Day 27 - 3/06/2006

>> Back to Week Eight, Mar. 6 - Mar. 10

The House Appropriations Committee Approved a FY 2007 Budget Plan

The House passed HB 1092, which creates the Suicide Prevention Program.

The House Appropriations Committee voted today to approve many of the recommendations from its subcommittees on the FY 2007 budget:

Health and Human Services

•         $2.5 M for Medicaid dental services for pregnant women to help prevent premature births

•         $500,000 in additional funds for Babies Born Healthy prenatal care services

•         $1 M to increase Medicaid and PeachCare payment rates for health screenings for children ages 0-8

•         $7.7 M in TANF federal funding for adoption assistance for two-parent families

•         $1.5 M in TANF federal funding for family violence services

•         $250,000 for the American Association of Adapted Sports to expand services statewide

•         $250,000 for Family Connection Partnership

•         $2 M for the MarcusCenter (an increase over the subcommittee’s plan)

•         $150,000 for suicide prevention through the Division of Public Health

Education

•         Disagreed with redirection of $500,000 from Curriculum Development and $1M from School Improvement

•         Reduced amount recommended by Governor for high-performing principals to serve in needs-improvement schools from $3M to $1.5M

•         Reduced funding for high school completion counselors from $21.17M to $15.4M and changed funding to include in QBE formula; training and experience funds for positions will be earned as other certificated staff.

•         Much of savings to be used to partly restore funding for media materials from $9.77 to $14.65 per FTE.

•         Increased funding for Communities in Schools: $400,000 for training of new high school completion counselors and $600,000 for three new Performance Learning Centers in Ben Hill,  Cobb and Troup counties

Coming events

Tuesday, March 7th

House Children and Youth, 9:00 a.m., Room 606 CLOB – SB 442 Child abuse reporting; Presentation by MarkTrail, Director DCH Division of Medical Assistance, on Katie Beckett

House Intragovernmental Coordination Committee, 10:30 a.m., Room 415 CLOB – HB 1009 Verification of lawful presence to obtain public benefits.

House Appropriations Health Subcommittee, 10:45 a.m., Room 341 CAP - Public Hearing on HB 1464, the PeachCare for All Kids Act.

House Education (two meetings scheduled), 12 Noon, Room 506 CLOB – HB 1485 Education of children in custody of DHR/DJJ; SB 79 State funding for Bible classes

Senate Education, 2:30 p.m., Senate Mezzanine – SB 618 – Education of children in custody of DHR/DJJ (companion bill to HB 1485)House Education, 3:30 p.m., 606 CLOB – HB 1229 Adjustment of grades; HB 1316 –Legislative oversight of High School athletics association; SB 474 Student Health & Fitness

Senate Health and Human Services, 3:30 p.m., 450 CAP – HB 1066 Screening for metabolic and genetic disorders