Category Archives: Uncategorized

April 2014 Newsletter

Posted on by

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.

August 2, 2013 Radio Commentary

Posted on by

Pimps, Prostitutes & the Law

Radio Commentary, 90.7, 91.7 New Life FM, August 2, 2013 – By Sue Ella Deadwyler

Good morning, Jim. In 2011 only one member of the Georgia General Assembly voted against a bill to define children as anyone under age 18, if they were involved in sexually explicit conduct for hire. They could choose to be prostitutes, solicit sexual contact, work in illicit massage parlors or perform in pornography and STILL be considered victims of sexual abuse until their 18th birthday. If they were re-arrested after their 18th birthday, they could be charged with sex crimes.

Certainly, everyone knows SOME children AND adults are victims of sex trafficking, but honest thinkers know SOME become involved by their own volition. In my testimony to the Senate hearing for H.B. 200, I requested a lowering of the age from 18 to 13, so older teens could be subject to closer scrutiny for their involvement. The change was not made because the bill had been cleverly crafted to amend a section of law that already covered anyone UNDER 18. A senate committee member, who, OBVIOUSLY, understood the validity of my request, asked whether age 18 was part of the bill or in current law. The answer was yes, 18 was already in that section of law.

H.B. 200 passed because it camouflaged the intent of its two sister bills that died in committee the year before. They were S.B. 304 and H.B. 582. Both, clearly, stated that anyone picked up for sex crimes would not face criminal charges, unless they had reached their 18th birthday. The goal of those two bills, as well as H.B. 200, was to decriminalize sexually explicit conduct for anyone under 18, so they could qualify for victim compensation funds from the state, as well as the federal government.

Last weekend, in a 76-city sweep, the FBI arrested 159 people in child prostitution rings nationwide in its Operation Cross Country. Of those four underage girls and eight alleged pimps were arrested in Georgia. Two of the girls were in metro Atlanta and two in Augusta. I wonder how old those girls are. If they are over 13, the judge should consider whether they are victims or volunteers who chose “the life,” as sex work is now called. If the age is not lowered to 13, girls from 14 through 17 might decide “the life” is a great way to make money until they’re 18. For Georgia Insight I’m Sue Ella Deadwyler, your Capitol correspondent.

May 17, 2013 Radio Commentary

Posted on by

Pro-Life Bills BLOCKED in the House

Radio Commentary, 90.7, 91.7 New Life FM, May 20, 2013 – By Sue Ella Deadwyler

Good morning, Jim.  The opening statements of Georgia Right-to-Life’s report on the session says, “Well, here we go again!  Only two pro-life bills have been passed in the last four years,” while eight others have been blocked or ignored in committee.

Bills killed this year include The Ethical Treatment of Human Embryos Act (H.B. 481) that passed the Senate in 2010, only to be blocked by the 2010 Speaker of the House Glenn Richardson and a House committee chairman Amos Amerson.

H.481 went to the Representative Willard’s Judiciary Committee, instead of pro-life Representative Setzler’s Science and Technology committee.  Mr. Willard DID give the bill a hearing, but strong opposition by the University of Georgia, Georgia Tech and the Georgia biotech industry killed it.

Then, Representative Jay Neal introduced another bill requesting a study committee to iron out concerns of the university system and biotech industry, but that bill was sent to a non-supportive committee that refused to give it a hearing and that’s where it died. Continue reading →