The Georgia General Assembly reconvened on Monday, March 31, for the last week of our Session. We met the entire week, mixing committee days with legislative days until we closed Sine Die for the last day. Sine Die is Latin for, “There are no more days remaining”. We have completed the first year of our two-year legislative session. Even though many bills have not been addressed, they are still in play for next year.
The only Constitutional obligation the General Assembly is required to address is a balanced budget. We did not pass our budget until the last day of Session. I am going to highlight a few budget items over the next few weeks.
This week I would like to bring to your attention the priorities we placed on healthcare.
- $16.9 million in reimbursement rate increases for providers treating patients on Medicaid across the state
- $8.8 million in new funding towards maternal health
- $7.4 million in new funding for graduate medical education. This includes $3 million for 150 new residency slots, $469,654 in new fellowships, and $4 million to establish a grant program to support new and expanding residency programs
- In an effort to support Georgia’s health care workers, the General Assembly provides $1 million to physician health programs to address career fatigue and wellness
- In the Board of Dentistry, the FY 2026 budget contains $327,690 for two new positions aimed to help the investigations and compliance responsibilities of the board, the purchase of appropriate protective equipment, increased retention, and funds for software and training
- $161,560 in funding for the Board of Pharmacy for two new positions to alleviate caseload backlogs
As we continue to explore the Budget items, I hope you will feel free to reach out to me with any questions or concerns you may have. As always, thank you for allowing me to represent you and your family.
