BILL YEARTA: 11 pending House bills could impact rural Georgia

As we gathered under the Gold Dome for our fourth week of the 2022 legislative session last week, we took part in many committee meetings and held much discussion regarding issues of importance, including education, health care, and rural initiatives. We also convened on the House floor for four days, where we passed several measures to the benefit of Georgia and its citizens.

Education: We passed House Bill 385, which would assist in combating the teacher shortage within our Georgia school systems. If passed into law, this legislation would allow retired certified teachers the opportunity to return to the classroom while receiving their full retirement benefits. Further, following one-year of retirement, eligible members of the Teachers Retirement System would be able to return to work in an “area of highest need,” as designated by the Department of Education and Professional Standards Committee.

Health care: Our work to ensure Georgians receive quality and affordable health care continued through the passage House Bill 752 and House Bill 867.

House Bill 752, or the Psychiatric Advance Directive Act, would allow competent adults to legally establish their preferences for future mental health treatment and medication. Stipulations of the bill include:

· Allowing the option for an individual to appoint a person to serve as their “mental health care agent,” to act on their behalf if they are incapable of making mental health decisions.

· Allowing patients to fill out a psychiatric advance directive with pertinent information.

· Ensuring that providers and treatment facilities comply with the patient’s directive to the fullest extent possible.

In continued efforts to ensure Georgians can afford rising health care costs, we also successfully passed HB 867. This bill, also known as, the Truth in Prescription Pricing for Patients Act, works to lower prescription drug prices while bringing further transparency to the current practices of Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PMBs). HB 867 will require:

· PBMs to calculate a prescription’s “true cost” based on what the drug cost to purchase at a pharmacy, minus any eligible rebates.

· PBMs to communicate their calculations to consumers and reimburse individuals if their final calculation saves the patient money.

· If the PBM calculates a higher final cost than what an individual must pay, the PBM or health plan client cannot hold the individual or pharmacy responsible for the underpaid amount.

Criminal Justice Reform: Did you know that in the last 30 years, faulty scientific evidence admitted under the current legal standard has contributed to at least 25 out of nearly 40 documented wrongful convictions in Georgia? To prevent more wrongful convictions, we unanimously passed House Bill 478. This bill would change the standard for admissible court evidence and testimony in criminal cases to match the standard used in civil cases. This new standard would also provide a list of factors that a judge may consider helping determine the admissibility of scientific evidence or witness testimony.

Rural Initiatives: More than five years ago, the House launched its Rural Development Council. This council was tasked to produce sound policies that would benefit the less-populated areas of our state. Over the last few years, the council has successfully and effectively made tremendous strides in the policy areas of rural broadband, health care, agriculture, education, and economic development. This week, the council announced that 11 House bills have been introduced for the continued benefit of our state’s rural regions.

American Rescue Plan Act: Governor (Brian) Kemp also announced a big win for those who have been struggling with reliable access to broadband services. The American Rescue Plan Act will assist rural communities in gaining access to faster and more reliable internet services through $408 million in federal funding.

These preliminary awards will support 49 broadband infrastructure projects that will impact 70 Georgia counties. Current data show that 482,374 specific locations in Georgia are currently unserved. However, these newly announced projects could expand broadband services for 183,615 homes and businesses, including 132,050 locations that do not have broadband at all.

This week, we return for week five. Our countdown to legislative day 40 continues as we work hard to meet our session deadlines. If you have questions or concerns regarding legislation, I encourage you to reach out to me anytime. Thank you for the honor and pleasure of allowing me to serve as your voice under the Gold Dome.