House Rural Development Committee, January 28, 2026

Transcript

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1. 0:15:24

   Okay, everyone.

2. 0:15:30

   Okay, everyone. We're gonna go ahead and call this meeting of the House Rural Development Committee to order. Thank you for being here, uh, members and everyone that's joined us for our first meeting of this session. If you... Some of you have been with us for our meetings that we've had in the interim, and I appreciate that. We learned a lot. We heard about a lot of things. And, um, we will continue to learn and listen as a committee to, um, make sure we are informed of the needs of rural Georgia. That is our job, and I know that every one of us is very passionate about the people that we represent in rural Georgia.

3. 0:16:06

   Uh, before we get started, I've asked Vice Chair Joe Campbell to say a prayer.

4. 0:16:17

   Excuse me. Uh, if you'd bow, yes, please. Father, we thank you for the opportunity you've given us to, uh, serve our constituents and to serve the state. We pray that, uh, you guide us in all that we do, and we pray you bless this meeting in Jesus' name. Amen.

5. 0:16:34

   Amen.

6. 0:16:36

   Thank you so much. First order of business, I wanna introduce the members to Sarah McCoy. Sarah is sitting here where Leo is normally sitting, and those are big shoes to fill. But Sarah McCoy is gonna be our policy analyst for session, and while Leo is handling Rules Committee. And then in the interim, Leo has told me that he'll be back with us. So thank you for being here with us, Sarah. We do appreciate you. I also wanna thank Paul Higby, who is our member of Legislative Council, here to help us out, House Media Services.

7. 0:17:10

   And make sure everyone knows, uh, these two ladies sitting over here to my left. I've got Deborah Jackson, our committee assistant. Some of you may r- may remember her from last year. She's fabulous, and we're so glad that you're back. And Elizabeth Heron- Herand- Hernandez is her assistant. And they've, th- they've been a great addition to, to our suite, and I appreciate all the work that y'all do. Okay. Very quickly, we're gonna move on to business. Uh, as you may remember, last year Dane Greene presented House Bill 659.

8. 0:17:48

   It, um... The committee loved it, but it was hearing only. He wanted to go ahead and have a hearing, and then continue to work in the interim to, to work on funding for the program and work with Appropriations. But he has let me know that he is ready to present it, and if it's the will of the committee, we'll take a vote on that today. So Dane Greene, would you like to go to the podium and present?

9. 0:18:20

   Where is that?

10. 0:18:20

    Thank you, Madam Chairman. We appreciate that. Members, uh, I go back to what the chair lady said previously. We are interested in helping the people of the State of Georgia, especially rural people that do not always have the access to some type of, of, uh, medical help or some services that are so important. If you will look at LC520789, which is House Bill 650.

11. 0:18:55

    And, uh, House Bill 659, excuse me, House Bill 659 is, uh, currently in this committee. We hope it will be moving very soon through the Georgia General Assembly, and it addresses crucial workforce and access to care needs related to optometry in our state. The bill expands eligibility for loan repayment and financial assistance programs to include optometries.

12. 0:19:28

    We took another bill that had been previously, uh, worked on and introduced it by just putting in optometries there, and it places them alongside all these other healthcare professionals who serve Georgia communities and often carry significant educational debt. In addition, House Bill 60, uh, 659 begins the creation of an optometry school in the State of Georgia.

13. 0:20:01

    Georgia is one of the most populous states in the nation without an in-state optometry school, forcing students to leave the state for their education, many of whom do not return to practice here. This contributes to shortages in eye care, particularly in the rural and underserved, uh, areas. And if you remember my, uh, statement that we did with the Rural Health, uh, or Rural, um, Committee, that our two optometry schools, one's in Birmingham and one is in, uh, Tennessee, out of state.

14. 0:20:45

    Establishing an optometry school in Georgia would increase access to vision and eye care services statewide. It would strengthen the healthcare workforce, especially in the rural communities. It would reduce debt burdens by allowing students to train in-state, and it would encourage graduates to re- uh, remain in Georgia and practice and serve our citizens. So there's a lot of needs for 659.

15. 0:21:17

    And I would like to, uh, uh, say that House Bill 60 fif- 659 represents a strategic investment in public health. education and workforce development, ensuring Georgians have access to essential eye care while building a sustainable pipeline of trained optometrists for the state. We need it in South Georgia, North Georgia, we need it throughout the state.

16. 0:21:49

    And Madam Chair, that's, that's the statement, uh, house file 659.

