One committee of the Georgia House convened to address issues related to public health. A number of different resolutions concerning new committees were considered. New bills concerning medical procedures were also considered.
First, the House Public Community and Health Committee met to cover three new resolutions and two new bills. They began with Senate Bill (SB) 101.
SB 101 requires testing for duchenne muscular dystrophy to be included in the newborn screening system. The bill is meant to prevent more children from developing the disease. It passed to the Rules Committee.
Next, the committee moved to House Resolution (HR) 304. HR 304 creates a house study committee on the costs and effects of smoking. Specifically, the committee would focus on cigarette smoking.
The new study committee would focus on how much is paid to cover the costs of those who choose to smoke. It would look into how much is paid through the state health insurance program as well. HR 304 easily passed to the Rules Committee.
The committee then moved to HR 59. This resolution creates a house study committee on maternal, prenatal, and pediatric care access and funding.
The study committee focuses on rural areas and their access to this care. It would also review the state of prenatal and natal care across Georgia. It easily passed to the Rules Committee.
The committee then passed HR 847. This resolution creates a new house study committee on evaluating funding for public health.
The new study committee evaluates the funding for the health department/meant to study whether they have what they need.
Finally, the committee discussed SB 185. This bill prohibits the use of state funds or resources for certain treatments for state inmates.
Specifically, if an individual is incarcerated under the Georgia Department of Corrections, state funds can not be used for their sex transition or sex reassignment surgery.
This bill was hotly contested with a number of speakers protesting the passage of the bill. Ultimately, it passed on to the Rules Committee.
