Welfare Watch - March 15, 2010 - Short Bites

The Budget - The Governor was not rewarded in his wait on the February's revenue numbers.  They are down again for the 15th straight month.  The total year-to-date decrease is 12.7%.  The fight is now on to who is going to win the "responsible thing to do."  Some still are calling for cuts to the budget in an effort to balance.  Others see that the only option is to look at the revenue side.  Sometimes, families sitting around the kitchen table in hard times, have to figure out how they can bring more income in.  In good times Georgia gave generous tax breaks to businesses and families.  It may be time to relook at these tax breaks, to see if they are doing what they were intended to do.  The legislature is looking at 1700 user fees that have not kept up with the cost of the specific services to which they are assessed.  Over $100 million could be raised if HB 1283 is passed which allows agencies to raise the fee by rule rather than legislation. 

In response to the bad news in revenues, Governor Perdue revised his revenue estimate for FY2010 Amended Budget by $342 million.  He will be making up this shortage with stimulus funds.  He has revised his FY2011 budget by $443 million.  No hospital provider tax is on the table now, but a 10.25% Medicaid reimbursement rate cut to hospitals and doctors and the repeal of the sales tax exemption for hospitals are.  This will raise $274 million.  Most state agencies will face an additional 3% cut. 

DCH Commissioner Announces Resignation - Rhonda Meadows announced her resignation as Commissioner of the Department Community Health.  Commissioner Meadows joined  Perdue's  administration in 2005 to run one of Georgia's largest Departments.  She was a chief advocate for the hospital provider tax which was taken off the table by the Governor.  Rhonda Meadows will be succeeded by Department of Community Health chief-of-staff Dr. Carla Denise Edwards in April.

Vital Statistics: U.S. Birthrate in 2007 Was Highest Recorded, Pediatrics Reports (New York Times) The journal Pediatrics has published its annual report on birth and pregnancy in the United States, and it found that the number of babies born in 2007 — 4,317,119 — was the highest ever recorded.

_____________________________________
Welfare Watch, an email newsletter of the
Georgia Association of Homes
and Services for Children
as a public service.
http://www.gahsc.org
                            Normer Adams, Editor
___________________________________

GAHSC Membership Application  
GAHSC Membership List
GAHSC Member Calendar of Events