack to generate new revenue. Status: Assigned to House Ways and Means.
HB 229 (Rep. Brooks Coleman, 97th) creates the SHAPE (Student Health and Physical Education) Act. Beginning in 2011-2012, students enrolled in physical education in grades 4 – 12 must have an annual fitness assessment approved by the State Board of Education. Status: Hearing scheduled for Feb.10 in House Education Academic Support Subcommittee.
HB 307 (Rep. Jim Cole, 125th) is Perdue’s bill to broaden an existing provider fee for Medicaid managed care organizations to all commercial HMOs in Georgia and implement new provider fees for hospitals. Revenue from the fees will be used to protect funding for Medicaid and PeachCare programs.
Status: Assigned to House Appropriations.
SB 92 (Sen. Judson Hill, 32nd) would dismantle current Medicaid and PeachCare programs, allowing low-income families to receive premium assistance to purchase private sector health insurance plans. Status: Senate Insurance and Labor.
School Success
HB 278 (Rep. Matthew Ramsey, 72nd) would ease expenditure controls for Quality Basic Education for 2008-2009 and 2009-2010 school years to help local school systems dealing with deep budget cuts. Status: House Education.
HB 193 (Rep. Tom Graves, 12th) would allow the requirement for a 180-day school year to be defined as an hourly equivalent. School districts could lengthen the school day and have a four-day school week. HB 198 (Rep. Mark Williams, 178th) contains the same language. Status: Both were assigned to House Education. HB 198 was withdrawn and reassigned to House Appropriations.
SB 90 (Sen. Eric Johnson, 1st) provides a voucher for parents to enroll a public-school child in another school within the local school system, or in a private school. The school has discretion to accept the child in accordance to policy. Status: Senate Education & Youth.
Stable, Self-Sufficient Families
HB 237 (Rep. Ed Lindsey, 54th) provides financial assistance to families adopting “hard-to-place” children with physical, mental, or emotional disabilities. Status: House Children & Youth.
HB 290 (Rep. Doug McKillip, 115th) provides for an increase to the minimum wage and subsequent cost-of-living increases. Status: House Industrial Relations.
Strong Communities
HB 245 (Rep. Wendell Willard, 49th) allows a juvenile court to suspend the driver’s license of a child below age 17 if charged with a delinquent act. Status: House Judiciary Non-Civil.
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