Category Archives: GA Laws GA Courts

March 13, 2015 Radio Commentary

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Rejected by Georgia House Commitee: U.S. Law for Georgia Courts

Radio Commentary, 90.7, 91.7 New Life FM, March 13, 2015 – By Sue Ella Deadwyler

Since 2011, Georgia legislators have introduced bills to prevent the use of foreign law in Georgia courts, but all those bills have died, including this year’s H.B. 171.

Obviously Georgia legislators ignored results of Alabama’s November General Election, when 72 percent voted against using foreign law in Alabama courts.  Alabama Lt. Gov. Kay Ivey said, “Foreign law refers to the laws of other countries or cultures.  Currently, judges or other legal authorities discern whether foreign law is applied.  Amendment 1 would create constitutional protection that foreign law is not applied if it violates the guaranteed rights of Alabama citizens.”  Actually, Alabama’s law didn’t change, but judges were reminded to stick to Alabama laws and public policy.

Georgia Representative Dustin Hightower was successful in getting a public hearing on his H.B. 171 for March 9th, the 28th day of the session.  After hearing comments about the bill, the committee failed to vote, killing the bill for this session.  Obviously, that was the plan. Continue reading →

April 2014 Newsletter

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Passed: Cancer Coverage Equity; Obamacare
Navigator Program to Cease!

 When H.B. 943 becomes law, cancer coverage will be enhanced, Georgia will not implement or operate a health exchange, and navigator programs will end when the navigator grant money is spent.

Conjoined: The Tale of Two Bills

[For 40 days after the session, the governor may veto, sign or allow bills to become law without his signature.]
When District 27’s Representative Lee Hawkins of Gainesville introduced H.B. 943 February 6th, he had no idea how important it would be. From its introduction by Representative Jason Spencer of District 180, H.B. 707 was in trouble. But, thankfully, Representative Hawkins, put his own H.B. 943 at risk to allow Representative Spencer to amend it with critical parts of H.B. 707, and it paid off. On March 18th, the amended bill passed, doubly benefiting Georgians.

Passed within H.B. 943 were parts of H.B. 707, the “Georgia Health Care Freedom Act.” So, when the governor signs it or by July 1st, a new law in Georgia will include this paragraph: “31-1-40. Neither the state nor any department, agency, bureau, authority, office, or other unit of the state nor any political subdivision of the state shall expend or use moneys, human resources, or assets to advocate or intended to influence the citizens of this state in support of the voluntary expansion by the State of Georgia of eligibility for medical assistance in furtherance of the federal ‘Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act,’ beyond the eligibility criteria in effect on the effective date of this Code section under the provisions of … the federal Social Security Act as amended.”

Additional Requirements of H.B. 707, as Passed in H.B 943

  • The attorney general will enforce provisions of the Georgia Health Care Freedom Act.
  • Bona fide educational instruction about Obamacare is not prohibited.
  • MEDICAID programs will not be affected.
  • Establishment or operation of a state exchange for Obamacare is prohibited.
  • Conversion of an existing program into a state exchange is prohibited.
  • Navigator programs will be terminated and not renewed when navigator grants expire.
  • To read the rest of this newsletter in PDF format, please click here.

March 7, 2014 Radio Commentary

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U.S. & Georgia Law for Georgia

Radio Commentary, 90.7, 91.7 New Life FM, March 7, 2014 – By Sue Ella Deadwyler

Good morning, Jim. The sovereignty of the United States is dwindling every day, because multiculturalism is so far front-and -center that we’ve lost our focus and identity as a Judeo-Christian culture. Singing the national anthem is almost passé, very few people publicly pray in Jesus’ name and the American flag may be trampled or burned.

There’s unbelievable resistance at the State Capitol every time a bill is introduced to strengthen immigration laws or protect the sanctity of life, or honor marriage as the sacred union of a man and woman. Pressure is building for foreign law to be used in cases concerning people that come here from other countries. It’s so serious that, in the last four years, seven states have passed laws to prevent U.S. courts from using foreign law and Georgia legislators have tried to pass a similar law here. Tennessee, our neighbor to the north, was the first state to pass legislation banning foreign law in their state courts and last July North Carolina became the seventh.

In Georgia, Senator Tommie Williams introduced S.R. 808 that would change our state Constitution, so only U.S. law and Georgia law could be used in Georgia courts or for public acts and public records. His bill, also, says Georgia would not have to implement laws passed by other states, if they violate our state’s public policy. Continue reading →