WEEKLY LEGISLATIVE REPORT – February 9, 2007
Evidence weighs against school voucher legislation
By Rep. Hugh Floyd
The House of Representatives will soon be considering legislation that has already passed the state Senate, allowing the state to issue vouchers to special needs students to attend a private school or public school outside their district.
Senate Bill 10 was adopted in the Senate by a narrow margin, and House Bill 199, which is similar but not identical, is under consideration in the House Education Committee. I serve on the subcommittee that will be first to hear testimony for and against the proposals.
So far, I have not seen sufficient evidence that this legislation is needed, and it appears to be an attempt to open the door for a wider use of vouchers, which would take away funding from Georgia’s public schools.
As Gwinnett Schools Superintendent Alvin Wilbanks has said, the proposed legislation “creates a requirement that taxpayers support two education systems by sending public funding taken from public schools to support private schools. To make matters worse, there is no requirement for public accounting of how the funds are spent.” The Gwinnett County School District, the state’s largest, presently provides special education programs to about 17,800 students at a cost of nearly $199 million.
For now, I am taking a skeptical approach to this proposal, but I would like to know your thoughts on the issue.
Unfortunately, there was nothing but bad news this week about the future of Georgia’s PeachCare for Kids program. First, President Bush refused to include funding that would cover the current $131 million federal shortfall in a special appropriations bill. Then, Georgia Department of Community Health Commissioner Rhonda Medows announced the program would stop accepting new enrollees effective March 11 unless the funding is approved.
PeachCare, which provides affordable health care to the children of working Georgia families, serves about 270,000 children throughout the state. PeachCare is a vitally important program, and it is essential that a solution be found to the current funding crisis.
In the House, two pieces of legislation have been introduced that would provide at least temporary relief. House Bill 236 would allow the state to fully fund the entire shortfall instead of relying on the federal government. This could be an additional option in case Congress fails to act in time to stop an interruption in the program. HB 324 would increase the number of children eligible for coverage and thus increase premium payments to the state.
The new Congress hopefully will act swiftly to avert a crisis caused by the failure of the previous Congress to address problems with the federal funding formula, which penalizes Georgia and other states that have worked hard to enroll uninsured children. If not, we will have to find a way to do so at the state level.
Due to increasing concerns from many Georgians over the state government’s movement toward expanded commercial development on Jekyll Island, House Resolution 182 was introduced this week.
The state’s Jekyll Island Authority is reportedly considering the construction of a luxury hotel, condominiums and other tourist developments that threaten the island’s environmental qualities and the tranquility enjoyed by current residents and visitors.
HR 182 would urge the Jekyll Island Authority to exercise the greatest caution and restraint in its supervision of the redevelopment of resort and other facilities on the island, assuring that the property continues to meet the needs of all Georgia citizens, while imposing the least possible negative impact on the island’s existing natural environment.
- Rep. Hugh Floyd (D-Norcross) represents the 99th District (Gwinnett County) in the Georgia House of Representatives. Contact him at 611 Coverdell Office Building, Atlanta, GA 30334; by phone at 404-656-0314 or by e-mail at hughfloyd@mindspring.com.
