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THE MADISON COUNTY (GA) JOURNAL. THURSDAY. AUGUST 17, 2023 - PAGE 3A
Region and State News
Audit finds more than $105M
in unremitted funds at GDOL
By Dave Williams
Capitol Beat News Service
The Georgia Department
of Labor (GDOL) withheld
more than $105 million in
penalties and fees accumu
lated in the last decade rath
er than turning it over to the
state treasury, an internal
audit has found.
The funds - administra
tive assessment fees, inter
est fees and employer pen
alties - were transferred to
the treasury last week, as
required by law, state Com
missioner of Labor Bruce
Thompson said last week.
All of the funds were with
held during the administra
tion of former Labor Com
missioner Mark Butler, like
Thompson, a Republican.
Thompson took office at the
beginning of January.
“This agency will no lon
ger be shrouded in secrecy
and isolation but fully co
operate with fellow state
agencies and authorities to
identify all fraud and cor
ruption associated with the
Unemployment Insurance
Trust Fund and the depart
ment,” Thompson said.
“No one is above the law,
and I hope everyone con
nected to this investigation
voluntarily and openly co
operates with officials as
we seek to put this dark his
tory behind us.”
The 10-page audit, dat
ed Aug. 4, does not allege
fraudulent activity on the
part of the labor depart
ment. Instead, it attributes
the withholding of the funds
to a legal disagreement.
According to the report,
the money was withheld
because the agency’s “up
per management” was un
happy the department was
not being appropriated the
full amount of the fees and
penalties it had collected
and, as a result, withheld
the funds intentionally. An
in-house lawyer for the la
bor department believed the
agency had a legal right to
retain the money, the audit
found.
While not alleging crim
inal wrongdoing, the audit
concluded the practice of
withholding funds from the
state treasury in violation
of the Georgia Constitution
could encourage corrup
tion.
“When management
makes decisions to over
ride the internal controls,
policies and procedures
which
have been placed into
operation, opportunities
for fraud, waste, abuse
and various forms of cor
ruption tend to increase,”
State Auditor Greg Griffin
wrote. “In this case, our
investigation found none
of the retained funds had
apparently been expended
by GDOL.”
The investigation re
mains ongoing. State and
federal agencies involved
in the probe include the
Georgia attorney gener
al’s office, the U.S. De
partment of Labor, the
state Office of Inspector
General, and the Georgia
Department of Audits &
Accounts.
Thompson said Thurs
day’s announcement
marks a significant step
toward restoring account
ability and transparency at
the labor department.
State Health Benefit
Plan premiums going up 5%
By Dave Williams
Capitol Beat News Service
State employees, public
school teachers and retirees
will pay 5% more for health
insurance coverage next
year on average.
The Georgia Board of
Community Health ap
proved the premium in
crease last Thursday, only
the second in the last six
years. The increase, which
takes effect Jan. 1, will cost
enrollees in the State Health
Benefit Plan (SHBP) $7.25
per month on average for
those covered through in
dividual plans and $23.61 a
month for families.
The state Department of
Community Health held
SHBP premiums flat in
2019,2020, 2022 and 2023.
Premiums increased 5% in
2021.
But the costs of health
care are on the rise follow
ing the COVID pandemic,
as enrollees who put off
wellness checks during
the pandemic - including
cancer screenings - are re
suming those appointments,
SHBP Executive Direc
tor Louis Amis told board
members Thursday.
“We will see increases
in medical inflation as we
move forward,” he said.
Amis said the SHBP
began covering the full
cost of diagnostic mam
mograms for members last
month. Full coverage of
colonoscopies and retinal
eye exams for diabetes will
begin in January, he said.
“These are preventive
measures we hope will im
prove members’ quality of
life while managing costs,”
he said.
Open enrollment for 2024
will begin Oct. 16 and run
through Nov. 3.
CATCH UP ON THE LATEST NEWS AT
MADISONJOURNALTODAY.COM
When Will Jesus
Return in Relation
to the
Great Tribulation?
Vou are inuited to attend
a special seruice at
Shiloh Baptist Church
Sunday,August 27 at 6 p.m.
The presentation that luill be giuen
will examine the question, “LUhen will
Jesus return in relation to the great
tribulation? LUill Jesus return before,
during or after the tribulation?”
