Georgia must hold hearings across the state before it can go forward with a plan to transfer from one state agency to another services that help disabled adults, according to the U.S. Department of Education.
In response to issues raised by the federal government, a Georgia council that advocates for adults with disabilities is calling on the state to retract House Bill 831. The bill, which would move the division of rehabilitation services from the Department of Labor to the Department of Human Services, was approved by a House committee Feb. 7 and is expected to go before the full House.
The state is still moving ahead with its plan to make the division a stand-alone agency administratively attached to Human Services, said Brian Robinson, a spokesman for Gov. Nathan Deal.
The House committee held hearings in Atlanta before voting. Unless people had sufficient notice about the hearings and they were held "throughout the state to provide the public" with an opportunity to comment, it would not meet federal regulations, according to a letter sent last week by Jim Doyle, a program specialist with the federal Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services.
Doyle's letter did not specify what, if any, penalties the state could face. He was out of his office Monday and could not be reached for comment.
The Georgia State Rehabilitation Council has questioned the move and is asking the state to hold off on the bill so hearings can be held, according to a letter sent Friday.
Robinson said it is the responsibility of the Labor Department to hold the hearings, adding that the agency and council have known about the proposal since the start of the year. He said the governor's office and lawmakers have held meetings that have included 20 different advocacy groups.
Georgians with disabilities have protested the change, especially in the area of vocational rehabilitation, saying they should be able to seek jobs through the Labor Department just like everybody else.
Deal and others say the move will improve services. They said it will make the program more accountable and ensure that the state is spending money more efficiently.
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