17. 0:21:57

    Thank you, Dean Greene. Uh, members, if you've got anything you'd like to ask Dean Greene about this, this bill in particular right now, uh, now would be a good time. We do have one, uh, member who, in the audience, who would like to speak to the bill. S- and then if you have further questions, we'll, we'll take those up. Mr. Aubrey, did you still want to come up and speak to the bill?

18. 0:22:23

    Madam Chair, I'd be happy to.

19. 0:22:24

    Thank you, Dean Greene.

20. 0:22:25

    Yes. Thank you.

21. 0:22:29

    Mr. Aubrey, will you please introduce yourself and let everyone know?

22. 0:22:32

    Yes, ma'am. I'm Aubrey Villines. I'm general counsel for the Georgia Optometric Association, and I'll be brief. Madam Chair, members of the committee, thank you for allowing me to testify here today. Are we working off 520789 or is there a sub?

23. 0:22:46

    No, we're working from-

24. 0:22:47

    Okay.

25. 0:22:49

    Yes.

26. 0:22:49

    That's all right. Whatever.

27. 0:22:49

    As, as Chairman Greene so eloquently said, this bill just increases those who are eligible for loan forgiveness, adds us to the list of physicians, uh, physicians assistants, nurse practitioners, and dentists. Uh, it's, it's much needed. Uh, we think that, that, uh, it will allow these doctors to go into those counties of 50,000 or less, which is defined. And it goes hand-in-hand with the creation of our new School of Optometry. I don't wanna confuse you. This does not create a school of optometry in any way, but that's gonna come through in appropriations is my understanding.

28. 0:23:25

    But it goes hand-in-hand, and we truly believe that, that optometrists who go to a school in Georgia are more apt to return to a rural area than one that goes to Ohio State or goes to Memphis or goes to Southern over in Birmingham. And that's all I have. We ask you favorable consideration. I'll be happy to answer any questions you may have. But again, this does not create a b- a school. It just goes hand-in-hand, as Chairman Greene said.

29. 0:23:54

    Thank you, Mr. Villines, for clarifying that. I appreciate it. Are there any commember- committee members that have a question for either Mr. Aubrey or Dean Greene?

30. 0:24:05

    Thank you so much.

31. 0:24:06

    I don't see any. Thank you. Well, at this time, uh, I'm wondering i- what the will of the committee is and if there is a motion. We don't have a quorum.

32. 0:24:18

    Move second.

33. 0:24:19

    We don't have a quorum.

34. 0:24:19

    Make a motion to adjourn.

35. 0:24:21

    Who do we need? Do we have any...

36. 0:24:23

    We have to wait.

37. 0:24:26

    We got a card from Samantha.

38. 0:24:28

    Go ahead.

39. 0:24:28

    All right. Well, since she's not here.

40. 0:24:30

    I move the will of the people.

41. 0:24:43

    Oh, okay. Okay, we were just verifying that we had a quorum before we move forward. Who... I heard a first.

42. 0:24:49

    I'll second.

43. 0:24:50

    Okay. There'll be a bunch of us.

44. 0:24:52

    Bunch of us.

45. 0:24:52

    That, uh, okay, we'll just say that, um, our secretary, Rep Butler, Buckner, is a first, and Representative Mike Cameron was our second. Do pa- do pass for House Bill 659, and that is LC number 520789. Uh, all those in favor say aye.

46. 0:25:14

    Aye.

47. 0:25:14

    Any opposed say no. All right, that is unanimous. Congratulations, Dean Greene.

48. 0:25:19

    Thank y'all so much. Thank you.

49. 0:25:23

    Very good. The only other item we have on our agenda is to hear from a good friend of mine who I am so excited is here today. Dr. Samantha, I have to say it in the right order. I just know you as Doc. You're just Dr. Sam. But Dr. Samantha Brown Parks was recently appointed to regional director for the US Department of Health and Human Services, and I'm so proud of you, and she just agreed to come today.

50. 0:25:56

    We had a quick conversation last week, and she mentioned that she had some initiatives that would be of interest to rural Georgia, and I said, "Well, why don't you just come and share those with us?" So she is, and she's brought with her her ex- executive officer, Officer Dr. Rashunda Ivory. It's good to have you here, too. So if you would like to come up to the podium, that would be great. We look forward to hearing from you. And members, if you have specific questions for her about how any of the programs she mentions affect your district in rural Georgia, feel free to ask.

