Category: Senate Press Release

By State Sen. Greg Goggans

This past week my fellow Senators joined me in support of Senate Bill 381, legislation I authored to enhance government transparency.  SB 381 requires the Governor’s Budget Report to contain a comprehensive account of all fees collected and administered. Currently there are over 1,800 fees written in state law and I believe such a large sector of the budget should be included in the governor’s report so all Georgians are given the ability to view these specifics.  SB 381 is on its way to the House and I look forward to working with them and the governor to get this important piece of legislation passed and into law this year.

I was also honored to provide the Senate with a showcase of our state’s innovative telemedicine technology.  Telemedicine allows doctors in cities and urban areas to electronically see and treat patients in rural areas of the state. Dr. Debra B. Lister from my hometown of Douglas joined the Senate from her office 200 miles away, and shared with us her insight into the progress of telemedicine and how beneficial it is, especially to rural Georgia. 

Several other quality, common-sense pieces of legislation passed by the Senate this week:

• The Senate overwhelmingly passed some of the most sweeping property tax reform in Georgia history.  I believe all property owners in our state deserve and expect a system that is fair, straightforward, and actually works.  Senate Bill 346 would ensure all Georgia properties are properly assessed at Fair Market Value (FMV) and that property owners have guaranteed rights to appeal.  SB 346 contains over 50 revisions to current law that will empower the taxpayer, such as a yearly assessment form which would guarantee the right to appeal, an expansion of appeal time from 30 to 45 days, with the property owner automatically winning the appeal if the government does not respond in 45 days or less.  SB 346 also will help keep property assessments on a level that is in line with current market conditions.  Features in this provision include the current use of property and all relevant sales, including distressed sales, for determining FMV.  The property sales price must establish FMV for the next year, and all taxpayers must be allowed to access all data that is used in the FMV determination.  This is good legislation that was long overdue, and SB 346 is huge victory for Georgia property owners.

• The Transparency in Government and Paper Reduction Act promotes greater efficiencies and cost savings in state government.  The Transparency in Government Act will expand the public information website, www.open.georgia.gov, to include all three branches of government, any regional education service agency, all local boards of education, federal pass through dollars and contracts and expenditures made by the General Assembly.  The Paper Reduction Act will mandate electronic distribution and publication in state government, unless printing is necessary by a legal standard. These two pieces of legislation will help facilitate significant improvements in how government agencies utilize their resources and provide information to the public.

• Senate Bill 334 protects a person’s medical identity by providing strong penalties to those convicted of medical identity fraud. Medical identity fraud is quickly becoming a common type of identity theft and it costs our taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars each year. SB 334 brings the penalties in line with those already in place for financial identity fraud.

• Senate Bill 391 allows children who are found mentally incompetent to stand trial to be placed in a secure residential facility, rather than a state psychiatric hospital.  Senate Bill 400 gives juveniles the ability to have their time spent in secure detention prior to being sent to a Youth Development Center count toward their overall sentence.

• Senate Bill 310 prevents unlicensed pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) from circumventing the laws and regulations currently in place. The bill provides exceptions to PBMs operating in alliance with a medical facility or health insurer, as well as penalties of up to $1,000 for each violation of acting as a PBM without a license.

Please remember to contact me in my office on the issues that are affecting you and your area.  I am here to represent you and it is an honor for me to work on your behalf.  As always, I’d like to thank members of the Senate staff, who contribute regularly to my column.
 

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Sen. Greg Goggans represents the 7th Senate District, which includes Atkinson, Bacon, Berrien, Clinch, Coffee, Echols, Lanier, Pierce and Ware counties and a portion of Cook County.

PRESS RELEASE
For Immediate Release:
March 17, 2010
For Information Contact:
Matt Colvin, Broadcast Specialist
matthew.colvin@senate.ga.gov
404.656.0028