Last week was packed with legislative action, getting all Senate Bills to the House of Representatives for consideration. Now that we are past that hurdle, we are faced with a long list of House bills to consider. There are some significant bills that stand to help Georgia through its budget crisis and I thought you and your family might like a preview of what to expect in the next legislative days regarding these bills.
The General Assembly is operating under the necessity to think “outside the box.” We must come up with funds to fill what has become a canyon-sized gap in revenues. The governor proposed a fee on hospitals, which materialized in the form of House Bill 307 and passed the House last week. It will levy a fee of 1.45 percent on the net patient revenue of a hospital. Trauma centers will face a reduced fee and critical access hospitals will not pay the fee. This is not a permanent fee, it will expire on June 30, 2013, but it is an avenue we can take to reduce the hole created by revenue gaps.
While this measure has been criticized by some, I can tell you the numbers do not lie. We must act now to ensure we pass a balanced budget, as required by our constitution. This legislation has the potential to earn the state over $200 million dollars and it will draw down an additional $500 million of federal dollars for state Medicaid. Hospitals are supporting this bill because while they do pay the fee, they will get a higher reimbursement rate from the Medicaid patients they see.
Another bill headed to the Senate that could help us in our budget crisis is a bill that will adjust fees to reflect current costs for government services. House Bill 1055 revises and updates fees that, for the most part, have not been updated in decades. Another beneficial factor in updating fees is they only affect those that use the services. For example, the fee for prestige license plates will be increased as will the license for coin operated amusement machines. It is essentially a way to raise funds on a more voluntary basis, rather than a sweeping increase in taxes.
There is still much to discuss regarding this legislation but time is running out and we must make the tough decisions that will carry our state into a brighter future.
With Easter Sunday right around the corner, I hope you are all enjoying the warm weather and blue skies that come with each new spring. This time of year always reminds me to take a step back from the stresses we experience and truly enjoy the beauty of the changing seasons. I hope you and your families have a safe, happy and blessed Easter season.
As always, I am proud to serve my constituents of the 25th district of Georgia and I continue to work on your behalf. We face significant challenges this year, but I am confident that we will overcome them to ensure Georgia can thrive for the future of our children and grandchildren.
Sen. Johnny Grant serves as Chairman of the State Institutions and Property Committee. He represents the 25th Senate District which includes Baldwin, Butts, Greene, Hancock, Jasper, Morgan, Putnam, and Taliaferro counties and portions of Jones and Warren counties. He may be reached by phone at 404.656.0082 or by e-mail at johnny.grant@senate.ga.gov.
COLUMN
For Immediate Release:
April 1, 2010
For Information Contact:
Natalie Strong, Deputy Director
Katie Wright, Communications Associate
katie.wright@senate.ga.gov
404.656.0028