[February 18, 2013] | It was a busy week for visitors at our Capitol. We had Leadership groups from both Murray and Pickens Counties at the Gold Dome to meet with us and to have some special speakers talk to them. We had a good time talking with our folks. The Boards of Amicalola EMC and North GA EMC, Jack Dunn and Pharmacy students, Tea party folks, Home Builders Association, and Farm Bureau members all checked in with us. I also enjoyed speaking to and spending the afternoon with the Big Canoe men?s group on Wednesday. Our work on the Budget for 2013-14 has began also.
At the State Capitol we honored retiring UGA President Michael Adams for his service to the University. The House also took up several pieces of legislation this week. There were a few I would like to call your attention to that may directly affect our community or that you may have seen on the news.
House Resolution 4 urges the state of Tennessee to accept a settlement of its boundary dispute with the State of Georgia that has been ongoing for nearly two hundred years. The settlement would reflect the boundary line established by the flawed 1818 survey, except with a one and a half mile ?inlet? that would allow Georgia access to the massive Tennessee River at Nickajack in Dade County, which would provide Georgia with an abundant amount of water. The compromise would not affect any Tennessee resident, but would allow Georgia its rightful access to the Tennessee River. HR 4 also authorizes the Governor to enter into any necessary negotiations with the State of Tennessee to resolve this long-standing border dispute. Some have made fun of this Resolution, but it is serious; as this would make a tremendous impact on the stabilization of water resources for North Georgia.
House Bill 59 would help increase public safety by reducing the number of false alarms reported to law enforcement, which would allow our first responders to focus their resources on those truly in need. This legislation requires an alarm monitoring company to use a second contact for alarm verification if its first attempt is unsuccessful. If the second contact is reached and the alarm went off in error, then any dispatched law enforcement can disregard the report and continue with their regular duty. No second verification call would be required, however, if the alarm monitoring company has video or audio verification of a fire alarm, panic, robbery-in-progress, or crime-in-progress. It is important that we utilize law enforcement wisely. Reducing the number of responses to false alarms will help communities throughout the Georgia do just that.
House Bill 198 ensures that Georgians receive accurate information about their health insurance options. There are rumors that we were encouraging Obamacare in Georgia by passing this bill, nothing could be further from the truth. This is unfortunately something that must be done to protect Georgians in the future as it comes in effect. Under the federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA), also known as ?Obamacare,? health insurance exchanges will be required to award grants to ?navigators.? These navigators will then help people enroll in qualified health plans ? a service currently provided by insurance brokers. Despite the fact that navigators will perform services similar to those provided by insurance brokers, the ACA explicitly prevents states from requiring navigators to hold an insurance producers license. This in effect would allow people who have not undergone the same level of training as an insurance broker to essentially carry out a similar role. This could cause consumers to receive inconsistent or inaccurate advice about their health care coverage options. Therefore, HB 198 would allow the State Insurance Commissioner to license navigators and ensure that they have the necessary qualifications to provide proper health insurance guidance.
Please feel free to call me if you have any questions or comments about legislation being considered in the General Assembly. You can reach me at our Capitol office at 404-656-0188 or by email at rick.jasperse@house.ga.gov.
Thank you for allowing me to serve as your Representative.