Senate Resolution 344
By: Senators Orrock of the 36th, Jones II of the 22nd, Jackson of the 41st, Parent of the 44th
and Islam Parkes of the 7th
A RESOLUTION
Creating the Senate Study Committee on a Single-payer Healthcare Program; and for other
purposes.
WHEREAS, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) was enacted by Congress
in 2010, fundamentally reforming the American healthcare system, by expanding Medicaid
to 138 percent of the federal poverty line and making various changes to the health insurance
industry; and
WHEREAS, the State of Georgia has refused to implement Medicaid expansion as
contemplated by the ACA, leaving nearly 300,000 Georgians uninsured; and
WHEREAS, most other highly developed countries, including Australia, Canada, India,
Israel, Italy, New Zealand, Spain, Taiwan, and the United Kingdom, have single-payer
healthcare systems of some kind; and
WHEREAS, opinion polls have shown that countries with single-payer healthcare systems
almost universally prefer their systems over an American-style private healthcare system;
and
WHEREAS, various proposals have been introduced in Congress to create a nation-wide
single-payer healthcare system, and many states, including California, Colorado, Hawaii, and
Vermont, have explored the creation of a single-payer healthcare system at the state level;
and
WHEREAS, studies have shown that the United States would save approximately half a
trillion dollars every year under a single-payer system, and that as many as 212,000 lives
could have been saved during the COVID-19 pandemic; and
WHEREAS, the implementation of a single-payer healthcare system in Georgia would
significantly improve healthcare outcomes in this state; and
WHEREAS, a study committee is needed to establish informed recommendations for the
implementation of a single-payer healthcare system.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE:
(1) Creation of Senate study committee. There is created the Senate Study Committee
on a Single-payer Healthcare Program.
(2) Members and officers.
(A) The committee shall be composed of the following members:
(i) Five members of the Senate to be appointed by the President of the Senate;
(ii) The commissioner of public health or his or her designee;
(iii) The commissioner of community health or his or her designee; and
(iv) The commissioner of behavioral health and developmental disabilities or his or
her designee.
(B) The President of the Senate shall designate a legislative member of the committee
to be the chairperson of the committee.
(3) Powers and duties. The committee shall undertake a study of the conditions, needs,
issues, and problems mentioned above or related thereto and recommend any action or
legislation which the committee deems necessary or appropriate.
(4) Meetings. The chairperson shall call all meetings of the committee. The committee
may conduct such meetings at such places and at such times as it may deem necessary or
convenient to enable it to exercise fully and effectively its powers, perform its duties, and
accomplish the objectives and purposes of this resolution.
(5) Allowances and funding. The legislative members of the committee shall receive
the allowances provided for in Code Section 28-1-8 of the Official Code of Georgia
Annotated. Members of the committee who are state officials, other than legislative
members, or who are state employees, shall receive no compensation for their services
on the committee, but they may be reimbursed for expenses incurred by them in the
performance of their duties as members of the committee in the same manner as they are
reimbursed for expenses in their capacities as state officials or employees. The
allowances authorized by this resolution shall not be received by any member of the
committee for more than five days unless additional days are authorized. Funds
necessary to carry out the provisions of this resolution shall come from funds
appropriated to the Senate; except that funds for the reimbursement of the expenses of
state officials, other than legislative members, and for the reimbursement of the expenses
of state employees shall come from funds appropriated to or otherwise available to their
respective agencies.
(6) Report.
(A) In the event the committee adopts any specific findings or recommendations that
include suggestions for proposed legislation, the chairperson shall file a report of the
same prior to the date of abolishment specified in this resolution, subject to
subparagraph (C) of this paragraph.
(B) In the event the committee adopts a report that does not include suggestions for
proposed legislation, the chairperson shall file the report, subject to subparagraph (C)
of this paragraph.
(C) No report shall be filed unless the same has been approved prior to the date of
abolishment specified in this resolution by majority vote of a quorum of the committee.
A report so approved shall be signed by the chairperson of the committee and filed with
the Secretary of the Senate.
(D) In the absence of an approved report, the chairperson may file with the Secretary
of the Senate a copy of the minutes of the meetings of the committee in lieu thereof.
(7) Abolishment. The committee shall stand abolished on December 1, 2025.