PUBLIC POLICY FOR THE PEOPLE
Brought to you by the Georgia Council on Developmental Disabilities
February 27, 2015Volume 1, Number 5
**Houseadds 75newNOW/COMPwaiver slots and adds 50cent increasetoICWP
**HB1 (Haleigh's Hope)passes theHouse157-2
InsiderHighlights
Despite the winterweather this week, theGeorgiaGeneral Assemblyhas been hardat work.
This week theHouse passed its version ofthe budget, and it nowgoes to the Senate wheretheywill work on their changes.Thanks to the help of our grassrootsadvocates, theHousefunded seventy-five newNOW/COMP waiverslots and afifty cent-per-hour increaseforpersonal supportservices inICWP.Read moreabout this in the Budget 101sectionand don't forget to thankyourrepresentativesfor their support (see #1 inAdvocacy of the Week).
On Wednesday, February25, HB1, the medicalcannabis bill known asHaleigh's Hope,overwhelminglypassed theHousewith a voteof 157-2.Thebill's sponsor, Rep. Allen Peake(R-141), received astanding ovation,andSpeaker Ralstoncongratulated him on his efforts. As itstands, the bill allows amaximum of 5% THCandcovers nineconditions:cancer, ALS (alsoknown asLouGehrig'sdisease),seizuredisorders,multiple sclerosis,Crohn'sdisease,mitochondrialdisease,fibromyalgia, Parkinson's disease,andsicklecelldisease.
To see whatRep.Peake,himself,has to sayabouthis bill, clickhere.
Finally, our annualDisability Day is nextweekon March 5th. Don't missyourlast chancetosign up onlineforthis event today! See Advocacyof the Week #2formore details.
AdvocacyoftheWeek
We needYOU toget involved TODAY. Here aresome things thatyoucando this week:
1.Contactyour state representativeTODAYand thank them fortheirsupportof theUnlockASKs."Thank youforsupportingGeorgians with disabilities and Unlock the
Waiting Lists byfunding a 50 cent/hour increaseforICWPpersonal supportservices and 75 additional slots for NOW/COMPwaivers." Besureto let them knowthatyou areaconstituent and givethemyourfullname,address, and contactinformation. Findyour state representativeat .
2.DisabilityDayis right around the corner(March 5). Don't missyourlastchance toregister online to attend.Remember,your voicecounts! Toregister,please click thefollowing
link: gType=ATT
3.Markyourcalendar to join us forthe weeklyGCDD Public Policycalls everyMondayat9:30 a.m. duringthe session. Dial1-888-355-1249andenter232357at theprompt.
AdvocacyCorner
On Thursday,February19, wehad ouryouthadvocacyday, the fifthandfinal one ofthissession. Despite the frigidtemperatures on this day,we had asmall, but dedicated,group ofyouth who advocatedwith theirlegislators on issues facingyoungGeorgians. Theydiscussedthe need for anEmploymentFirstpolicy, the needformoreDD waivers, and morehigh schooldiploma options for peoplewith disabilities so folkscangetreal jobs in the communityor evenattendcollege.
Pictured below, fromleft to right:YvettePegues,the current Ms. WheelchairUSA,shakes the hand of RepresentativeKatie M. Dempsey, a Republican from Georgia District 13, during a visit to the State Capitol.
***Advocacy Question ofthe Week***
Q: In theFebruary14th issue ofPublicPolicyforthe People, wetoldyouhow to fill out a formandcallyourlegislator tothe ropes duringthe legislative sessionwhenyoudon't have anappointment. But doyouknow the single most important thingyou can put on the form callingyourlegislator to theropes?
A:Alongwithyour name andcontact information, ALWAYS let them know thatyouaretheirconstituent first and foremost!
Budget101
This section ofthe newsletterhighlights theactivities andinformation regardingtheAmendedFY2015(July1, 2014-June30, 2015) andFY2016(July1, 2015 -June30, 2016) budgets.
FY2015AmendedBudgetUpdate: TheGovernor signedHB75(theappropriations bill fortheFY2015AmendedBudget) on Thursday,February19, 2015.
FY2016Budget Update: On TuesdayFebruary17,public hearings wereheld whereeightadvocatestestifiedand over 75 letters ofsupport weresubmitted to the appropriations'subcommittees in support of the Unlockasks to raise the rate on theICWPandaddnewNOW/COMP waivers. Thankyou toall ofyouthat helped with this effort.It paid off!
