ATLANTA (August 29, 2017) | Sen. John Albers (R– Roswell) received a Legislator of the Year Award on Thursday, August 24, 2017, from the Georgia State Firefighters Association and the Georgia Association of Fire Chiefs for his work during the 2017 legislative session.
“Georgia’s firefighters risk their lives daily to protect our citizens, their lives and property,” said Sen. Albers. “It is only fitting that we continue to advocate for their rights and access to quality benefits. I want to thank Rep. Gravely and everyone who worked tirelessly to get HB 146 passed and signed into law. I want to thank the Governor for giving us extra time to perfect this legislation and make it the best possible outcome for our local heroes – our firefighters.”
“As President of the Georgia Association of Fire Chiefs it was my pleasure to honor Sen. Albers with this award. Sen. Albers is not only a longtime supporter and champion of the Georgia Fire Service, he is also a brother firefighter,” said Dwayne Jamison, President of the Georgia Association of Fire Chiefs and Deputy Chief of Bartow County Fire Rescue. “Along with his busy schedule, he takes time to volunteer with his local fire department and serve his community as a first responder. His hard work on HB 146 to help provide needed cancer insurance coverage for Georgia’s firefighters was instrumental in getting this critical legislation passed.”
The award was presented to Sen. Albers, along with Rep. Micah Gravely (R – Douglasville), for their work on passing HB 146 and their support of other policy initiatives aimed at helping firefighters around the state. Under HB 146, fire departments will provide expanded insurance coverage for firefighters who are diagnosed with certain cancers. This legislation requires every fire department to insure each firefighter for cancer diagnosed after having served 12 consecutive months with the department. This legislation goes into effect on January 1, 2018.
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For Immediate Release:
August 29, 2017
Ines Owens, Director
ines.owens@senate.ga.gov
404.656.0028