Legislation was filed in the state House today to reorganize the Department of Human Resources.
Representative Mark Butler, R-Carrolton, filed H.B.228 today. Butler is a member of the Gov.'s Health and Human Service Task Force, which made the recommendation for the reorganization.
“This legislation reorients our approach to healthcare from inputs to results,” Governor Perdue said. “Georgia spends $3.8 billion within DHR every year – an agency that hasn’t undergone major change since it was formed over three decades ago.”
Under the plan mental health and addictive diseases will get their own Department of Behavioral Health, which would report directly to Perdue. The Department of Community Health would be merged with "the public health and health regulation programs of DHR to create the Department of Health." And "the remaining social services under DHR would become the Department of Human Services. Programs included in this department include Developmental Disabilities, Aging, Division of Family and Children Services (DFCS) and Child Support."
Haven't yet been able to look through the 252-page document. And with the amount of work we have, I doubt I'll be able to. But stay tuned for reaction from the local delegation.
Friday, January 30, 2009
Most popular lawmaker continued...
The Telegraph is reporting that House bill to reinstate funding for the Homestead Relief Tax Grant program in this year's supplemental budget passed this morning 117-55.
"House Bill 143, sponsored by Warner Robins state Rep. Larry O'Neal, wouldn't force the governor to put the money back into the budget. But it sends a strong message that, if he doesn't, he's going against the will of the legislature and faces the possibility of an veto override."
Macon's intrepid Travis Fain also reports that the House adjourned before taking up the issue of assessment caps for residential and commercial property taxes.
I wrote about this for the UR yesterday, but can't link to it because it didn't make the Web. We've got to do something thing to keep the paper flying off the rack.
"House Bill 143, sponsored by Warner Robins state Rep. Larry O'Neal, wouldn't force the governor to put the money back into the budget. But it sends a strong message that, if he doesn't, he's going against the will of the legislature and faces the possibility of an veto override."
Macon's intrepid Travis Fain also reports that the House adjourned before taking up the issue of assessment caps for residential and commercial property taxes.
I wrote about this for the UR yesterday, but can't link to it because it didn't make the Web. We've got to do something thing to keep the paper flying off the rack.
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Who'll be this year's most popular legislator?
Forget the 2010 Governor's race, the race to see who'll be the most popular legislator to emerge from this year's session of the General Assembly began sometime late last week.
Representative Larry O'Neal, R-Warner Robins, introduced H.B.143 to require the state to pony up the $428 million necessary to fund the Homestead Relief Tax Grant program in this year's supplemental budget.
The Gov. Roy Barnes-era entitlement program that saves homesteaders between $200 and $300 each year on their property taxes was left out of Gov. Sonny Perdue's supplemental budget this year.
But according to the AJC's reading of the bill, future funding of the grant program will hinge upon state revenue growth. Future funding will not be plugged into any future budgets until the mid-fiscal year supplemental budget and will require adequate tax revenues to support the grant.
AJC's Political Insider smells politics on this bill per the list of heavy republican hitters who are co-sponsoring the bill.
It's good to see that despite all the hard times, the General Assembly is still living up to all expectations.
Representative Larry O'Neal, R-Warner Robins, introduced H.B.143 to require the state to pony up the $428 million necessary to fund the Homestead Relief Tax Grant program in this year's supplemental budget.
The Gov. Roy Barnes-era entitlement program that saves homesteaders between $200 and $300 each year on their property taxes was left out of Gov. Sonny Perdue's supplemental budget this year.
But according to the AJC's reading of the bill, future funding of the grant program will hinge upon state revenue growth. Future funding will not be plugged into any future budgets until the mid-fiscal year supplemental budget and will require adequate tax revenues to support the grant.
AJC's Political Insider smells politics on this bill per the list of heavy republican hitters who are co-sponsoring the bill.
It's good to see that despite all the hard times, the General Assembly is still living up to all expectations.
Saturday, January 24, 2009
Either they're crazy or we're crazy...
Baldwin County Commission Chair James "Bubba" Williams found a receptive audience at the 202nd Robert E. Lee Birthday celebration for some thoughts on revisionist history and the decision to move the state capital to Atlanta.