On Wednesday, February25, the House Appropriations Committeeapproved their version oftheFY 2016Budget. See highlights below and note that the first two boldedbudget items listed arepart ofthe UnlockAskthat we got due to YOUR tremendous advocacyefforts:
DCH House Budget(line 17.7.12):
Increase funds to provide a $0.50 per hour increase for personalSupportServicescoveredunder the IndependentCare Waiver (ICWP)-$1,329,428.
DBHDDHouse Budget (line 15.2.7):
Increase fundsfor75 additionalslots for NOW and COMP-$1,124,226.
DCH House Budget (line17.10.8):
Implement the scheduledincrease of theemployercontributionratefor non-certificated publicschoolemployees -$102,825,000.
DHS HouseBudget (line27.11.6):
Increase fundsforHomeand CommunityServices-$1,500,000.
GeorgiaVocationalRehabilitationAgencyHouseBudget (line 27.26.7):
Increase funds toassisttrainingandemployment support forGeorgians with disabilities-
$900,000.
To see the full version ofthe House budget, clickbelowwhere it says"FY2016TrackingHouseVersion". Thekeysections of the budget most relevant to peoplewith disabilities are:
Section 15: Departmentof Behavioral Health andDevelopmental DisabilitiesSection 17: Departmentof CommunityHealth
Section 27: Departmentof HumanServices FY 2016 TrackingHouse Version
Nowthe budgetgoes to the Senatewhere we need to KEEPwhat we have gotten intheHouseand hopefullyADDmore dollars to thebudget forthe UnlockASKS forICWPandNOW/COMP.
Check out the Unlock websiteforthe most currentbudgetinformation.
Bills
2015 GeorgiaLegislativeBills
This section will present a list of bills that GCDDis trackingbyclickingonthe link to theGCDDLegislative Report below. Please note theinformation within this section is currentas ofWednesday,February25, 2015 (cutoff for publishing).
Notethat in the legislative report below, both theHouseand Senatebills will be listed byBillNumber, Sponsor, Title Summary,and the most current activityfollowedbyComments andSummaryof the Bill. Pleasenotethatthesecond lineofeachbillwillreflectthe dateofthemostrecent action andwhat actionwas taken on this bill.
You canalsoclick on thebill numberwithin the report to link to the actual billlanguage itselfandgeteven moredetailed information.
GCDDLegislative Report
Formore information about the process a bill must taketo become law in Georgia,clickon thelink below.
TrackingaBillthrough the General Assembly
DatestoRemember
Thelatestadjournment resolution set the legislative scheduleforthe rest of this session. To seeit, clickhere.
WeeklyGCDD Legislative call: EveryMondayat9:30 a.m. Dial1-888-355-1249and enterpasscode232357 at theprompt.
Children's Day at the Capitol: Wednesday,March4
GCDDDisability Day atthe Capitol:Thursday,March 5
To register for either Youth AdvocacyDayand/or DisabilityDay,click thelink below:
NOW/COMPWaiverRewrite VirtualMeetings:March 5
Choose either2-3pm OR5-6pm. RSVP byMarch5th at 9am
Please indicatewhich section you will be attending and if you area parent, self-advocate, orprovider.
Department of CommunityHealthBoard Meeting: March12
DD Advisory Council Meeting:Friday,March20, 9:30am-2:30pm; locationTBA
Department of BehavioralHealth and DevelopmentalDisabilitiesBoardMeeting:April23
Resources/QuickLinks
GeorgiaCouncil on DevelopmentalDisabilities 2015LegislativeAgenda
FormoreOnePagersforAdvocates,click below:
Golden Rules ofLegislativeVisits
Webinar-Tips on How toTalk to Your Legislator
Accessibilityon CapitolHill
Housecommitteemeetingcalendar
Senatecommitteemeetingcalendar
Watch the SessionLive!
Find Your SenatorandRepresentative
Thank you fromthe GCDDPublic Policy TeamDawn Alford:Acting Public PolicyDirector
D'Arcy Robb:Public Policy Contractor- EmploymentFirst
DaveZilles:PublicPolicy Contractor-Unlock the Waiting Lists- ParentAdvocate
Joinour AdvocacyNetwork Today!