House approaching ‘Crossover Day’
Neighbor, We have wrapped up another busy week at your State Capitol. As we quickly approach “Crossover Day” the House continues to take up measures of vital importance to Georgians. As we debate measures I always carefully consider the impact of each measure and only support those which will impact our community in a positive way. This week we passed legislation which will make adoption easier in our state, improve the lives of veterans in our state, and provide certainty to providers of important services to those suffering with intellectual disabilities in Georgia.
Like many of you I am strongly pro-life and believe we need to do all we can to protect the lives of children inside the womb. One way we can fight abortions in our state is by helping expecting mothers understand there are alternatives to this horrible practice. That is why I was proud to support House Bill 159 which will modernize Georgia’s adoption code based on best practices and the best interests of the child, birth parents and adoptive parents. HB159 would add the option for an individual over the age of 18 who signs a surrender of parental rights to waive the 10-day right to revoke his or her surrender effectively making the surrender final and permanent upon signature. This 10day period currently in Georgia law is extremely traumatic for the adoptive child, the prospective adoptive parents, and the birth mother. HB159 would also allow birthmothers in non-agency adoptions to receive limited living expense payments to cover the cost of food, rent and utilities, authorizing independent attorneys to dispense expenses for a limited period of time in connection with private independent adoptions. We should help support birth mothers who have made the decision to carry her child to full term and choose adoption instead of abortion. HB159 will save lives of unborn children and I was proud to support it.
The Republican led House continues to make passing legislation that improves the lives of our veterans, as well as active duty military personnel and their families one of our top priorities. House Bill 222 would allow a member of the Georgia National Guard or a member of a reserve component of the armed forces of the United States located in our state to be classified as a legal Georgia resident under eligibility requirements for HOPE Scholarships and grants. Oftentimes members of the Georgia National Guard or the reserves are required to relocate many times and may be unable to meet the Georgia residency requirements to apply for and obtain the HOPE Scholarship in an ample timeframe to begin their postsecondary studies.
This week I was proud to present House Bill 206 on the House floor where it received unanimous passage. Fortunately, for our state there are many great providers who deliver services to Georgians who are suffering with mental and intellectual developmental disabilities. However, over the last couple years these providers have come under attack by government bureaucrats. House Bill 206 will work to reduce the power of government bureaucrats and insert sanity into the audit process conducted by the Department of Community Health on these providers. While working on this legislation we heard unbelievable stories of DCH seeking recoupment of payment for services from providers who had made simple clerical errors when filling out a form regarding these services. In one instance a provider delivered services to adults with mental and intellectual developmental disabilities, but because they signed the form in the wrong color ink DCH tried to force them to pay back over $500,000. We must hold providers accountable, but there must be common sense in the process. I am proud to see House Bill 206 now clear the House and begin making its way through the Senate.