The General Assembly convened for the third week of the 2022 legislative session on Monday, January 24. Session is in full swing, and the pace certainly picked up last week. 

We convened in the House Chamber for four days to tackle our legislative business, and our committees and subcommittees also held 30 meetings throughout the busy week to discuss issues that impact all us Georgians. 

Some of the biggest news of the week came last Wednesday morning as Speaker David Ralston (R-Blue Ridge) filed House Bill 1013.  This important bill is bipartisan and will bring major change and comprehensive reforms to our state’s mental health care delivery system. This is very welcome legislation. Your House Delegation has met with many of our own local leaders from medical personnel, law enforcement and our judges, looking for solutions. This bill will address many of those issues.

First, House Bill 1013 would increase patient access to care by expanding the list of practitioners who are able to see patients, expanding telemedicine options and requiring insurers to cover certain mental health services, and other provisions. The bill would also ensure mental health parity for providers and patients so that mental health coverage is equal to physical health coverage. 

HB 1013 would strengthen the state’s mental health workforce development initiatives by providing service cancelable loans for mental health/medical professionals who work in pediatrics, psychiatry, mental health and substance abuse care. Additionally, this legislation would expand the state’s transparency and accountability requirements for consumers, as well as enhance resources and tools for frontline responders and local communities. 

HB 1013 incorporates many recommendations made by the Georgia Behavioral Health Reform and Innovation Commission, which was established by the General Assembly in 2019. This commission has worked tirelessly over the last three years to conduct a comprehensive review of the state’s behavioral health system and will continue to identify other areas that need to be overhauled. 

Mental health reform will likely be one of the most important issues we address this legislative session as nearly every family has been touched by mental health struggles, especially during the last two years.  House Bill 1013 would take the necessary first steps to address this dire issue. 

After being introduced, this legislation was assigned to the House Health & Human Services Committee, and I will share additional details as the bill makes its way through the legislative process. 

Also, we have recently formed the Mental Health Policy Caucus, which held its first meeting this week at the State Capitol. This bipartisan, bicameral caucus will work to create a unified legislative vision to transform mental health and substance abuse care for Georgians.  This group of legislators hit the ground running last week and will continue to meet with area experts and further the overarching goal of improving mental health care for Georgians this session. 

The House also gave final passage last week to a piece of legislation that was carried over from the 2021 legislative session. Several years ago, the General Assembly passed legislation that would prohibit the state from participating in commercial discrimination against businesses that operate in Israel, and during the 2021 session, the House passed House Bill 383 to clarify a portion of this law. Through the legislative process, our counterparts in the Senate made updates to the original bill that was passed by the House and, in return, passed an updated version of the bill out of their Chamber. 

Last week, the House voted to agree to the Senate’s changes before sending HB 383 to the governor’s desk to be signed into law. Israel is one of our many important economic trading partners, and this bill would reaffirm the state’s commitment to protecting this vital relationship with Israel.

In other news, the House voted to adopt an adjournment resolution last week to determine our legislative calendar for the remainder of this session. Our last day of this session, or Legislative Day 40, is scheduled for April 4, which leaves us with roughly nine more weeks to complete our ambitious legislative agendas. 

Throughout this busy week, we voted on a number of bills, one bill related to a potential new city, The City of East Cobb. Several local bills passed on the House floor. 

Also, successfully moved out of the Judiciary Committee last week was an important bill, HB 624. It will authorize an additional judgeship for the Southern Judicial Circuit. We have not had a new judgeship for this circuit for over 40 years. Now the bill goes to the Rules Committee. We hope to have it on the House Floor later next week. 

Please know the House website allows citizens to easily track and check on bills and resolutions as they move through the legislative process. With roughly two and a half months of session left, our days at the Capitol will certainly grow longer, and more bills will be scheduled for a vote on the House floor as session moves along. 

We had a number of special meetings last week. The Faith and Freedom Coalition had a meeting, and we heard from many of our state officials as well as from some statewide candidates. Also, on hand this week were the Southern Baptist Pastors. The event was led by former Thomasville resident Mike Griffin. 

We shared time with them and heard a stirring message from Pastor Jeff Struecker.  He shared his story of survival in the “Black Hawk Down” incident and the aftermath. We were left with the thought, “An ungodly country is an ungovernable country.” 

Another highlight of the week included a special visit from newly-elected Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens, who joined us in the House Chamber on Monday. The 61st mayor of Atlanta was invited by the Speaker of the House to address the body and share some of his goals with us. During his remarks, Mayor Dickens laid out a few of his priorities, including recruiting 250 officers to the Atlanta Police Department, reducing violent crime and finding sustainable solutions that allow those experiencing homelessness to live with dignity. We look forward to building a strong, collaborative relationship with Mayor Dickens during his time in office, and we wish him the best of luck as he leads our capital citWe look forward to sharing new developments with you after we returned to the Gold Dome on Tuesday, February 1 for another full week. As your state representatives, our number one goal is to advance legislation that protects, serves and supports the people of South Georgia. To help us in our efforts this session, we encourage you to reach out to us about legislation or policies that interest you. As a matter of fact, last week we heard from several folks, including Robert Bearden, Cairo. He shared his great concern with inflation and the high cost of everything we are seeing. 

Like many of us he zeroed in on his business; the real cost of fuel and the affect. Fuel has increased by more than $1.00 per gallon including impacts to household budgets, our important trucking industry,  and the entire nation which he equates will be over $19 billion in increased costs.  

I have shared this concern with the Transportation Committee and other leaders, including our Congressmen. If you have special concerns, you can contact us as follows: Rep. John LaHood, telephone number (404) 656-0188 and he may be emailed at john.lahood@house.ga.gov; Rep. Darlene Taylor’s number is at (404) 656-7857, and she may be emailed at darlene.taylor@house.ga.gov.,  Rep. Sam Watson telephone number is (404) 463-2246 or via email at sam.watson@house.ga.gov.

As always, thank you for allowing us to serve as your state representatives.