G-CAPP - Policy & Advocacy Updates

Legislative Updates

Wrap-up of the 2008 Georgia General Assembly Session

During the 2008 session of the Georgia General Assembly, G-CAPP monitored legislation impacting adolescents and public health in our state. The following are summaries of the legislation that we tracked matched to one of the issue areas found in G-CAPP’s Policy Platform. Bills in green were adopted and will be going before the Governor for his signature. Bills in red did not pass. The Governor has 40 days from the end of the session to sign or veto bills or to let bills become law without his signature.

Although great progress has been made in recent years in reducing teenage pregnancy rates in Georgia, this is no time for complacency. It is essential that our state continue to invest in prevention programs and adolescent services to maintain the positive trend in teen pregnancy rates, and to ensure that we do not lose ground.

The state’s Adolescent Health and Youth Development program, which provides preventative health care and youth development services to over 63,000 youth statewide, received full funding within the 2009 budget of the Division of Public Health.
Several bills proposing major changes to the state tax system, which could impact the state’s future ability to fund programs and services that support adolescents and their families, were introduced but failed to pass this year.

A statewide adolescent pregnancy prevention strategy that is grounded in research-based best practices and is responsive to the needs of youth and families of all racial and ethnic groups is needed.

HB 1054 (Rep. Sharon Cooper, 41st), the Children and Family Service Strengthening Act of 2008, creates a new Governor’s Office for Children and Families. Based on a proposal by the Governor to provide a more unified approach to serving at-risk children, the office combines the Children’s Trust Fund Commission, which funds community-based child abuse prevention programs, with the Children and Youth Coordinating Council, which disburses grants to local abstinence education and delinquency prevention projects. The office will also be the home of the First Lady’s Children’s Cabinet.
Governor Perdue has created a commission to consider restructuring the Department of Human Resources, which contains the Division of Public Health, the Division of Family and Children Services and other key state agencies. By July 2, the panel will issue a report recommending whether to combine or separate divisions to improve services and cost-effectiveness.

Adolescent sexuality education should instill a strong sense of self-worth and be delivered by parents at home and other adults in school and community settings. Abstinence education is important, but by 12th grade 63% of students have had sex and more than 3 out of 10 American girls get pregnant at least once as a teen. Research demonstrates that helping adolescents postpone sex while equipping sexually-active youth with medical information and contraception on a confidential basis is the best strategy to reduce pregnancy, abortion, STDs and HIV/AIDS.

HB 526 (Rep. Barry Loudermilk, 14th) would have amended the state code regarding family planning services to require unemancipated minors, or individuals who are under the age of 18 and unmarried, to be accompanied by a parent or guardian in order to receive referral services or contraceptives from any state-funded public health department or agency. The bill was introduced in 2007 and referred to the House Health and Human Services Committee, but it was not acted on in 2008. For more information on why this type of bill would have a devastating impact on teens and their ability to prevent unintended pregnancies in our state, see the Policy Briefs page on the G-CAPP web site.
HR 536 (Rep. Martin Scott, 2nd) would have amended the state constitution to establish the "personhood" of each citizen from fertilization until natural death, which would have banned abortion in Georgia without exception. This type of resolution could also lead to a ban on certain forms of contraception, to the detriment of teen pregnancy prevention efforts in the state. The resolution was tabled by the House Judiciary Committee.
SR 388 (Sen. Nan Orrock, 36th) would urge the United States Congress to enact the Prevention First Act, which expands access to preventive health care services and education programs to help reduce unintended pregnancy, prevent the spread of sexually-transmitted infections, and support healthy families. The Act would provide additional federal funding to expand teen pregnancy prevention programs and would promote medically-accurate sex education for students. The resolution was introduced in 2007 and referred to the Senate Health and Human Services Committee, where it had a hearing but was not acted on in 2008. To urge your Members of Congress to support the Prevention First Act, find their contact information at www.congress.org.

Early childbearing is associated with fragile families. Intensive intervention programs before and after birth such as G-CAPP’s Community-Based Doula Program, child abuse and family violence prevention programs, parent skills training, and fatherhood and male involvement initiatives strengthen families and reduce risk.

HB 158 (Rep. Wendell Willard, 49th) would have amended the state juvenile code to recognize as legal fathers those fathers who legitimate a child by voluntary acknowledgment, in an attempt to improve the likelihood that children will receive support from non-custodial parents. The bill passed in the House only.
SB 88 (Sen. Renee Unterman, 45th), the Care of a Grandchild Act, provides the increasing number of grandparents caring for their grandchildren the power to enroll the children in school, and to authorize their medical, dental and mental health care.

Mental and behavioral disorders such as depression, anxiety, stress, aggression and addiction are associated with early and unprotected sex. Mental health and substance abuse services must be made widely available to youth.

HR 1746 (Rep. Judy Manning, 32nd) creates a House study committee to examine children's mental health care in Georgia. SR 1187 (Sen. Don Thomas, 54th) creates a Senate study committee for the same purposes.

Adolescent pregnancy is linked to smoking, drinking, substance abuse and related behaviors. Rather than incarceration, initiatives that identify and intervene with delinquent youth by drawing on the strengths of families and communities should be supported.

