Session Adjourns
Just before 1 a.m. on Friday, March 31 the Senate officially adjourned Sine Die. It was a productive session for the General Assembly this year and a significant number of bills are now on the governor’s desk for his approval or veto after receiving final passage. It’s important to remember that since we are in the first year of the biennial term any bills that did not receive a vote this session are not dead.
The most important piece of legislation we passed this year was the record $24.9 billion FY 2018 budget. This budget includes $55.4 million to fund a 20 percent salary increase for state law enforcement officers to help increase recruitment while at the same time reducing turnover.
The budget also allocates $160 million to provide funding for a two percent base salary increase for our teachers, school bus drivers and school nurses.
I am also happy to say that a bill I sponsored, Senate Bill 173, is now awaiting the governor’s approval. Under SB 173, provisions relating to captive insurers are clarified. A captive insurance company is a company that provides risk-mitigation services for a parent company or any group related to the company. SB 173 enables Georgia to become more competitive in the captive insurance company arena by making regulations for these companies friendlier and more affordable than ever before. I was proud to champion the passage of SB 173 through the Georgia General Assembly and look forward to the governor signing it into law.
Another piece of legislation that I was very pleased to see pass is Senate Bill 206, the Hearing Aid Coverage for Children Act. This legislation came through the Senate Insurance and Labor Committee, which I chair, and I am very happy that it received final passage. Under SB 206, insurance coverage would be required for one hearing aid per hearing impaired ear for children 18 and younger.
Additionally, the policy must cover the replacement for one hearing aid per ear every 48 months. The amount would be capped at $3,000 per hearing aid per ear or $6,000 total. SB 206 does provide an exemption for health plans offered through the health insurance exchange and policies offered by employers with 10 or fewer employees. Our children have every right to affordable hearing aids and I believe SB 206 is a strong step in the right direction.
These bills and more have now been sent to the governor for consideration. If you would like to stay up to date on the bills the governor has signed, you can visit his website at this link: https://gov.georgia.gov/legislation/2017
Although the legislative session has come to a close, my work on your behalf at the Capitol and across the state is never done. I will use my time during the interim to work with my colleagues to improve legislation that did not go to the floor for a vote this year.
Please feel free to reach out with any questions regarding legislation that passed or that did not make it. I look forward to hearing from you.
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Sen. Burt Jones is the Chairman of the Insurance and Labor Committee. He represents the 25th Senate District which includes Baldwin, Butts, Greene, Jasper, Morgan and Putnam counties and portions of Bibb, Jones and Walton counties. He may be reached at 404.656.0082 or via email at burt.jones@senate.ga.gov.