07 LC 34 1124S (SCS)
Senate
Resolution 154
By:
Senators Mullis of the 53rd, Whitehead, Sr. of the 24th, Hill of the 32nd and
Douglas of the 17th
ADOPTED
SENATE
A
RESOLUTION
Creating
the Joint Human Services Transportation Study Commission; to provide for the
membership, powers, duties, and mission of the commission; to provide for
related matters; and for other purposes.
WHEREAS,
there are 103 rural transit systems and 15 urban transit systems in Georgia that
provide critical transportation services to the public; and
WHEREAS,
local governments and at least four state agencies have a role in health and
social services transportation, including transit, service delivery;
and
WHEREAS,
riders in these programs may be transported for such purposes as accessing
medical appointments, senior centers, community mental health centers, job
training activities, or for general transportation purposes; and
WHEREAS,
the Georgia Departments of Community Health, Human Resources, Labor, and
Transportation received nearly $200 million per year in federal grants to
transport individuals who have no other means of accessing services;
and
WHEREAS,
the state human services transportation programs frequently contain varying
criteria for their operations and differing classifications of riders, both
established by the federal agency providing the federal funds, and these
differences lead to cost inefficiencies and added pressure on local governments
and other service providers; and
WHEREAS,
coordination among these agencies is primarily on an ad hoc basis;
and
WHEREAS,
there may be more cost efficient ways for state and local governments to provide
these transportation services such as sharing federal funding, vehicles, and
facilities, coordination in the acquisition and maintenance of vehicles, and
sharing in the use of trip planning technologies;
and
WHEREAS, in recent years, certain events, including the occurrence of Hurricane Katrina, have led to the rapidly escalating cost of motor fuel and increased the financial burden on local governments and other service providers participating in the various human services transportation programs, and local governments and other service providers participating in the various human services transportation programs have received no increase in funding since 2001 to offset these fuel costs; and
WHEREAS, in recent years, certain events, including the occurrence of Hurricane Katrina, have led to the rapidly escalating cost of motor fuel and increased the financial burden on local governments and other service providers participating in the various human services transportation programs, and local governments and other service providers participating in the various human services transportation programs have received no increase in funding since 2001 to offset these fuel costs; and
WHEREAS,
Hurricane Katrina and other disasters have pointed to the acute need for state
and local governments to have a highly coordinated and efficient human services
transportation delivery infrastructure to quickly evacuate persons affected by
these disasters and assist them in accessing health and social services;
and
WHEREAS,
consumers of human services transportation services are increasingly becoming
public passengers of transit systems, placing additional pressure on public
transit systems in both rural and urban areas; and
WHEREAS,
it may be beneficial for this state to institute a more centralized, coordinated
approach such as a state human services transportation coordinating council with
membership from state agencies and representatives of local governments,
regional entities, and other service providers; and
WHEREAS,
in light of the high costs of and demand for providing transportation service to
older Georgians, residents in rural, suburban, and urban Georgia, and persons
with physical, developmental, and mental disabilities, every possible avenue to
achieve cost effectiveness should be explored.
NOW,
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA that there is
created the Joint Human Services Transportation Study Commission to be composed
of 15 members. The President of the Senate shall appoint two members of the
Senate as members of the commission and shall designate one of such members as
cochairperson. The Speaker of the House of Representatives shall appoint two
members of the House of Representatives as members of the commission and shall
designate one of such members as cochairperson. The Governor shall appoint an
additional 11 members of the commission as follows: one member shall be an
elected county government official, one member shall be an elected municipal
government official, two members shall be human services transportation
providers, one member shall be a representative of a regional development
center, one member shall be a representative of a state-wide association whose
membership includes transit systems, one member shall be a representative of an
agency which serves both as the largest Area Agency on Aging and the largest
Metropolitan Planning Organization in this state, one member shall be a
representative of the Department of Human Resources, one member shall be a
representative of the Department of Community Health, one member shall be a
representative of the Department of Labor, and one member shall be a
representative of the Department of Transportation. A representative of the
Georgia Regional Transportation Authority shall be an ex officio member of the
commission. The appointments of the members of the commission shall be made in
such a manner so as to achieve a balance between urban and rural areas and shall
be as geographically diverse as possible. The cochairpersons shall call all
meetings of the commission.
BE
IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the commission shall undertake a study of the
conditions, needs, issues, and problems mentioned above or related thereto and
recommend any action or legislation which the commission deems necessary or
appropriate. The commission may conduct such meetings at such places and at
such times as it may deem necessary or convenient to enable it to exercise fully
and effectively its powers, perform its duties, and accomplish the objectives
and purposes of this resolution. The legislative members of the commission
shall receive the allowances provided for in Code Section 28-1-8 of the Official
Code of Georgia Annotated. Members of the commission other than legislative
members shall receive no compensation for their services on the commission, and
they shall not be reimbursed for expenses incurred by them in the performance of
their duties as members of the commission. All funds necessary to carry out the
provisions of this resolution shall come from funds appropriated to the Senate
and the House of Representatives. The expenses and allowances authorized by
this resolution shall not be received by any legislative member of the
commission for more than five days unless additional days are authorized. In
the event the commission makes a report of its findings and recommendations,
with suggestions for proposed legislation, if any, such report shall be made on
or before December 1, 2007. The commission shall stand abolished on December
31, 2007.