Legislative Update - Week Eleven
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| Speaking from the well last week. |
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My colleagues and I returned to the Gold Dome on Monday, March 26 for Legislative Day 36 and the 11thweek of session. The House had another busy week of reviewing legislation in committee hearings, voting on important bills and resolutions on the House floor and giving final passage to a number of bills that will now be considered by Governor Brian Kemp.
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| It's been cool having pages up this session. Katelyn Johnson and her family were up this week! |
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The House fulfilled our only constitutional obligation by giving final passage to the Fiscal Year 2020 (FY 2020) budget, or House Bill 31. We completed our legislative responsibility with the adoption of a conference committee report, which set the final FY 2020 budget at an estimated $27.5 billion. Amongst several important appropriations, more than 50 percent of the FY 2020 funds are allocated for education, 22 percent for health and human services and 8 percent for transportation and economic development. The FY 2020 budget includes several House priorities, but one of our proudest highlights includes funding for the largest salary increase in our state’s history for teachers and certified personnel, which raises their base pay by $3,000 starting in July of this year. Other highlights place a particular emphasis on women and children’s issues, such asprogram funding to address the high percentage of maternal mortality in Georgia and additional funding for our most vulnerable Georgians, including the elderly and foster children. This comprehensive budget would provide for the wide-ranging needs of our state and its citizens, while epitomizing our legislative and fiscal priorities for Fiscal Year 2020. I am proud of the House and Senate’s collaborative efforts that allowed the Georgia General Assembly to fulfill its constitutional responsibility to give final approval to the FY 2020 budget.
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| My Yes vote on House Bill 481, known as the Heartbeat Bill, on Friday. If we can save 1 innocent life in Georgia, my entire time in the House has been worth it. The bill passed 92-78 and is headed to Governor Kemp's desk for signature. |
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| I've made a lot of good friends this session! I'll really miss these guys after April 2nd. |
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The House worked closely with the Senate, physicians, hospitals and patients to amend theCertificate of Need system in Georgia for health care facilities, including creating more transparency for nonprofit hospitals. In particular, House Bills 186 and 321 require nonprofit hospitals to publicly post a range of financial data. The changes in CON will help level the playing field and put the focus back on providing the highest standard of healthcare for Georgians, regardless of their location.
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SB 66 - Streamlining Wireless Facilities and Antennas Act
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Last week, my colleagues and I passed a Senate bill to continue in our efforts to promote broadband expansion in rural Georgia. Senate Bill 66, or the “Streamlining Wireless Facilities and Antennas Act,” would help streamline the deployment of small cells, or small wireless facilities, in public rights-of-way by placing limits on fees that providers could pay and by implementing deadlines for local governments to follow during the permit application process. SB 66 would simplify and expedite new broadband installation by creating a standardized process for wireless providers to install, mount, modify or replace small cells and/or poles without the requirement of an agreement by a city official and without an implementing ordinance. Similar legislation has been passed in 22 other states, and this bill would help meet the growing demand for reliable internet access in Georgia. This important bill would ultimately encourage Georgia’s broadband providers to expand in rural areas, while ensuring that rural Georgians quickly receive these new broadband and wireless services.
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| It was an honor to host Jordan Holley at the Capitol last week. Jordan headed to Louisiana the next day for the USA Powerlifting High School National Competition and to compete over the weekend. |
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SB 118 & SB 115- Expansion of Technology in Health Care
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We also passed two additional measures that would help our rural communities prosper by providing a new pathway to receive modern health care through the use of technology.Senate Bill 118 would require that insurance companies recognize the use of information and communications technologies as acceptable forms of health care, and, as such, insurance providers would be required to provide coverage to patients and health care professionals for telehealth and telemedicine services. This legislation would prohibit insurers from excluding coverage for services solely based on the fact that the service is not provided through an in-person consultation. Finally, the bill would require that insurers reimburse health care providers for services provided through telemedicine at the same rate that the insurer would usually cover if the service was offered in-person, but SB 118 would prohibit insurers from requiring the use of telemedicine in lieu of in-person or contact services. Doctors in rural areas often rely on telehealth services for their patients through telephones, remote patient monitoring devices, and they often use these services for provider consultations, patient and professional health-related education, public health and health administration. We also passed Senate Bill 115 to allow the Georgia Composite Medical Board to issue telemedicine licenses to doctors who are currently licensed in other states and seek to practice telemedicine in Georgia. These telemedicine licenses would attract the best talent to our state and would provide more doctors for Georgia citizens to choose from. As the use of telehealth services grows in Georgia, these two Senate measures are critical to guaranteeing that doctors and patients have adequate insurance coverage and greater choices in their doctors along the way.
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| My niece, Adi, came to visit last week! I love spending time with her and I think she enjoyed her time as a Page. |
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H.R. 589 - House Study Committee on Maternal Mortality
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The House adopted an extremely important measure to address the high rates of maternal mortality in Georgia. House Resolution 589 would create theHouse Study Committee on Maternal Mortality to help institute systemic changes to decrease and prevent maternal deaths in our state. Currently, women in the U.S. are more likely to die of childbirth or pregnancy-related causes than women in other high-income countries, and Georgia is among the top ten states with the highest maternal mortality rate, with 60 percent of these maternal deaths being preventable. The high rate of maternal deaths in our state is a serious public health concern and has a tremendous family and societal impact that affects wide and diverse populations. For this reason, the study committee will develop ideas and strategies to be implemented systemically that would decrease and prevent maternal deaths in Georgia. HR 589 will allow this House to continue our legislative commitments to improving health care for Georgians after the legislative session adjourns, and I look forward to the legislative initiatives that will be developed from this study committee to protect the lives of expecting mothers in Georgia.
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| It was great to spend time with Dr. Nooks, GSC President, and GSC student leaders! |
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SB 158 - Anti-Human Trafficking Protective Response Act
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Another meaningful piece of legislation that passed in the House this week was Senate Bill 158. This impactful measure would strengthen Georgia’s current anti-human trafficking laws and provide greater resources and care for victims of human trafficking. SB 158, or the “Anti-Human Trafficking Protective Response Act,” would authorize the Division of Family and Children Services (DFCS) to provide emergency care and supervision for a child victim of human trafficking without a court order or the consent of a parent or legal guardian. This bill would also direct DFCS and law enforcement to immediately take the child to an available victim services organization, which is certified by the Criminal Justice Coordinating Council, to provide comprehensive trauma-informed services, and this bill would protect these victims from being prosecuted for prostitution if they are under 18 years old. SB 158 would also allow local authorities and citizens to seek civil penalties against businesses or property owners that have received three or more separate sexually-related charges or indictments that occur on the premises within a 12-month period. Finally, the bill would allow property owners or operators to assist law enforcement in investigations of criminal sexual-related conduct. It is imperative that we reform the way Georgia treats victims of human trafficking through treatment and rehabilitation opportunities and by protecting them from encountering unjust prosecution.
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SB 106 - Patients First Act
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Late last week, we passed the “Patients First Act”, and Governor Kemp quickly signed it into law. With its passage, Senate Bill 106 authorizes the Governor’s Office to explore and submit to the federal government 1115 and 1332 Medicaid Waiver applications to create Georgia-centric solutions that will help us lower health care costs, increase access, and improve the quality of care on the private insurance market and for the Medicaid population.
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