Today marked the second day of the year 2000 Session. The highlight of the day was Governor Roy Barnes' address to the joint House and Senate on the FY 2001 Budget.

Governor Barnes told the members of the General Assembly that "the good times we live in don’t always mean easy choices." The Governor stated that we have a strong economy but the real question is how the State should invest in its future. One resonating theme was what the State could do for its children. One way to help the children is to have a new "Child Advocate" to investigate and intervene in child abuse and fatality cases. He also assured the House and Senate members that if there were problems with his Budget requests and that if they entertained any notions of deleting or changing his recommendations, as they relate to Georgia’s children, he had a fix. "Marie has insisted that I put this money in the budget for Georgia’s children, and, if you decide to take it out, let me assure you that she has the telephone number of each and every one of you."

One such way is to invest in the State’s children and one investment with "higher dividends" is education reform. This would include changing the student-teacher ratio of 25 to 1 to be no more than 11 to 1. His Budget proposal also includes money to cut the maximum number of students per classroom to 20 for all other K-3 students.

The Governor believes that it is important that the State expand its Medicaid and PeachCare programs because "health problems caught early are often health problems prevented." In 1999, three different national conventions recognized and applauded The PeachCare program.

Some of Governor Barnes' specific recommendations included:

1. Double the property tax cut to $166 million (which helps move the installments upwards in raising the homestead exemption to $50,000 within eight years);
2. An additional $25 million for local school systems to update technology in schools;
3. Changing the number of administrative personnel in every school system to promote accountability;
4. An additional $155 million to increase the State’s contribution towards health insurance for teachers and an additional $25 million to go towards health insurance for the non-certified school personnel and retired teachers;
5. An additional $12.5 million to replace obsolete equipment at technical schools;
6. A request of $10.9 million to more than double the reimbursements for dental care for Medicaid and PeachCare children;
7. Appropriating $7.7 million to provide health insurance coverage for pregnant women and infants up to 235% of the federal poverty level in the Medicaid program;
8. Providing $21 million from the tobacco settlement monies for anti-smoking educational programs for young people;
9. An additional $2 million for infant hearing screening programs;
10. $30 million, from the tobacco settlement monies, for school nurses;
11. An inclusion of $1.25 million for cancer screening and follow-up services and an inclusion of $350,000 to expand the State cancer treatment registry to the northeast area of the State;
12. An additional $4.1 million for families targeted as "at-risk families" to start an early outreach program to such families;
13. Monies for state employees with a three percent increase under Georgia Gain;
14. Designating $12.7 million for Yamacraw, combined with $34 million for Georgia Research Alliance, to allow Georgia to stay in the forefront in creating advanced technology;
15. Expanding the Community Green Space Program with $30 million (which would expand the Chattahoochee River protection initiative);
16. New funds for the Georgia Regional Transportation Authority (feasibility study of a regional bus system, rail system between Cobb and Atlanta);
17. Additional money for prisons/work camps, including money for the new Dodge State Prison; and
18. An additional $12.8 million to fulfill the Department of Juvenile Justice’s Memorandum Agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice (which would include $2 million for medical and dental services).

Governor Barnes stated that he had received, from various state agencies, requests for more than $1.5 billion in money than the State has revenues. He asked for the General Assembly’s help with his recommendations for FY 2001.

In Committee activity, the House Insurance Committee met under the direction of Chairman Lord. This was primarily an organizational meeting and no actual legislation was discussed. The Chairman did state that there would be changes in Committee procedures this year . There will be no Subcommittee meetings; rather, bills would be taken up in the full Committee. Thus, if testimony is to be given, it would be given to the full Committee. Also, there will be roll-call votes taken on certain bills. The Committee is also gathering information on the costs associated with all the insurance mandates that have been passed within the last five years.

The House Health & Ecology Committee’s Subcommittee on Health Professions also met and passed out HB 353 to the full Committee. HB 353 is a bill expanding the scope of practice for psychologists by allowing them to prescribe certain medications as long as they have completed extensive pharmacology training. This bill passed by a 9 to 8 vote with the Chairman of the Subcommittee breaking the tie. We are uncertain when this bill will be before the full Committee.