Week Eleven Legislative Update
Last week, the Senate addressed over 80 pieces of legislation on a variety of issues including education, military benefits, tax incentives, the foster care system and many others that will have a direct impact on your life.
Along with the Senate addressing this legislation, I am proud of our colleagues in the House who approved the version of House Bill 481 which passed the Senate along a party-line vote over a week ago. House Bill 481 – the Living Infants Fairness and Equality (LIFE) Act – would prohibit abortions after the heartbeat of the child in the womb is detected which is typically at six weeks.
There are four exceptions – pregnancy resulted from rape or incest, is medically futile or puts the mother’s life at risk – when a mother would still have an option to terminate the pregnancy up to 20 weeks. This is one of the strictest abortion laws in the nation and I am proud of both chambers for realizing the importance of protecting the life of the unborn.
I look forward to Governor Brian P. Kemp signing this important measure into law and Georgia becoming a state that recognizes the standard for life when a heartbeat is present.
Along with HB 481 receiving final passage, both chambers also agreed on and sent to the Governor House Bill 31, the Fiscal Year 2020 general budget. The budget totals around $27.5 billion, which would be allocated to a variety of areas including education, public and school safety, behavioral health and transportation. An appropriation that I believe is important to highlight is the $3,000 pay raise which will begin on July 1, 2019 for Georgia’s certified teachers and employees. This allocation is not only a priority for the Governor, but I believe is important to all members. Our children are the future of this state and ensuring they receive the best education possible is critical. By increasing pay and keeping salaries competitive for our educators will ensure the best and brightest remain in the state.
In addition to final passage for both HB 481 and HB 31, the Senate addressed some very important bills in the chamber. Below is a highlight of some of the measures passed:
House Bill 186 would alter certain provisions regarding the Certificates of Need (CON) program. This includes raising the capital expenditure requirement threshold from $2.5 million to $10 million and allowing ‘destination cancer hospitals’ to apply to be a ‘general cancer hospital,’ which would change the requirements for in-state and out-of-state patient numbers. Additionally, HB 186 would update provisions in the Rural Hospital Organization Tax Credit regarding annual reporting and ranking hospitals in order of financial need. Lastly, HB 186 would establish the Office of Health Strategy and Coordination which would allow for state officials and experts to share information and develop innovative approaches to accessible care.
House Bill 311 would allow for a limited waiver of sovereign immunity in cases where an individual seeks injunctive or declaratory relief against the state, counties or other government entities due to claims of unconstitutional actions.
House Bill 446 would provide an additional avenue for claiming the income tax credit on timberland damaged by Hurricane Michael. Currently, someone who has damaged timberland can claim the credit upon replanting the trees. This bill would allow an individual to claim the credit upon ‘restoration’ or cleaning up the land damaged by the hurricane.
The measures below would require your approval via ballot questions during the election:
House Resolution 164 would propose a Constitutional Amendment which must be approved by voters throughout the state, to provide that revenues from hazardous waste and solid waste disposal fees and taxes paid by the taxpayer are used for their intended purpose.
House Bill 344 would provide for a Constitutional Referendum for voters to decide if the state should create a property tax exemption on charity-owned property for the purpose of building or repairing single-family homes.
In addition to these measures, there are several that passed dealing with transparency that I would like to highlight:
House Bill 264 which would require that any individual promoting or opposing the Emergency Medical Systems Communications Program be subject to lobbyist disclosure and transparency laws.
House Bill 315 would require the submission of certain documents from consultants who enter into contracts with counties, municipalities and other local entities. HB 315 would outline requirements for bids and requests for proposals and procurement orders.
House Bill 310 would require the Georgia Department of Insurance to submit a report on autism coverage to the General Assembly by June 15, 2019, and annually by June 15 thereafter.
House Bill 367 would require insurers to provide the Georgia Department of Insurance with a corporate governance annual disclosure report including information regarding their structure, policies and practices. Under HB 367, this information would be kept confidential and if an insurer fails to make the report available to the department, they would pay a $100 per day fee with a maximum $10,000 payment.
A measure that I carried received unanimous and bipartisan support. House Bill 353 would clarify that any individual who intentionally causes a motor vehicle crash that results in serious bodily injury would be guilty of the new crime of “aggravated staging of a collision”, punishable by two to 10 years imprisonment. The bill would also criminalize the act of filing for insurance benefits or monetary damages that resulted from a staged collision, punishable by one to five years imprisonment.
Along with debating these measures, it was my privilege to sponsor Senate Resolution 368 which commends Allen Poole on his appointment as the Executive Director of the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety. The Senate commended Mr. Poole for his lifetime of service to Haralson County, where he has held various governmental positions and served as a State Trooper for 19 years. It was an honor to have a constituent from the 31st district in the Senate.
On Tuesday, we wrapped up the 2019 session – Sine Die – it will take some time to review everything that was passed, what didn’t make it and what is to come during the interim. As in previous years, I will be sending out updates on what we passed and how it will have an impact on your life. Please do not hesitate to reach out in the meantime if you have any questions, concerns or feedback. I look forward to hearing from you.
Sen. Bill Heath serves as Chairman of the Government Oversight Committee. He represents the 31st Senate District which consists of Haralson and Polk counties and portions of Paulding County. He may be reached at 404-656-3943 or by email at billheath@ billheath.net