BILL YEARTA: Work continues as legislative session winds down

Last week brought the conclusion of our 11th week under the Gold Dome. As we have completed 38 of 40 legislative days, we are working tirelessly to pass our legislation prior to our end-of-session deadline. It is important to remember that any legislation not reaching passage this session will remain active and be up for debate next year.

Our last few days under the Gold Dome have been busy as we passed numerous bills out of the House chamber.

Last week, we continued our ongoing efforts to support women with high-risk pregnancies through Senate Bill 106. Also known as the, “Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies Act,” this bill would create a Medicaid program to provide telemedicine clinical services to women with high-risk pregnancies.

Sadly, our state has served as a hub for sex trafficking in recent years. Last week, we strengthened laws to fight against this vile form of modern-day slavery through the passage of Senate Bill 42. This bill would revise the penalty for certain businesses that fail to post required signage about the human trafficking hotline. Fines for violations include:

· Increases maximum fine to between $500 and $1,000;

· Increases fines for repeat offenders ranging between $1,000 and $5,000.

Last week also brought bipartisan support of Senate Bill 218, which would allow state identification cards to be issued to inmates after they have completed a term of incarceration. In addition to the state-issued ID, inmates also are allowed to request documentation regarding programs and degrees earned during incarceration.

To ensure our state government is further protected against foreign cyber attack threats, we took action through the unanimous passage of Senate Bill 93. This bill will prohibit the use of certain foreign-owned social media platforms on state-owned devices. The prohibition also would stand when a foreign adversary has substantial control over the content moderation practices of the platform or if the platform uses software or an algorithm that is controlled or monitored by a foreign adversary. In December of 2022, Gov. Kemp issued an order to ban TikTok from state-owned devices, and this bill simply makes that order official law.

In previous years, we have worked to address the ongoing issue of “Surprise Billing” within the health care industry. We updated current law through the passage of Senate Bill 20, the “Consumer Access to Contracted Healthcare (CATCH) Act.” Stipulations of the bill include:

· Requirement that insurers contract with and maintain a sufficient number of participating network providers, including primary and specialty care, pharmacies, clinical laboratories and facilities;

· Prohibits insurers from denying preauthorization of services rendered by an in-network provider just because the referring provider is out-of-network;

· Grants the insurance commissioner the authority to review network adequacy to ensure the benefits are delivered as promised through reasonable access to enough in-network primary and specialty care and all other health care services included under the terms of the contract.

More students will have greater access to our HOPE grant program though the passage of Senate Bill 86. This bill will expand access to the HOPE grant program to high school students participating in our dual enrollment programs. Expansion of this program includes:

· Expanding access to HOPE grant program to high school students who are preparing to join the work force by earning college credit before graduation;

· Allowing eligible dual enrollment students to access HOPE grant funds for eligible career, technical and agricultural education courses.

The Georgia Electric Vehicle Future Act, Senate Bill 26, works to advance the electric vehicle industry in the state. This legislation would authorize the Georgia Department of Economic Development to establish and support a statewide electric vehicle manufacturing program. This program would focus its efforts on developing, marketing, and promoting investments and job creation for Georgia’s EV industry.

Those caring for immediate family members with medical issues will find relief through Senate Bill 61. This bill will permanently allow Georgia’s private sector workers to continue to utilize their paid sick leave to care for a family member in need.

This week, we will reconvene for our final two days of the legislative session. There is no doubt that there will be non-stop action under the Gold Dome as we work to beat the clock. In the coming days, be on the lookout for a final session update covering a full overview of what we accomplished this session.

If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to reach out anytime. Thank you for allowing me to serve as your voice under the Gold Dome. May God bless you and may He continue to bless the great state of Georgia.