As we ring in the New Year, state lawmakers have hit the ground running in preparation for the busy 2008 Legislative Session. The halls of the State Capitol are beginning to buzz once again, as state Senators and Representatives prepare to convene in Atlanta for the Session, which begins in just a few short days. In the final weeks of 2007, I previewed some of the major issues that we will focus on in 08, such as water management, tax reform and healthcare. But there are many, many issues that well address during this 40-day Legislative Session, especially since all the bills introduced in the 2007 session are still alive and could come to a vote at any time in 2008. This week, Id like to continue discussing some of the major issues that could be addressed with legislation in 2008.
Indigent Defense Funding
By now, most of you are familiar with the Brian Nichols case, because it has received so much media attention. I was at the Capitol on the morning of March 11, 2005, and I will never forget the sights and sounds of that day. By the end of the day, I would find out that four decent, hardworking Georgians had been allegedly gunned down and killed by one man Brian Nichols.
Prior to the initiation of the new statewide public defenders system, Georgias 159 counties contributed between $60 and $70 million taxpayer dollars toward the cost of providing a court-appointed attorney to people accused of crimes. Just three years later, with the improvements promised by a streamlined statewide system, those costs have ballooned into a combined $110 million dollars of county and state monies. The current system is virtually without checks and balances, and the Nichols case is the poster child for a system that needs to be re-examined from the bottom up, as the cost of the case now approaches $2 million. The Legislature has budgeted plenty of money $40 million to provide for indigent defense. Now it is up to the Public Defenders Council to function within that budget and prioritize how to spend that money on their programs.
The Indigent Defense Joint Study Committee was created to ensure that we have the indigent defense system that best serves the needs of Georgians. The committee met several times during the interim to review our current system of indigent defense, and it will be quite interesting what bills result from the study, because something needs to be done to stop this out-of-control spending of taxpayer dollars.
State Childrens Health Insurance Plan (SCHIP)
You may remember that one of the big issues from the 2007 Session concerned Georgias SCHIP program, which is otherwise known as PeachCare for Kids. PeachCare is a partnership between the state and federal governments that has been insuring Georgias working-class to middle-class children since 1999. Like many government programs before it, PeachCare and other SCHIP programs continue to experience funding problems. Congress has extended SCHIP funding, including funding for PeachCare, for another week to ensure that the program is not forced to close. However, the future of the SCHIP program remains unknown, as it has been running on a month-to-month basis since October. Without supplemental funding from Congress, Georgia and 20 other states will run out of federal dollars in March. State budget writers may again be forced to find creative ways to fund the PeachCare program in Fiscal Year 2009, until gridlock on the issue is resolved in Congress. In the meantime, lawmakers may be forced to consider legislation to reduce future PeachCare enrollment or benefits.
In the upcoming weeks, look to my column for timely updates on the 2008 Legislative Session. Session is always fast-paced and exciting, and this year is crucial to the success of the state of Georgia. I look forward to input and comments from my constituents on the issues that matter the most. |
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