Senate Votes to Create New State Agency on Aging
The Georgia Senate overwhelmingly voted to create a new state agency. The Georgia Adult and Aging Services Agency would replace the state’s division of aging services. The legislation would also create a board to oversee the agency.
The bill passed 45 to 5. Supporters say it will help the state better focus on a growing number of aging baby boomers. Republican Senate Health and Human Services chairman Renee Unterman says the new agency would report directly to the governor and the state legislature rather than Georgia’s Department of Human Services.
“Within the government they’ll just have more weight and to kind of wean it off the Department of Human Services, which is a huge agency which is lumped in with all the children’s, DFCS. In actuality, the aging services have really been the red-headed stepchild, so this will help step them up a notch.”
The new agency would come after investigators shut down an Alzheimer’s care home in Commerce, Georgia last July.
Current and former workers there were charged with more than 70 counts of abusing patients.
Unterman hopes the new agency would prevent similar cases.
“Because they have more autonomy, and the people that are in that agency can focus and be more efficient, and when there is a problem they can respond quicker.”
Several democrats voting for the bill like Nan Orrock say the legislation is a huge step forward, but they want to make sure ombudsman in the new agency would maintain autonomy.
“I would ask you to spend a minute just sketching out the ombudsman program a bit further.”
Republican Senator Mike Crane was among the handful of Republicans voting against the bill.
“I think the current structure provides for the opportunities we need to address aging. Creating a new agency, a new board I don’t think serves any great function other than that there will be additional cost.
But Unterman argues there is no cost associated with the overhaul. The legislation now heads to the Georgia House.
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