Shiloh Baptist Church is located at
2150 Jones Chapel - Shiloh Road
Madison Countg, Georgia.
IBe askthat you contact us if you plan to at
tend as seating is limited. Vou may confirm
your intention to attend by phoning
706-783-5942 or by sending an email to
study@stepstoujardthemark.com.
There is no charge and no offering will be taken.
Freely we haue receiued, therefore we freely yiue. Rll we ask is
that you pray for and then join us for this special presentation.
JACKSON
FOUNDATION
Love.Craft Athens, Inc. S13,500
e en thousand five hundred & no/100 Dollars
.„,cd by ' ' . ' ) 'VY\_ />'vi O'■£->*■—
JACKSON
Photo submitted
A $13,500 Jackson EMC Foundation check to Love.Craft Athens will help adults with devel
opmental disabilities engage in customized employment with local businesses. At the check
presentation were (L-R): Jamie Teal, crew member; Jean Mullis, Jackson EMC Neese district
manager; Grace Tozer-Rich, Love.Craft Athens assistant director; Mark Sizemore, Jackson
EMC Foundation board member; Kari Wiggins, crew member; Susan Fontaine, executive di
rector; and Kenny Lumpkin, Jackson EMC Foundation representative.
GRANTS: Jackson EMC
Foundation awards $43K to
agencies serving area residents
The Jackson EMC
Foundation board of di
rectors awarded a total of
$196,771 in grants during
its recent meeting, includ
ing $43,500 to organiza
tions serving area resi
dents.
Grants included:
• $15,000 to Mercy
Health Center, in Athens,
which provides healthcare
to low-income and unin
sured patients in Barrow,
Clarke, Madison and Jack-
son counties, to increase
access to lab services and
comprehensive healthcare
for its Underserved Pa
tients Program.
• $13,500 to Love.
Craft Athens, for its Crew
Sponsorship Program that
sponsors adults with de
velopmental disabilities in
Clarke, Gwinnett, Jackson,
Madison and Oglethorpe
counties to engage in cus
tomized employment with
local businesses.
•$10,000 to The ALS As
sociation of Georgia, for its
ALS Care Grant Program
which assists people in all
counties served by Jackson
EMC who are affected by
ALS, (Amyotrophic Lateral
Sclerosis), a degenerative
neurological disease, with
expenses not covered by in
surance.
• $5,000 to The Ark Fami
ly Preservation Center, Inc.,
for its Supervised Family
Visitation Program, which
provides a safe place for
broken families in Banks,
Franklin, Jackson, Madi
son and Oglethorpe coun
ties to complete referral or
court-ordered interactive
parent training and family
therapy.
Jackson EMC Foundation
grants are made possible by
the 210,985 participating
cooperative members who
have their monthly electric
bills rounded to the next dol
lar amount through the Op
eration Round Up program.
Their “spare change” has
funded 1,853 grants to or
ganizations and 423 grants
to individuals, putting more
than $ 19.4 million back into
local communities since the
program began in 2005.
Any individual or chari
table organization in the ten
counties served by Jackson
EMC (Clarke, Banks, Bar-
row, Franklin, Gwinnett,
Hall, Jackson, Lumpkin,
Madison and Oglethorpe)
may apply for a Foundation
grant by completing an ap
plication, available online
at https://www.jacksonemc.
com/foundation-apply or at
local Jackson EMC offic
es. Applicants do not need
to be a member of Jackson
EMC.
HARRIS DOOR
AND MILLWORK
A Family Atmosphere Work Environment in Pendergrass, GA
Now Hiring for Certified
Fork Lift Operators
Average wage $950.00 paid weekly
Monday - Friday 6 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Closed Saturday and Sunday
• Full Benefits Package
• Health Insurance
(Starts within 30 days or less)
• Dental and Vision
(Starts within 30 days or less)
• Matching 40IK (Starts Day 1)
• 3 weeks paid vacation
(Accrual Starts Day 1)
• Long Term Disability Insurance
(Company Paid)
• Short Term Disability Insurance
(Company Paid)
• 1 hour lunch break and
two 15 minute breaks per day
(5786 Hwy. 129 N, Suite A)
Pendergrass, GA
Call 706-693-0060 (Jennifer)
or email HR@harrisdm.com