HR 753: House Study Committee on Improving Access to Internal Medicine in Rural Areas; create

The House Committee on Rules offers the following substitute to HR 753:

A RESOLUTION

SECTION 1.

Creating the House Study Committee on Improving Access to Internal Medicine in Underserved Areas; and for other purposes.

WHEREAS, 75 percent of Georgia counties are considered rural; and

WHEREAS, rural Georgian communities often lack access to quality health care; and

WHEREAS, as of 2022, one in ten Georgians live in a county with no more than a single physician; and

WHEREAS, recent studies have reported that approximately 40 counties, making up roughly one-quarter of Georgia's total county count, have no internal medicine physician; and

WHEREAS, Georgia ranked fortieth among all states in the ratio of active patient care physicians to the population, with one physician for every 480 people; and

WHEREAS, as of last year, 142 of Georgia's 159 counties are healthcare professional shortage areas, meaning there are 3,500 or more patients for every one provider; and

WHEREAS, rural communities within the state are challenged with recruiting and retaining healthcare providers and staff; and

WHEREAS, transportation is not always accessible in rural areas of the state; and

WHEREAS, three out of four counties in Georgia are considered health transportation shortage areas; and

WHEREAS, health transportation shortage areas experience increased levels of transportation barriers to healthcare, such as public transportation availability and high household poverty rates; and

WHEREAS, a study committee is needed to thoroughly evaluate the most prudent and cost-effective ways to increase access to internal medicine in rural Georgian communities, with particular focus on those rural communities experiencing health transportation shortages.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES:

(1) Creation of House study committee. There is created the House Study Committee on Improving Access to Internal Medicine in Underserved Areas.

(2) Members and officers.

(A) The committee shall be composed of eight members.

(B) The Speaker of the House of Representatives shall appoint five members of the House of Representatives.

(C) The Speaker shall also appoint an additional three nonlegislative members of the committee who are licensed healthcare providers in this state and who are familiar with the needs of rural Georgia.

(D) The Speaker shall also designate a legislative member of the committee as 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, expenses, and funding.

(A) 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.

(B) Members of the committee who are not legislators, state officials, or state employees shall receive a daily expense allowance in an amount the same as that specified in subsection (b) of Code Section 45-7-21 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, as well as the mileage or transportation allowance authorized for state employees.

(C) The allowances authorized by this resolution shall not be received by any member of the committee for more than three days unless additional days are authorized. Funds necessary to carry out the provisions of this resolution shall come from funds appropriated to the House of Representatives.

(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 Clerk of the House of Representatives.

(D) In the absence of an approved report, the chairperson may file with the Clerk of the House of Representatives 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.

SECTION 2.

Creating the House Study Committee on the Affordability and Accessibility of Georgia's Legitimation Process; and for other purposes.

WHEREAS, in Georgia, a biological father who is not married to the mother of his child at the time of such child's birth must file a separate legal petition in order to legitimate the child and obtain legal rights as a parent; and

WHEREAS, the benefit of having two parents responsible for a child is known to have a positive effect on a child's welfare; and

WHEREAS, in Georgia, biological fathers who wish to obtain parental rights to their children are discouraged from doing so, often due to a lack of resources or awareness of the costs associated with legitimation; and

WHEREAS, it is worth considering whether the legitimation process in Georgia may be improved in a way that yields it more affordable and accessible, particularly for those biological fathers with limited financial resources.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES:

(1) Creation of House study committee. There is created the House Study Committee on the Affordability and Accessibility of Georgia's Legitimation Process.

(2) Members and officers. The committee shall be composed of five members of the House of Representatives. The Speaker of the House of Representatives shall designate a member of the committee as 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. The allowances authorized by this resolution shall not be received by any member of the committee for more than three days unless additional days are authorized. Funds necessary to carry out the provisions of this resolution shall come from funds appropriated to the House of Representatives.

(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 Clerk of the House of Representatives.

(D) In the absence of an approved report, the chairperson may file with the Clerk of the House of Representatives 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.

SECTION 3.

Creating the House Study Committee on Gaming in the State of Georgia; and for other purposes.

WHEREAS, the Georgia General Assembly has long considered multiple legislative measures to permit the voters of Georgia to decide whether or not to allow the state and its counties to decide whether or not to authorize or opt in to land based destination resort casinos, pari-mutuel and fixed-odds horse racing, and whether or not to permit digital, retail, and on-premise sports betting; and

WHEREAS, the General Assembly needs to determine how legalization of gaming in this state if approved by the people and enabled by the General Assembly would contribute to the economy and workforce development of this state as to revenue expectations and quality of jobs being available when weighed against what social and societal ills may come to Georgia if gaming is approved by the citizens of this state; and

WHEREAS, the General Assembly needs to determine if the legalization of gaming would also increase tax revenues for Georgia and aid in meeting the budgetary demands of government; and

WHEREAS, many of our citizens travel substantial distances to engage in gaming activities and enjoy the resort atmosphere in states such as Nevada, Mississippi, Alabama, North Carolina, and Massachusetts; and

WHEREAS, if gaming was expanded in this state, the money spent in other states might remain with the industries and tax revenues of this state; and

WHEREAS, the State of Georgia has a large agricultural industry that contributes significantly to the economy of this state and a portion of that industry is involved with the breeding, raising, and training of horses; and

WHEREAS, the legalization of horse racing and pari-mutuel betting in this state could aid in the further development and expansion of Georgia's horse breeding and raising industry and foster its contribution to the economy of this state; and

WHEREAS, the financial implications for the state of such potential legalization as well as previously considered measures by the General Assembly to improve Georgia's economy deserve to be further considered and studied along with the social, fiscal, and economic impacts and the financial viability of such endeavors.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES:

(1) Creation of House study committee. There is created the House Study Committee on Gaming in the State of Georgia.

(2) Members and officers. The committee shall be composed of seven members. The members of the committee shall be the chairpersons of the House Committee on Ways and Means, the House Committee on Regulated Industries, and the House Committee on Economic Development and four other members of the House of Representatives appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, one of whom shall be designated by the Speaker of the House of Representatives to serve as 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 shall hold at least four public hearings at various locations throughout this state and at least one meeting to discuss and finalize findings. Such hearings and meeting shall be conducted at such places and at such times as deemed necessary or convenient to enable the committee to exercise fully and effectively its powers, perform its duties, and accomplish the objectives and purposes of this resolution.

(5) Allowances and funding.

(A) 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.

(B) The allowances authorized by this resolution shall not be received by any member of the committee for more than three days unless additional days are authorized. Funds necessary to carry out the provisions of this resolution shall come from funds appropriated to the House of Representatives.

(6) Report. The committee shall adopt specific findings or recommendations that include proposed legislation, and the chairperson shall file a report of the same prior to the date of abolishment specified in this resolution.

(7) Abolishment. The committee shall stand abolished on December 1, 2025.