G-CAPP Policy and Advocacy News

2008 Georgia General Assembly Update
Crossover day has passed, which is the last day for a bill to be approved by either the House or Senate to remain under consideration. Bills can technically still be amended on to other bills to remain alive, though. Revenue figures released this month show that the state is experiencing a slowdown in revenue growth, and the Governor has had to make cuts to his education and healthcare budget recommendations.

Bills Moving Forward

HB 977 (Rep. Tom Knox, 24th) would give tax preferences to high deductible health insurance policies. Advocates are concerned that these plans would not include coverages mandated by state law for preventive services for women and children, such as contraceptives, newborns for first 10 days of life, and well child care. The bill passed in the House and has been referred to the Senate Finance Committee. A similar bill, SB 404 (Sen. Tommie Williams, 19th), passed in the Senate and has been referred to the House Insurance Committee.

SR 445 (Sen. Renee Unterman, 45th) would create a Joint Study Committee on the Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Minors to recommend legislation to address this growing problem. The resolution passed in the Senate and will be heard in the House Non-Civil Judiciary Committee today. SR 1020, which would create a Senate Study Committee, was favorably reported by the Senate Health and Human Services Committee and now awaits consideration by the Senate.

SB 506 (Sen. Joseph Carter, 13th), the Student Health and Physical Education Act, attempts to address the problem of childhood obesity in Georgia by requiring local school systems to conduct physical fitness testing of students and to comply with state physical education instruction requirements. The bill passed in the Senate and has been referred to the House Health and Human Services Committee.

SB 88 (Sen. Renee Unterman, 45th), the Care of a Grandchild Act, would provide grandparents caring for grandchildren the power to enroll the children in school and authorize medical care. The bill would also create a caregiver subsidy for grandparents living at less than 200 percent of the federal poverty level. The bill passed in the Senate and awaits consideration by the House.

TAKE ACTION TODAY
Contact your legislators to voice your opinion about these and other issues before the Georgia General Assembly. Also, visit the General Assembly web site to find contact information for bill sponsors and committee members, or to track legislation.

One if Four Teenage Girls has an STD
A recently-released federal study reports that at least one in four teenage girls in the U.S. has a sexually transmitted disease, with the majority being infected with HPV. Among African American girls in the study, nearly half had at least one STD. The CDC recommends increased screening and prevention efforts, including annual screening for all sexually-active women under age 25 and the three-dose HPV vaccine for all girls ages 11-12. The report is a call to action for parents, doctors, and public officials to ensure that teens receive accurate information about their risk for contracting STDs and confidential screening.

G-CAPP Fast Fact
The incidence of STDs among youth ages 15 to 19 in Georgia is 30.6 per 1,000, or over 20,700 youth in 2006.

Source: Georgia Kids Count, Family Connection Partnership.