"A lot of people say it was a terrible mistake to separate the legislature from the mental hospital," he said.
By golly, I think he's on to something.
"A lot of people say it was a terrible mistake to separate the legislature from the mental hospital," he said.
By golly, I think he's on to something.
Friday, January 23, 2009
"She's just a wizard who can make money appear out of thin air."
That's state Senator Johnny Grant,R-Milledgeville, about how the Department of Human Resources, and especially Commissioner B.J. Walker (pictured), intend on to make good on the state's settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice on Civil Rights violations in Georgia's Mental Health system.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution has told us that these things cost money:
"The settlement agreement, which requires a federal judge’s approval, binds the state to “undertake its best efforts” to find enough money to transform the hospitals. If legislators fail to allot the money, federal authorities may ask a judge to force additional spending.
State officials have not determined how much compliance will cost. A Journal-Constitution analysis last year found that increasing mental health spending in Georgia to the national average would require more than doubling the current annual budget of about $465 million."
But according to Grant, Walker says the state will be able to meet the terms of the yet-undisclosed settlement while parting with about $29 million due to the governor's proposed budget cuts.
Now that's government in action for ya.
Givin' em Hell
Budget discussions with Department of Human Resources Commissioner B.J. Walker are going on in the new Capital as we speak.
State Rep. Bobby Parham, D-Milledgeville, told me yesterday that he was going to study up to be able to catch Walker on something. And this Lucid Idiocy post has his finger prints all over it.
Instantaneous update: Parham called while posting this and told me that he had in fact caused this little moment of mirth.
"Yeah, I was grinning like hell," he said. "I had her and she knew it. She fell for it like a fish on a hook."
After reviewing DHR's reorganization, Parham characterized it as simply "passing the buck."
"You can't just create another department without making preparations for taking care of the mentally ill," he said. "This is just passing the buck...someone has got to take care of mental health. We can't just throw them in jail and in prison and expect they'll get the care they need. Even if you could, the cost of doing it is way out of sight."
State Rep. Bobby Parham, D-Milledgeville, told me yesterday that he was going to study up to be able to catch Walker on something. And this Lucid Idiocy post has his finger prints all over it.
Instantaneous update: Parham called while posting this and told me that he had in fact caused this little moment of mirth.
"Yeah, I was grinning like hell," he said. "I had her and she knew it. She fell for it like a fish on a hook."
After reviewing DHR's reorganization, Parham characterized it as simply "passing the buck."
"You can't just create another department without making preparations for taking care of the mentally ill," he said. "This is just passing the buck...someone has got to take care of mental health. We can't just throw them in jail and in prison and expect they'll get the care they need. Even if you could, the cost of doing it is way out of sight."
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Halfway there
The development moratorium imposed in December 2008 to allow time for Baldwin County Commissioners to explore site planning and architectural standards for several "gateway" corridors to the City of Milledgeville expired Wednesday.
The Baldwin 20/20 initiative to assert aesthetic quality-of-life as a driver for future economic development has seemingly stalled in both City Council and the County Commission.
In their Jan. 13 meeting, City Council sent the proposed standards back to the Planning and Zoning Commission for a fourth vote.
P&Z, like council, has tabled decision on the standards before. But not having the luxury of being able to do so repeatedly, the city's zoning board has given the proposal a negative recommendation the past two times it came before them.
The City of Milledgeville's development moratorium will expire at the end of January.
Commission Chair James "Bubba" Williams said that he thinks the Corridor Gateway Standards are about halfway there, he just thinks they need a little more input from the community's small business owners.
The Baldwin 20/20 initiative to assert aesthetic quality-of-life as a driver for future economic development has seemingly stalled in both City Council and the County Commission.
In their Jan. 13 meeting, City Council sent the proposed standards back to the Planning and Zoning Commission for a fourth vote.
P&Z, like council, has tabled decision on the standards before. But not having the luxury of being able to do so repeatedly, the city's zoning board has given the proposal a negative recommendation the past two times it came before them.
The City of Milledgeville's development moratorium will expire at the end of January.
Commission Chair James "Bubba" Williams said that he thinks the Corridor Gateway Standards are about halfway there, he just thinks they need a little more input from the community's small business owners.
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