ATLANTA (April 24, 2014) | Sen. John Albers (R-Roswell) joined Governor Nathan Deal at the Georgia State Capitol on Tuesday, April 22, to sign the following bills he sponsored into law: SB 207, SB 235, SB 358, and SB 386.
“I commend Governor Nathan Deal for signing these bills into law and would like to recognize the dedication of my colleagues in both the House and Senate for their favorable consideration of this important legislation,” said Sen. Albers. “I would also like to thank the people of the 56th Senate District and citizens across this state for working tirelessly to help make this legislation possible.”
During the bill signing, Sen. John Albers was joined by his wife Kari Albers, mother-in-law Glenda Puscizna and several interested stakeholders who worked to secure the passage of the following bills into law:
Senate Bill 207
Senate Bill 207 adds private home care providers to the list of long-term care facilities that fall under the purview of the Georgia Long-Term Care Ombudsmen Program. Under this legislation, Georgians will be afforded an extra measure of protection in private home care settings. The passage of SB 207 was made possible through the assistance and collaborative efforts of Doug Lueder, Jason Lupuloff and several private home care provider companies based in North Fulton.
Senate Bill 235
Senate Bill 235 allows firefighters who perform at least 1,040 hours of annual service to be eligible for membership in the Georgia Firefighters’ Pension Fund. Current law defines firefighter as a full-time employee who is compensated for their position, holds a current firefighter’s certification and performs the function of suppressing fires. As a volunteer firefighter himself, Sen. Albers worked closely with Roswell Fire Chief Ricky Spenser, Alpharetta Fire Battalion Chief Wesley McCall, Jason Lupuloff and Jim Meynard to gather input and craft this legislation.
Senate Bill 358
Senate Bill 358 expands who can file a missing child report with the Missing Children Information Center (MCIC) to include individuals and institutions charged with the care of foster children. SB 358 will ensure that information concerning a missing foster child’s whereabouts will be delivered to the appropriate authorities and allow for a more streamlined, efficient process for reporting runaways or abductions. SB 358 was championed by members of the Roswell Rotary, including Dave McCleary, and Rep. Harry Geisinger (R–Roswell).
Senate Bill 386
Senate Bill 386 protects sensitive information, such as Social Security numbers, taxpayer ID numbers and financial account numbers, included in court filings. Senate Bill 386 clarifies that where Social Security numbers, taxpayer identification numbers, and/or financial account numbers are included, only the last four digits of any such number may be included in the filing.
The continued need to protect the personally-identifiable information of Georgians’ was brought to Sen. Albers attention through a Fox 5 I-team report featuring a local Roswell man, Rob Morella, whose personal information was readily-assessable on the Fulton County Courts website. After Fox 5 reporter Dale Russell and Rob Morella brought this issue forward to the public, Sen. Albers’ worked closely with several judges, the clerks of the court association and citizens to solve this important issue and pass this legislation into law.
All four bills will go into effect on July 1, 2014.
For Immediate Release:
April 24, 2014
For Information Contact:
Jennifer Yarber, Director
Shawna Mercer, Sr. Communications Specialist
shawna.mercer@senate.ga.gov
404.656.0028