BILL YEARTA: Mental health issue at forefront of legislative session

The third week of the 2022 legislative session kicked off on Jan. 24. As we gathered to tackle our legislative business on the House floor, our committees and subcommittees were hard at work, hosting more than 30 meetings in the last few days. Below is a quick update of what we accomplished during our third week under the Gold Dome.

Health care: Did you know that one in three Georgians suffers from mental health issues? Mental health has been at the forefront of our work over the last several years as lack of resources has given cause for concern. Last week, Speaker David Ralston, R-Blue Ridge, introduced House Bill 1013 which incorporates many recommendations made by our Georgia Behavioral Health Reform and Innovation Commission, established in 2019. If passed, this bill would make comprehensive reforms to our state’s mental health care delivery system. Provisions of HB 1013 include:

♦ Increased patient access through expanding the list of practitioners able to treat patients;

♦ Expansion of telemedicine options;

♦ Requirement that insurers cover certain mental health services;

♦ Ensuring mental health parity for providers and patients so that mental health coverage is equal to physical health coverage;

♦ Strengthening the state’s mental health work force development initiatives by providing service cancelable loans for mental health/medical professionals who work in pediatrics, psychiatry, mental health, and substance abuse care;

♦ Expansion of the state’s transparency and accountability requirements for consumers, as well as enhancing resources and tools for frontline responders and local communities.

Following the bill’s introduction, this legislation was assigned to the House Health & Human Services Committee, which will be vetting the bill in the coming days.

In addition to this bill’s introduction, the House’s recently formed Mental Health Policy Caucus also held its first meeting. This bipartisan caucus will work to create a vision to transform mental health and substance abuse care for Georgians.

Economic Development: The House also gave final passage to House Bill 383 that would prohibit the state from participating in commercial discrimination against businesses that operate in Israel. House Bill 383 was carried over from the 2021 legislative session, recently seeing passage in the state Senate after policy updates and clarification of the bill’s intent.

After agreeing to the Senate changes, this bill now makes its way to Gov. Kemp for his final approval. Israel is one of our top economic trading partners, and this bill reaffirms our state’s commitment to protecting and supporting our relationship with our ally.

Local Legislation: Many citizens are not aware that all local delegations work together to promote regional legislation for the protection and betterment of various parts of our state. This legislative action comes through the form of “local bills.” Throughout this busy week, we also voted on a number of local bills on the House floor, as well as one bill related to cityhood. Our public website allows citizens to easily track and check on bills and resolutions as they move through the legislative process, and I encourage Georgians to check this regularly to see which bills will impact our district.

Adjournment Resolution: Last week, we also voted to adopt an adjournment resolution to determine our legislative calendar for the remainder of the 2022 session. Our last day, Legislative Day 40, is scheduled to take place April 4. That means we have only nine weeks to complete our ambitious legislative agenda.

As always, please be on the lookout for future updates covering the latest from your Georgia General Assembly. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact our office directly. Thank you for the opportunity to serve our home under the Gold Dome. May God bless you and may He continue to bless our district and great state.