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On Monday, February 13, the Georgia General Assembly returned to the State Capitol for another productive week of session. During week six of the 2023 legislative session, we met in the House Chamber for four days and reached Legislative Day 20, marking the halfway point of the session. We only have 20 legislative days left to complete our business, and the “Crossover Day” deadline is rapidly approaching. With that in mind, my colleagues and I voted on many bills on the House floor that aim to better the lives of every Georgian.
The first bill we passed seeks to improve the maternal health of extremely low-income pregnant women. House Bill 129 would expand the eligibility criteria for Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) benefits to pregnant women. This federal program provides monthly cash assistance to extremely low-income families with the goal of moving these families toward economic freedom and self-sufficiency. In Georgia, the average TANF household includes three individuals, such as a mom and two children, but this vital program is not currently eligible to pregnant women. I am glad that the House took a step toward alleviating some of the financial burden for these expectant mothers so that they can focus on their prenatal health, but more still needs to be done.
We passed another bipartisan measure that would encourage better health outcomes for all Georgians, especially those with cancer. House Bill 85 would require health insurance benefit policies in Georgia to cover biomarker testing for the diagnosis, treatment, management, or ongoing monitoring of a disease or condition, such as cancer. According to the National Cancer Institute, biomarker testing analyzes a patient’s tissue, blood, or other biospecimen to look for genes, proteins, and other substances, which are called biomarkers or tumor markers. Each person’s cancer has a unique pattern of biomarkers that can help clarify a diagnosis and even determine the best treatment for an individual.
Next, my colleagues and I passed House Bill 143, which would require the Georgia Department of Community Health to cover continuous glucose monitors (CGMs) as a pharmacy benefit through Medicaid. Medicaid recipients would be eligible for this benefit if they have a diabetes mellitus diagnosis and use insulin daily or have a history of problematic hypoglycemia. This legislation would ensure that CGMs are included as a pharmacy benefit for the state’s Medicaid patients so that those individuals have access to these crucial and lifesaving devices.
To support our school systems, particularly those in rural areas of our state, we passed House Bill 81 to revise the qualifications and implementation of grant funding opportunities for low-wealth K-12 school systems to help build and maintain their schools. To ensure that this funding goes to schools that need it the most, the bill would require that educational facilities be at least 35 years old to receive funding for consolidation projects, and schools systems could only receive these grants every 10 years after their need has been met.
My colleagues and I also passed House Bill 87, or the “Completion Special Schools Act,” to create additional educational pathways for at-risk students to earn their high school diplomas. HB 87 would authorize the State Board of Education (BOE) to adopt policies to allow the establishment, funding and operation of “completion special schools.” These completion special schools would allow students who are behind on high school credits, at-risk of dropping out of high school or have already dropped out to enroll in these non-traditional schools to earn their diplomas with greater flexibility through online instruction or night classes. I was proud to vote “yes” on this legislation that would allow struggling high school students to cross the finish line to earn their high school diplomas.
The Georgia House of Representatives will resume its work on Tuesday, February 21, and when we return, we will only have eight legislative days remaining until the “Crossover Day” deadline. These next several days will be some of the most consequential of the session as we try to pass House bills while they are still eligible to become law. In the coming days and weeks ahead, I hope you will reach out to me with your thoughts or concerns regarding legislation that is still up for consideration.
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