Last week the General Assembly met for four legislative days.  Committees held organizational meetings, and the House and Senate appropriations subcommittees continued review of the Governor's proposed amended budget for Fiscal Year 2011  and new budget for Fiscal Year 2012.   For analysis of the proposed budget, see the Georgia Budget and Policy Institute's excellent overview and human services highlights reports.

In both the House Appropriations Human Resources Subcommittee and the General Appropriations Subcommittee, a number of questions were asked regarding the governor's recommended transfer of funding for a number of human services programs, including Family Connection Partnership, from the Department of Human Services to the Governor's Office for Children and Families.  Answers from agency representatives focused on efficiencies that could be created by the transfers, but legislators expressed a need for more information about the potential impact of the transfers on valuable programs.   

This week the General Assembly will be meeting from Monday through Thursday.  Budget discussions will continue, and other committees will begin consideration of legislation assigned to them.  Some meetings and events of interest to child advocates this week include:

• A Lobby Day to educate legislators about the commercial exploitation of children will occur on Tuesday, February 1.  For more information, see the We Urge You Campaign website.
• The Georgia Child Advocacy Network (Georgia CAN) will meet Tuesday, February 1 at 10:30 in room 310 of the Coverdell Legislative Office Buildling.
• The House Children and Youth Committee will meet Tuesday, February 1 at 2pm in room 403 of the Capitol. The Committee will hear presentations regarding education and HOPE scholarships.

Please note that information on meetings and legislative hearings is current as of Monday, January 31, 2011.  Hearing times change frequently during the session, so you may want to check the Georgia General Assembly or other organizations' web sites for the any changes. 

BACK TO TOP

JUSTGeorgia will be join with CASA programs from across the state for a Day at the Capitol on Tuesday, February 8, 2011.  The day will begin in the Floyd room of the Sloppy Floyd Building, 2 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, 20th Floor of the West Tower at 9:30am with a legislative briefing, then proceed to a group photo with Governor Deal at 10:45am on the North Wing interior stairs of the Capitol.  JUSTGeorgia Coalition members and CASA volunteers are then encouraged to meet with their legislators and invite them to a luncheon from 11:45am to 1pm back in the Floyd room. 

Register to attend by contacting JUSTGeorgia Project Manager Julia Neighbors at jneighbors@justga.org or 404-521-0311.

BACK TO TOP

As part of the ABA Midyear Meeting, the Criminal Justice Section is offering a free CLE called "Bringing Youth Justice to Georgia."  Panelists will provide a thought-provoking discussion on Georgia's initiative to improve the juvenile court process and outcomes for court-involved youth.  Come hear about the status of the juvenile code rewrite, the Effective School Discipline project, and Clayton County's Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative.  The session will be held at the Marriott Marquis in Atlanta, in room M202 on the Marquis Level, from 12:30pm to 2pm on February 11, 2011.  To attend, please RSVP to carolrose@staff.abanet.org.  

BACK TO TOP