Almost Halfway through Session
Greetings from your state Capitol! Friday, February 10 brought to a close the 16th legislative day. That means by the end of next week, we will be half way through this year’s session!
Last week should have been deemed, “Firefighter Protection Week,” as we passed a number of bills for the benefit of our brave firefighters. Georgia’s firefighters selflessly risk their lives and long term health to ensure we are kept safe. While containing a fire is the short-term risk, very rarely, do we hear about the long-term risks associated with their heroic actions.
Firefighter Protections
On Tuesday, January 7 we passed House Bill 146 with overwhelming, bipartisan support. HB 146 would require fire departments to provide and maintain adequate insurance coverage for firefighters serving 12 consecutive months, unable to work due to a disabling cancer diagnosis. Due to the nature of their work, firefighters are increasingly exposed to cancer-causing carcinogens and studies show that these brave individuals have higher rates of certain types of cancers than the rest of the population. Listed below are provisions of HB 146:
•Provides for a lump-sum benefit of $25,000 or $6,250 based on the severity of the cancer.
•Provides a monthly benefit equal to 60 percent of the firefighter’s monthly salary at the time of diagnosis, or a monthly benefit of $5,000, whichever is less.
•Benefits would begin six months after the firefighter has submitted proof of their diagnosis and would continue for three years.
•Provides coverage for volunteer firefighters who are unable to work due to a cancer diagnosis.
•Provides volunteer firefighters would receive a monthly benefit of $1,500 for the same three-year period.
•Would allow firefighters to maintain their insurance coverage upon retirement or a career change, but recipient would be responsible for paying insurance premiums in those scenarios.
•Authorizes counties and cities to use tax revenue to purchase insurance for firefighters covered under this bill.
Eligible cancers covered under HB 146 include bladder, blood, brain, breast, cervical, esophageal, intestinal, kidney, lymphatic, lung, prostate, rectal, respiratory tract, skin, testicular, thyroid, leukemia, multiple myeloma or non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
In addition to passing HB 146, we also unanimously passed House Bills 83 and 84, two bills that would support the Georgia Firefighters’ Pension Fund. The Georgia Firefighters’ Pension Fund was established in 1955 to provide a supplemental pension benefit to Georgia’s firefighters and their beneficiaries through assets held in trust. HB 83 would allow the Georgia Firefighters’ Pension Fund to invest up to 10 percent of its total assets in real estate, which is currently prohibited. If the fund’s assets decrease in value, the fund may retain the real estate investments as if they were owned prior to the decrease in the fund’s assets.
This measure will ensure that this fund remains healthy for future beneficiaries.
Similarly, HB 84 would give the Georgia Firefighters’ Pension Fund the ability to invest up to 10 percent of its total assets in alternative investments, such as private investment pools, private investment funds and venture capital funds, amongst others. Under current law, the Pension Fund can invest up to five percent of its total assets in alternative investments. If passed, HB 84 would double the investment percentage allowance from five to 10 percent. HB 83 and HB 84 offer greater flexibility and investment options for the Firefighters’ Pension Fund, in turn, helping the organization provide better benefits for our heroic firefighters.
House Bill 176
Our work for the protection of Georgia’s Ag industry continues as we passed House Bill 176. HB 176 is intended to improve the overall functionality of the Georgia Department of Agriculture. As it currently stands, under the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) the federal government is responsible for directing inspections of certain farms and packing houses.
However, HB 176 gives the Georgia Department of Agriculture the ability to conduct inspections, as well as, take other regulatory actions necessary to assist the FDA within the provisions of the FSMA. In short, HB 176 allows the Georgia Department of Agriculture the ability to enforce federal law independently of the federal government, which will only help streamline the inspection process. As a firm believer in “local control,” I have no doubt that Commissioner Black and his inspectors will do a wonderful job, which is why I voted in favor of the bill.
House Bill 75
This week, we unanimously passed legislation that would change open records laws involving children. House Bill 75 would protect Georgia’s youth by allowing law enforcement agencies to confidentially share vital information regarding child abuse, neglect or dependency investigations within the Department of Human Services, which includes the Division of Family and Children Services (DFCS), and other governmental child protective agencies. Currently, any shared information between law enforcement officials and child protective agencies are subject to open records requests.
As you can imagine, pending investigation information could put children in the home of a perpetrator in further danger, if the individual in question is allowed to access records alerting them they are under investigation. If passed, law enforcement officials will be allowed to privately share certain information with DFCS and other protective agencies, without the threat of those records being open to the public. HB 75 ultimately closes the open records requests’ privacy loophole by ensuring such information is kept confidential until the investigation is complete.
As always, I will continue to work for the betterment of Georgia and our district. As session comes close to the half-way point it is very important for me to receive input and concerns from our citizens. If you need anything at all or have questions concerning bills brought forth, please contact my Capitol office and we will do our best to address your concerns.
Thank you for allowing me to serve in this capacity as I am truly honored you have entrusted me to protect our interests under the Gold Dome!