51. 0:26:30

    So good afternoon. Is that close enough? There we go. I hear it. Um, I'm Sam Brown Parks. I am a family medicine physician by trade, um, but was recently appointed to HHS in a non-clinical role as regional director, which is part of the Intergovernmental and External Affairs division. Um, so I am your doorway to Secretary Kennedy and anything that needs to be moved up or come down from DC within HHS. Um, as many of you know, Secretary Kennedy's been on a roll with his initiatives, starting with first the Make America Healthy initiatives, which was a broad category, starting with removing chemicals from foods and food dyes, and then moving into changes in the food pyramid, making food healthy again, but also encouraging our children to have healthy diets, with the thought being that if you start with healthy children through healthy diets and increased activity, that you will have less chronic disease and that you will end up spending fewer healthcare dollars in the future.

52. 0:27:40

    Um, the other part of this is more affordability. It's not just a federal issue, it's a state issue. We all would like to save money, and we're all spending way too many dollars on healthcare that isn't felt as the consumer. Um, so the president has a great healthcare plan which will lower drug prices primarily by the most favored nation clause, as well as decreasing kickbacks from PBMs, and we just had a big release yesterday through the OIG, um, speaking to that.

53. 0:28:14

    And then from the, um, from the healthcare proper perspective, putting healthcare dollars back into the patients the pockets, pockets of the patients, and having patient care come first, meaning that setting up government plans, um, that have healthcare coverage, but using an HSA-style, um, setup where you get, as the patient, actual dollars in an account, and you decide what's important for you to spend it on as far as premiums go.

54. 0:28:47

    But also with a catastrophic safety net behind that, so bad things happen, and we wanna make sure that everyone's taken care of from a health perspective. Um, but affordability is all good and fine, but you need access, and this is why I'm here today. I come from a very rural place in central Florida where our county has less than 10,000 people, and I, too, like many counties in Georgia, grew up without a doctor in my county and had to travel more than an hour to get to a hospital.

55. 0:29:19

    It's hard to develop a rural community, which is what you're here to do today, if you don't have basic health. You have to have healthy children, healthy adults. It's more than just infrastructure and businesses. It is making sure that the people in your counties are taken care of. And so the last part of our plan is to increase health through innovations, um, and this seems not intuitive, but technical innovations that increase the sharing of medical data.

56. 0:29:56

    As a physician, I can tell you that so much of my time is lost from one hospital system to the next because they're not translatable, and you can't use the information from point A at point B. Um, so that's the first step. Second is to increase the telehealth network in a responsible fashion. Um, that means prepared, trained providers on the other end of that screen. And then if you have that in place, anywhere where you have internet or cell phone service, you have primary contact, and it's, it's crucial for places that just don't have the numbers to bring in docs to begin with.

57. 0:30:42

    The third arm of that is increasing training, and this speaks to the bill that, that we were discussing today. Um, we want quality training. We want quality local training, because people who train local tend to stay local, and that is the key to having access. Um, and then lastly, I will talk about the Rural Transformation, um, Health Plan. Georgia, uh, HHS has distributed through CMS $50 million to the 50 states divided up over five years.

58. 0:31:16

    Georgia was one of the first ones to submit an abstract and gave us a very well-aligned plan, and so therefore, they are one of the higher recipients of the award at $218.8 million in the first tranche. And this money is to be used by the states, tailored by the states for your needs to help rural communities. So that means training a workforce. That means increasing the number of mobile clinics, increasing telehealth, and making sure that there is a safety net for everyone, whether you live in a county of 10,000 or a million.

59. 0:31:59

    Um, and I just wanna let you know that we are here to collaborate and to help, and anything that we can do to draw attention to or get help from up above, we're here to help you.

60. 0:32:12

    Thank you so much for that. And committee, do any of you have questions?

61. 0:32:16

    Yeah, one.

62. 0:32:16

    Go ahead. Are you 17?

63. 0:32:18

    17, but it's not coming on.

64. 0:32:21

    There you go.

65. 0:32:22

    That's good. Thank you, Madam Chair, and to the lady, thank you for your report. I was just-- I'm not even sure if it's in your area, but you made a lot of statements about healthcare, which was very interesting. I live not far from the South Carolina border.

66. 0:32:36

    Mm-hmm.

67. 0:32:37

    South Carolina leads the nation in measles outbreaks, and very concerned about that, especially in my rural district. Any update on that? And by the way, they are, they have, they've fallen below herd immunity. They're at about 85% and now have over 2,500 cases. Can you address that?

68. 0:32:58

    Um, I can tell you that we are not the CDC. We are an umbrella over the CDC, but we do get updates every day tracking how rapidly it's spreading and containment issues.

