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DEL.ICIO.USSenate votes to ease grandparents’ path to custody
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The Georgia Senate voted today in favor of a measure that would allow grandparents to care for their minor grandchildren without court approval. Instead, the child’s parents could give the grandparents authority by simply signing a legal document.
The bill also would establish a subsidy program, managed by the state Department of Human Resources, to help low-income grandparents who have legal custody or guardianship of their grandchildren and participate in programs designed for grandparents raising grandchildren.
Grandparents who have an annual income of less than 200 percent of the federal poverty level, or about $40,000 for a family of four, would be able to use the subsidy to purchase items such as food, books, clothes and medicine and cover living expenses such as rent, car repairs and gasoline.
Sen. Renee Unterman (R-Buford), the bill’s sponsor, said lawmakers should not be concerned about creating another government-based subsidy program.
“If these children did not go to their grandparents, they would be going into foster care,” Unterman said. “This is a pro-family bill that allows these families to stay together.”
Senate Bill 88 passed by a vote of 55-1. Sen. Bill Heath (R-Bremen) cast the only dissenting vote against the bill. He questioned whether grandparents who have raised children who have made poor life choices should be entrusted to care for their grandchildren.
Unterman and several other lawmakers countered that parents can not control their children and that even people raised in good homes can grow up and make bad decisions.
The effective date of the bill, if it gains final approval, is July 1, 2007. Unterman said the DHR budget already has $1.2 million in Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) funds set aside for the program.
In addition:
— A bill that would give foster parents additional protection and rights cleared the Senate by a unanimous vote of 56-0. The proposal, sponsored by Sen. Steve Thompson (D-Powder Springs), gives foster parents the ability to request an administrative hearing if they believe their rights have been violated by the state. Senate Bill 188 also gives the same protection to foster parents who are caring for privately-placed children.
— The Senate voted 49-6 for a proposal by Sen. John Douglas (R-Social Circle) to amend Georgia’s Constitution to allow members of the state Senate to serve for four years. Under Senate Resolution 279, senators from even-numbered districts would be elected to a four-year term beginning in 2010. Senators from odd-numbered districts — such as Douglas — would be elected to four-year terms beginning in 2012.
The proposal is silent on terms for House members. State Rep. Mike Keown (R-Coolidge) has filed a similar proposal in the House. That resolution proposes four-year terms for all legislators.
SR 279 now goes to the House. It also would need final approval from Georgia voters, who have twice rejected attempts to lengthen the terms of their state representatives and senators, most recently in 1988.
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