WEEK THREE LEGISLATIVE UPDATE FROM REP. KEN PULLIN

Week Three Last week, the General Assembly returned to the Gold Dome for the third week of the 2020 legislative session. The House convened on the House floor every day this week to take up business, and we also spent more time in our committees and subcommittees to carefully review proposed legislation and hear testimonies from area experts. By the end of our third week of session, we passed several House bills out of our respective committees that could soon be considered for a vote on the House floor.            House Bill 276 Gov. Kemp signed the first major piece of legislation of the 2020 session. House Bill 276 was passed via a conference committee report during the first week of session and allows the state to collect taxable revenue from marketplace facilitators whose online platforms or apps are used to sell goods or services. The new revenue will be collected from marketplace facilitators who collect in excess of $100,000 or more annually. This new law will go into effect on April 1 and will help level the playing field for small brick-and-mortar businesses that currently have sale tax charged to their products. House Bill 757 I cast my first "No" vote of the session this week. I'm all for getting rid of jungle primaries, but I'm not in favor of changing the rules 3 months before an election. Governor Kemp is going to veto this bill and it will be a huge distraction from the work we should be doing.  My mind hurts thinking about the money that is going to be spent in this Senate race. Money and resources that could have gone to Georgia House and Senate members that are in very competitive districts against Democrats in November. Congressman Doug Collins, who has announced he will challenge Senator Loeffler, has done a great job defending President Trump in the House, but let's don't get carried away and call him a conservative. He has a "F" rating by the Conservative Review. Lawmakers On Thursday, I had the opportunity to chat with GPB's Lawmakers about my Red Flag bill. You can watch it by clicking here.  House Rural Development Council  As we go through the legislative session, some of the legislation that is introduced is the result of work that we do in study committees, councils and commissions that hold meetings after session ends. The House Rural Development Council submitted several legislative recommendations that would continue to support communities and businesses in rural Georgia. In 2019, the council met 10 times in five rural areas of the state to develop its proposals for the 2020 session. The council’s recommendations include supporting our agriculture industry, which is one of our state’s largest industries, as well as expanding funding for rural broadband deployment and addressing mapping issues that currently over estimate the amount of broadband coverage across the state. The council also proposed solutions for providing adequate health care by creating tax incentives for rural physicians and developing a state-funded residency program to bring health care workers to rural areas. Since its inception in 2017, the council has passed a number of bills to help rural Georgia and provided incredible insight on how to best support our rural communities, and it will continue to do so through the 2020 calendar year. House Study Committee on Maternal Mortality Members of the House Study Committee on Maternal Mortality spent several months last year developing ideas and strategies to decrease and prevent maternal deaths in Georgia. The study committee’s final report includes several of these strategies, such as extending Georgia’s Medicaid coverage for pregnant and postpartum women and introducing legislation that would mandate a postmortem examination for any maternal death. The study committee also seeks to increase accessibility to health care for pregnant and postpartum women through telehealth services. Members of the study committee encouraged the state to continue to fund vital programs that support mothers and babies, as well as support various university research initiatives that collect important data on maternal deaths and pregnancy and postpartum related health issues in the state. Maternal health will remain a top priority in the House during the 2020 session, and these recommendations will guide us as we focus our legislative efforts to prevent maternal mortality. International Holocaust Remembrance Day Last week, my colleagues and I observed International Holocaust Remembrance Day, marking the 75th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp. This powerful day commemorates the catastrophic genocide that resulted in the deaths of 6 million Jews and 11 million others. To honor the lives that were lost during the Holocaust, the General Assembly passed legislation during the 2019 session to create a memorial in the State Capitol. Members of the General Assembly, along with Israel Consul General Anat Sultan-Dadon, joined together to unveil the new memorial this week. We also recognized International Holocaust Remembrance Day in the House chamber and adopted a resolution to in recognition of this day. This tribute in the State Capitol will serve as an important reminder that we should never forget the events of the Holocaust, and it will educate Georgia citizens to help ensure that such atrocities are never committed again.  Looking Ahead Next week is sure to be even busier at the State Capitol as we enter into the fourth week of the legislative session. My colleagues and I will continue to take up meaningful legislation in our committees and on the House floor in the coming weeks, so I encourage you to provide me with your input and thoughts on any proposed legislation that is important to you.  Rep. Ken Pullin serves on Agriculture and Consumer Affairs, Human Relations and Aging, and Small Business Development. He represents the 131st House District which includes Upson, Pike, Lamar counties. He may be reached at 404.656.0188 or by email at ken.pullin@house.ga.gov. Copyright © *2019* *Pullin for Georgia*, All rights reserved. Our Capitol address: 504-F Coverdell Legislative Office Bldg. 18 Capitol Square SW Atlanta, GA 30334 404.656.0188 - Office Our District address: P.O. Box 295 Zebulon, GA 30295 Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.