69. 0:33:12

    And do you, can you tell me about-- And, and also, I'm, I'm, I'm headed to Popeyes when I leave here. Ain't no problem with that fried chicken.

70. 0:33:20

    No comment, sir.

71. 0:33:24

    Can you, can you say-

72. 0:33:24

    Well, I do, we do encourage meats over, uh, over grains and, uh, definitely over simple carbs. So I, I'll give you a point there.

73. 0:33:33

    I'm a meat eater, but tell me about the measles.

74. 0:33:37

    I cannot speak specifically to the measles because I do not represent the, I don't represent the CDC, and I am not an epidemiologist, but a family medicine physician

75. 0:33:48

    Dr. Browns Parks, maybe if, if there is information available that, that you could get to us at some point?

76. 0:33:54

    Yes, sir.

77. 0:33:55

    That'd be great.

78. 0:33:56

    Of course.

79. 0:33:56

    Go ahead.

80. 0:33:56

    Absolutely.

81. 0:33:57

    Don't wanna put you on the spot at all today, but if, if you do in the future have some information on that, that'd be great. Yeah.

82. 0:34:03

    I can give you my daily update from this morning.

83. 0:34:06

    Thank you.

84. 0:34:06

    Thank you.

85. 0:34:07

    Uh, Representative Cameron.

86. 0:34:09

    Thank you, Madam Chairman. Uh, good afternoon. Uh, I think you would agree, I'm not gonna put words in your mouth, uh, that chronic diseases which started in the 40s and 50s age group are now moving back into the 20s and teens, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure. Uh, we're about to have a debate in Georgia in the legislature over, uh, paying for bu- providing, uh, SNAP benefits for people who drink sugary drinks and cookies. I got a real, uh, yelling at this morning, which was nice.

87. 0:34:42

    But, um, is the administration moving with t- to cover more healthier foods under SNAP and not cover foods that would be long-term detrimental?

88. 0:34:53

    Yes, absolutely. I mean, that is one of our pushes for state legislators to carry through. We can't do it as, at the federal level, but we would love to help do it at the state level.

89. 0:35:06

    And just leave out Popeye's chicken.

90. 0:35:08

    Well, i- it is meat.

91. 0:35:10

    Yeah.

92. 0:35:10

    Yeah.

93. 0:35:10

    I mean, it's grilled, you know. Thank you.

94. 0:35:13

    I'm sure it's grilled chicken that he's getting.

95. 0:35:15

    Thank you, Madam Chairman.

96. 0:35:16

    I'm sure he's making wise choices.

97. 0:35:18

    Absolutely.

98. 0:35:19

    Uh, Representative Chastain.

99. 0:35:22

    Thank you, Mr. Chair. I appreciate that. Appreciate the, uh, presentation. Just one thing on the, in the bill on line 61, page three, and this may not be... Uh, maybe you can answer it, maybe you can't. But the acceptable expenditures of the grant funds, and it talks about several things. But would a hospital, if you have a local hospital-

100. 0:35:44

     Are you talking about the bill that we just voted on?

101. 0:35:46

     Yeah.

102. 0:35:47

     She, she won't be able to speak to that bill.

103. 0:35:49

     I read it this morning, but I don't think I should be speaking to it.

104. 0:35:52

     Okay. Thank you.

105. 0:35:52

     We'll answer that for you offline.

106. 0:35:54

     Okay. Appreciate it. Thank you.

107. 0:35:55

     Mm-hmm.

108. 0:35:58

     Okay. Uh, well, I have, I have one more question for you.

109. 0:36:00

     Absolutely.

110. 0:36:00

     It doesn't look like anyone else does. You mentioned an initiative about PBMs.

111. 0:36:05

     Mm-hmm.

112. 0:36:05

     Uh, could you talk about that, if there are any details there that you could share further? And if not, that's fine, but I am contacted regularly about the PBM issues from my local pharmacies. I have, there are a lot of small independent pharmacists in rural Georgia that know their, their customers, their, their patients. I'm not sure what you would, would call them. And they get, they are intimately involved with their healthcare and, and the community at large, and they contact me regularly about PBMs.

113. 0:36:39

     So whatever you can share on that front, I would love to hear it.

114. 0:36:43

     So as of yesterday, so PBMs are, um, pharmaceutical marketplaces, if you will. Um, they, they manage the benefits for your drug coverage, and it was a good idea to begin with. As it evolved over time, a lot of insurance rules got in the way, and instead of lowering the cr- cost by buying in bulk and supplying in bulk, it ended up creating higher prices for the consumer, the patient, um, and was seen as a kickback.

