ATLANTA (March 18, 2021) | Today, Senator Sally Harrell (D – Atlanta) spoke against House Bill 593, a bill to raise the standard deduction in Georgia, in order to urge a more targeted tax cut for low and middle income Georgians through an Earned Income Tax Credit, as well as to highlight the need to eliminate Georgia’s planning list, also known as the “waiting list,” for Georgia’s Medicaid New Options Waiver (NOW) and the Comprehensive Supports Waiver Program (COMP) Waivers.
The NOW and COMP Waiver Programs offer home and community-based services for people with a developmental or intellectual disability. The NOW Waiver Program allows individuals with less intense and urgent needs to live independently in the community. The COMP Waiver Program is for individuals who need comprehensive, intensive services such as out-of-home residential support and supervision, or intensive in-home services. More than 7,000 Georgia families are currently on the planning list waiting to receive NOW and COMP Medicaid Waivers.
“This waiting list has been there for decades,” said Sen. Harrell. “It started in the early 2000s when I was here serving in the House when I had little babies. My babies are adults now. I came back to the Senate and I found out that the waiting list was still there, and it broke my heart. A parent told me that if you don’t have the Medicaid waiver, it costs them about as much as it costs to send our kids to college. But instead of four years, it’s for the rest of that child’s life. The $120 million this bill represents would almost obliterate this waiting list. I cannot continue to ignore the 7,000 people who call us every year, and I will not tell them that a tiny tax cut is worth more than their child’s life.”
Senator Harrell introduced Senate Bill 208 this session, which would gradually increase funding for the NOW and COMP Medicaid Waiver program over the course of 5 years. Additionally, Senate Bill 58, sponsored by Senator Elena Parent (D – Atlanta) was also introduced, and would extend an Earned Income Tax Credit to working Georgians.
You can find a link to SB 208 here: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/59855, and the link to SB 58 here: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/59165.
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For Immediate Release:
Mar. 18, 2021
Kami Briden, Sr. Communications Associate
404.656.0028