Things are moving right along here at the State Capitol as we continue to pass meaningful, effective legislation. Here are some things that happened in weeks six and seven of the Legislative Session.
Disaster relief
On Monday, February 19th, Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue video conferenced in to the Senate Committee on Agriculture and Consumer Affairs to discuss disaster relief in Southwest Georgia after Hurricane Michael. Secretary Perdue emphasized the need for prompt and holistic relief for the area and commended the General Assembly and committee’s efforts to ensure that the people of South Georgia are on the road back to prosperity as soon as possible. It is encouraging to know that Georgia’s federal legislators are working towards the same goals.
Dyslexia education
On Wednesday last week, the Senate passed Senate Bill 48, which provides a comprehensive outline for dyslexia education in Georgia. This bill would instruct the State Board of Education to develop policies that address dyslexia screening for all kindergarten students and referral for students in grades 1-3. I am so proud that the Senate is ensuring that our dyslexic students are not forgotten.
5G and telehealth services
This week got off to a busy start and the Senate passed a number of bills that will affect rural Georgians. Senate Bill 66 passed on Monday and would allow wireless providers to deploy 5G small cell services. On Tuesday, we passed Senate Bill 18 which would allow doctors to treat patients through primary care contracts without being subject to insurance requirements. Senate Bill 115 also passed and would allow the Georgia Composite Medical Board to issue telemedicine licenses to doctors not physically located in the state, increasing access to health care in rural areas. Senate Bill 118 would require that insurance companies cover telehealth services.
School safety
In continuing with the Senate’s dedication to Georgia’s schoolchildren, we passed Senate Bill 15, the “Keeping Georgia’s Schools Safe Act.” This bill would increase school safety measures by streamlining communication betweeen public schools and government agencies. It would also require schools to conduct regular threat assessments every four years. This will improve our students’ safety by ensuring that the agencies we have in place to protect them are able to do their job efficiently when faced with an emergency.
We’re over halfway through the legislative session, so if you’re interested in visiting the capitol, I encourage you to reach out to my office. Thanks you again for the opportunity to serve you.
About the author: Sen. John Wilkinson serves as Chairman of the Agriculture and Consumer Affairs Committee and also as Caucus Secretary to the Majority Party. He represents the 50th Senate District which includes Banks, Franklin, Habersham, Rabun, Stephens and Towns counties and portions of Hall and Jackson counties. He can be reached by phone at 404.463.5257 or by email at [email protected].
