Advocacy at the Capitol

 

Georgia Behavioral Health Legislative Caucus

The fourth in a series of caucuses during the past year took place on August 19, 2010, at the Capital to inform interested Legislators on critical issues related to our behavioral health system. Representative Jay Neal, presiding the meeting, announced that there would be no budget cuts in the Department of Behavioral Health for the year 20010-11. The consensus of the Legislators present was that the only increase would come from an equal decrease in another budget, such as police or sheriff offices. Some of the highlight speakers were:

Paul Bolster, Executive Director, Georgia Supportive Housing Association, proposed building affordable housing connected to quality services for persons with disabilities to live stable, productive lives. This has been done successfully in several states.

Judge Winston Bethal, retired, announced there are 15 Mental Health Courts plus one planned in Augusta. Over the past 20 years, state prison population has increased 209%, county jail population has increased 134%, while state population has increased 51%. Georgia ranks 45th for state agency mental health spending.

Mark Welch, Chief of Police, Elberton, Georgia, complains that there is conflict between counties and no standardized regulations, which is very wasteful.

Commisioner Frank Shelp M.D., head of the new Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities, stated that positive changes have been made at state-run Regional Hospitals. Now all seven hospitals have certification. Who are in these hospitals? We think of single adults. But it is not just seven hospitals, it is really 20 hospitals. There are three service lines at each location. Actually only 22% are single adults, 43% developmental disabilities and 35% forensic, that is, incompetent to stand trial and sent to the hospital under court order. On the grounds there are 6 civil hospitals for physical ailments, one nursing home and 206 functional buildings. In Augusta, the 22% single population will merge into the University setting. Dr. Thatcher at Morehouse College will implement the consolidation. The Labor Program should resolve many developmental disability issues.

Dr. Shelp plans to go to Colorado to check out their Forenzic Colorado program. They were able to increase funding from $7 billion to $31 billion. Our budget in 1990 was same, in dollar value, as it is today. The population has increased 50% since then. There was a 20% gap in the budget in 1990.

Representatives said it would not be possible to increase DBHDD in the 2011 budget.

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Our recent Mental Health Day speaker was Alan Essig, executive director of the Georgia Budget and Policy Institute and consultant for the Senate Ways and Means (Budget) Committee. Between 1990 and 2001, he explained, the state budget doubled. We were the fifth fastest growing state. In fact the budget increased $1 billion more than the population. The policy of cutting agency budgets started with Governor Zell Miller and has continued until now. The 5% agency yearly cuts during the boom years did make the government more efficient, by “cutting the fat” and combining departments. These cuts were offset by a steady increase in teachers’ salaries, which had been one of the lowest in the nation. Also it was a policy decision to put more people in prison, from 200,000 in 1991 to 500,000 in 2004. At the same time, there were many tax cuts. Food was no longer taxed. More exemptions were given on personal income tax. Corporate taxes were reduced from 6% to 3% thanks to corporate lawyers. In budget year 2002-3 alone there was a 5.4% ($2.5 billion) decline in income from corporations. [HB 191 presently before the Legislature, if passed, would cut budget income by another $1 billion.] New technology has resulted in even less income! Internet sales and cell phones aren’t taxed, while land phones are. The State Reserve Fund has never been so low in the history of Georgia.

Georgia is not a high spending state. It never was. It’s just the tax base has changed. We need to rebuild revenues some way. Mr. Essig said he hasn’t been able to convince the Legislators of this fact. Legislators say they go by “the will of the people”. Enough people have to say they are willing to pay a little more taxes to be able to continue necessary public services.

Key Legislators: House Speaker Glenn Richardson and Sen. Eric Johnson. Information at www.legis.state.ga.us