Q: Why have lawn fertilizers in the lawn and garden stores doubled, and some tripled, in price from a year ago?
— Jimmy Kovacs, East Point
A: The reason fertilizer has increased in price over the past year is the cost of fuel, said Clint Waltz, Extension turfgrass specialist with the University of Georgia’s Department of Crop & Soil Sciences. Making nitrogen, one of the primary nutrients in most homeowner fertilizer products, requires a lot of energy, especially heat, to drive the chemical reactions, he said.
Q: What health care benefits does Congress have? Do their health care benefits stop when they leave office? If not, how long can they keep the benefits, and does the taxpayer continue to pay for it?
— Sandy Miller, Roswell
A: Members of Congress are eligible for the same health benefits as all federal employees, according to the U.S. Office of Personnel Management. There were 280 health care options available to participants this year, with varying co-pays, deductibles and other out-of-pocket expenses (the options are detailed at www.opm.gov). U.S. senators and representatives who serve only one term are ineligible to keep their health care benefits upon leaving office. But those who are covered when leaving office and who have been covered for at least five years immediately preceding that are eligible to carry over the taxpayer-funded benefits, according to the personnel management office.
Lori Johnston wrote this column. Do you have a question about the news? We’ll try to get the answer. Call 404-222-2022 or e-mail q&a@ajc.com (include name, phone and city).