Georgia General Assembly

Urging the Governor to create an advisory commission to recommend additional actions that the State of Georgia should take to cope with the present emergency; and for other purposes.

WHEREAS, thousands of evacuees from New Orleans and the Gulf coast have come to Georgia for shelter from Hurricane Katrina, and it appears that many of these persons will not be able to return home for several weeks or several months; and

WHEREAS, many evacuees left their homes with little or nothing to sustain them, and many have lost beloved family members, as well as their homes, their livelihood, and their means of transportation; and

WHEREAS, in confronting this unprecedented emergency, it is vital for the State of Georgia to exhibit both flexibility and ingenuity in assembling and stretching resources and in enabling the evacuees to find temporary homes, temporary employment, and a smooth transition in education; and

WHEREAS, it is essential that the Department of Human Resources activate the Refugee Resettlement Responsibility Program as soon as possible and to the fullest extent possible; and that state agencies minimize the transportation difficulties confronting evacuees when possible by establishing centers where evacuees can get several kinds of assistance or by sending persons to shelters and other locations housing large numbers of evacuees; and

WHEREAS, in assisting evacuees to find temporary employment, consideration should be given to the following emergency actions: providing temporary licenses to qualified persons for professions or occupations that require licensure or waiving licensure requirements; exploring the possibility of temporarily filling vacancies in state employment with qualified evacuees, particularly in cases when a temporary vacancy has been created by an employeés absence to fulfill obligations in the National Guard or the Armed Services of the United States; coordinating with the federal government to use federal funds for displaced workers allocated for the home state of the evacuees through the Workforce Investment Act; and providing access to child care when evacuees become employed; and

WHEREAS, in assisting evacuees to find temporary housing that is secure, adequate for their needs, and cost effective, consideration should be given to the following emergency actions: providing tax incentives to encourage owners of rental property and hotels, motels, and inns to offer short-term leases, and waive credit checks and application fees; examination of seized property held by the state or by local political jurisdictions to determine if such property could be used for rental to evacuees; and streamlining certification for Section 8 housing assistance and transfer of such certification from the home states of evacuees; and

WHEREAS, in ensuring a smooth transition from school to school for students in pre-kindergarten, elementary and secondary school, and post secondary school, consideration should be given to the following emergency actions: waiving some requirements for admission, waiving the graduation test for high school seniors, and streamlining procedures for those who are eligible for HOPE scholarships and grants; and

WHEREAS, consideration should be given to coordination with the federal government regarding transfers of eligibility for federal and state programs of assistance such as food stamps, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, Women and Infant Care, medicare, and Medicaid, or to waivers of some eligibility requirements of such programs.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA that the Governor is urged to appoint a bipartisan advisory commission to recommend additional actions to the Governor during this state of emergency, such commission to consist of legislative leaders from both parties, the Lieutenant Governor, Secretary of State, Attorney General, State School Superintendent, Commissioner of Insurance, Commissioner of Agriculture, and Commissioner of Labor.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Clerk of the House of Representatives is authorized and directed to transmit an appropriate copy of this resolution to the Governor.