Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger briefly spoke to approximately 30 business leaders and elected officials during a lunchtime visit with the White County Rotary Club at North Georgia Barbeque in Cleveland Tuesday afternoon.
He gave an overview of what the Secretary of State’s office does for the citizens of Georgia. Many people know that the Secretary of State’s office oversees elections throughout the state, given the amount of media coverage his office has received since the 2020 presidential elections.
But elections are only part of his job.
As secretary of state, Raffensperger oversees other divisions within his office, including divisions regulating incorporations, securities, and charities.
There are more than 1.4 million corporations listed in the state of Georgia. Secretary Raffensperger says his office is currently working to update its software in an effort to operate more efficiently and reduce the amount of lag time on the website for businesses to update their information. They have also worked to reduce the amount of time and paperwork required for a small business to become incorporated.
“That software hadn’t been updated in 20 years,” he said.
MORE Secretary of State debunks election fraud claims in candid Rotary remarks
Protecting seniors
Raffensperger told those in attendance that a bill was introduced by his office to the state Senate to “prevent, try and impede, stop financial exploitation of our seniors. It was always an issue, but during COVID, it ramped up to a whole different level,” he said. Raffensperger added, “What we really found distressing, a lot of times, it was close family members.”
Raffensperger explained that the challenge the securities division and financial planners have is that once a family member is added to an account, the transaction can’t be stopped, whether it is $50,000 or $250,000.
The bill his office introduced allows for a “five-day pause,” giving financial institutions and financial planners the opportunity to call the account holder and ask that individual if they meant to move money from their account to another account, allowing time for those transactions to be stopped.
“That’s protecting seniors,” said Raffensperger.
The Secretary thanked State Senator Steve Gooch (51-Dahlonega) and his Senate colleagues and the House of Representatives for passing that bill and Gov. Brian Kemp for signing it into law.
“We’re making sure we can protect our seniors,” Raffensperger told the audience.
Financial literacy
Raffensperger shared with the audience that his office has two financial literacy programs ongoing in the state. One for high school students and one for small businesses and entrepreneurs.
The financial literacy program for high school students is free and is available to all school districts. When a person leaves high school, they should know something about civics and finances, said Raffensperger. He encouraged those in the financial planning industry to assist schools with this program.
The financial literacy program for small businesses and entrepreneurs was available online at the height of the pandemic but is now available in person. Raffensperger and his colleagues in the Secretary of State’s Office have already hosted seminars in Gainesville, Dalton, Savannah, and other cities across the state. The program assists individuals who want to start their own business or already have a business and want to grow.
Starting small
Raffensperger also spent time during his remarks addressing the controversy surrounding the 2020 presidential election.
He wrapped up his address by giving a shout-out to the White County Chamber and to the business community.
“Every business starts small. The power of a small business is it’s usually a community-based business,” he said. “When your small business does well, God bless you, but also you are blessing your community. The better your business does, the better your community does.”
Georgia’s secretary of state debunks election fraud claims in candid Rotary Club address