SB 350 (Sen. John Wiles, 37th) makes driving without a valid driver’s license a felony. There will be a mandatory two days in jail on the first offense, and on a fourth offense the driver will be charged with a felony. Concerns have been raised about teenagers being charged under the provisions.
SR 445 (Sen. Renee Unterman, 45th) creates the Joint Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Minors Study Commission to study the growing problem of child prostitution in Georgia. In addition, an appropriation request was made this session to improve services for the child victims of prostitution through the establishment of a metro-Atlanta regional assessment center, to be used instead of detention facilities, where victims can undergo a thorough assessment of their needs before being referred to a longer-term placement for treatment. The 2009 budget includes $560,000 in new funding for the center.

Vulnerable youth, women and families often go without health care. Public and private insurance coverage and services should be accessible, available and affordable.

HB 977 (Rep. Tom Knox, 24th) gives tax preferences to high deductible health insurance policies. Advocates are concerned that these plans would not cover preventive services for women and children mandated by state law, such as contraceptives, screening for Chlamydia, newborns for first 10 days of life, and well child care, before patients meet the high deductibles.
HB 1234 (Rep. Mickey Channell, 116th), the Medicaid Care Management Organizations Act, codifies rules that care management organizations serving Medicaid patients must follow.
At age 18, foster youth are automatically dropped from Medicaid coverage, and in Georgia approximately 400 youth aging out of foster care each year are without basic health insurance. EmpowerMEnt, a diverse group of over 300 current and former foster youth in Georgia between the ages of 14 and 26, advocated for amending Georgia's FY 2009 budget to allow the Department of Community Health to implement a three-year plan to extend Medicaid coverage for foster care youth until the age of 21. The 2009 budget includes $1.1 million for this extension, which will be matched by federal funds.
Georgia's PeachCare for Kids program, the state’s health insurance program for children in low income, working families who would otherwise be uninsured, recently faced a large federal funding shortfall. In response, last year both the State House and Senate passed bills reducing eligibility and benefits for PeachCare. In the last days of the session, the two chambers could not agree on a bill, and ultimately no changes were made to the program. Federal funding for the program has been reauthorized by Congress through March 2009, and no changes were made to the program at the state level this year.

Hope is the best "contraceptive." Adolescents need assurance that good jobs and post-secondary educational opportunities await them as adults, and they need help in making that transition through quality out-of-school time activities, connections with caring adults, and Independent Living Services for youth aging out of the foster care system. G-CAPP’s Carrera Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention Program, an intensive afterschool and summer program for middle and high school students, guides youth toward academic success and healthy choices through educational support, career training, sexuality education, and mental and physical health services.

HB 901, (Rep. Roger Bruce, 64th) the Parent Protection Act, would have provided Georgians up to 24 hours of unpaid, job-protected leave per year to attend school conferences or to take a child to medical appointments, such as checkups or immunizations. Research demonstrates that young people with parents who are actively engaged in their education are more likely to avoid risky behaviors that may lead to teen pregnancy. The bill was referred to the House Industrial Relations Committee but was not acted on this year.

HR 791 (Rep. Jan Jones, 46th) creates a House study committee to make recommendations for improving Georgia’s Pre-K program.

The proposed Department of Human Resources 2009 budget eliminated $29.7 million in child care subsidies, which help low-income families to afford quality child care and afterschool care so that children and youth will have a safe place to go while their parents are at work. The final 2009 budget restores $20.2 million in federal TANF dollars for the subsidies. This appropriation will help reduce the waiting list for the subsidies, which is currently estimated to be between 12,000 to 14,000 families.

Other Legislation Impacting the Health and Safety of Adolescents:

HB 89 (Rep. Timothy Bearden, 68th) allows people with concealed weapons permits to carry guns in public places such as parks, on public transportation and in restaurants that serve alcohol. Advocates are concerned about the potential impact of this bill on the safety of children and youth, such as those who ride public transit to school and work.
HB 924 (Rep. Melvin Everson, 106th) would have increased the penalties for teenagers driving without using their seatbelts who have been convicted of multiple violations. The bill was favorably reported by the House Judiciary Non-Civil Committee by not acted on by the full House this year.
HB 1020 (Rep. Rich Golick, 34th) restricts access to sexually explicit material which is evidence in civil and criminal cases involving minors.
HB 1325 (Rep. Stephanie Benfield, 85th) would have regulated international marriage broker businesses based in Georgia, including requiring that the women recruited be at least 18 years of age. The bill was favorably reported by the House Judiciary Non-Civil Committee but was not acted on by the full House this year.
SB 461 (Sen. Chip Rogers, 21st) would have provided schools with standard guidelines regarding protecting students from bullying. The bill passed in the Senate and was favorably reported by the House Education Committee but was not acted on by the full House this year.
SB 474 (Sen. Cecil Staton, 18th) requires Internet service providers to offer parents the ability to block certain web sites and requires the Department of Education to develop a model program for educating students on online safety.
SB 506 (Sen. Joseph Carter, 13th), the Student Health and Physical Education Act, would have required 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 only.

To read final versions of legislation, visit the General Assembly web site and search by the bill number in the top right hand corner of the page. You may also find information for contacting the Governor here.