115. 0:37:23

     Yesterday, the OIG found it legal to allow pharmaceutical companies to have direct-to-consumer pricing, meaning that you are not required as a government, um, health insurance consumer to use a PBM, and this should allow for lower prices overall, both for the co-pays of the patients, but also for those of us paying taxes. Um, and it is expected to be in the multi-millions dollars of savings by the end of the year.

116. 0:38:00

     Um, it, so that's the first step. So it does not include it in the safe harbor. There was a safe harbor law, um, that protected PBMs, and this is allowing certain pharmaceutical companies to go direct to consumer. There's more to come, and CMS is working on transparency, transparency and accountability for where the dollars go within insurance companies, um, and what is actually returned to the patient who is the consumer.

117. 0:38:29

     Okay. Thank you for that. I'm glad it's getting some attention because I know that there's been some discrepancy between the pa- the reimbursements and, and which pharmacies are getting-

118. 0:38:40

     Yes

119. 0:38:40

     ... what. And-

120. 0:38:41

     Um, it should be much more transparent and much more fair-

121. 0:38:45

     Hey, thank you for doing that

122. 0:38:46

     ... to the more human.

123. 0:38:47

     I've got two questions for you that may or may not be related to PBMs, but, uh, we'll start with Representative Ford.

124. 0:38:53

     Hi. Um, no, mine is not related to PBMs, but it is related to microplastics. And is this administration doing anything to look at microplastics and, and how in depth, um, you know... That's, that's just an issue as a mother, um, that we're really looking at, and I'm hearing a lot about it. Um, also as I'm in the cotton business, so I want people to use natural fibers and not use plastic, and, um, it ends up in our bloodstream, and it's just not good for the environment, and it's not good for our state because-

125. 0:39:22

     For sure

126. 0:39:22

     ... Georgia's the second leading cotton state, and, um, it's a rural development issue. But, um, what is the administration doing about microplastics?

127. 0:39:30

     So they've not released their plan, but they're, it's definitely on the list of things that they're working with in conjunction with the EPA and, um, ASTDR, which is our toxicology branch, um, working with how environmental toxins affect the human component. So- the best I can say is stay tuned, but they are very well aware and have the same concerns that you do. I will also add that there is a push for all natural products, whether they be edible or otherwise, in bringing business back to farmers.

128. 0:40:02

     Good. Thank you.

129. 0:40:05

     Representative Cameron.

130. 0:40:07

     Thank you, Madam Chairman. Uh, I'm a former Blue Cross person, but I, I performed, uh, repented for my sins, and I know a lot about PBMs. But one of the things that we run into in rural Georgia is that rural pharmacies are having a hard time making ends meet. For example, benazepril is a high blood pressure pill.

131. 0:40:24

     Mm-hmm.

132. 0:40:24

     Uh, it may cost the rural pharmacy 60 cents, but a PBM wants them to sell it for 20 cents. So e- even Walker County math, that doesn't add up.

133. 0:40:33

     It, and it doesn't add up, and there-

134. 0:40:35

     Thank you, Madam Chair.

135. 0:40:37

     There will be more on the PBMs coming out. Yesterday was just the first, um, the first release from OIG. All right. Well, Director Brown-

136. 0:40:49

     Yes, ma'am

137. 0:40:49

     ... thank you so much for-

138. 0:40:50

     Thank you

139. 0:40:51

     ... being here today. I, I don't know if you anticipated this many questions, but-

140. 0:40:54

     I didn't, but I like them.

141. 0:40:55

     But we-

142. 0:40:55

     So

143. 0:40:56

     ... this committee is very inquisitive, asks great questions, and, and like I said before, are very engaged with their communities in, in rural Georgia, and we appreciate you coming and sharing what you have today. And if you have further updates on any of this, you are free to come back and, and share those with us. We appreciate you.

144. 0:41:14

     Thank you. And thank you for everything that y'all do. Your constituents really appreciate you in small towns.

145. 0:41:19

     Thank you.

146. 0:41:19

     Thank you.

147. 0:41:21

     Uh, does anyone have anything else to share with the committee at this time? All right, there's one announcement. The Georgia Chamber is hosting Rural Day at the Capitol on February 12th. That's a Thursday. And the evening before, they have offered to host a dinner for the committee. There will be some local chambers there. Some of your chambers will be there. So if you are interested in that, committee members, if you'll just get in touch with me, um, or Deborah in the next few days, we can give you details on that and would like to get a head count.

148. 0:41:57

     That's pretty soon. Well, if there's nothing further, we are adjourned.

149. 0:42:01

     Thank you.