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As 2015 Legislative Session Gets Underway, Transportation Funding and Rural Hospitals Hit the News The 2015 legislative session began on Monday, January 12. The General Assembly’s first week at the capitol was surrounded by news reports about the state’s critical transportation funding needs. The Joint Study Committee on Critical Transportation Infrastructure Funding released its final report at the end of last year. The final report includes findings that impact counties. As a member of the committee, ACCG advocated for both the need of additional revenue at the local level and the continued protection of existing revenue sources. ACCG prepared a one-page summary of the committee report detailing the findings that impact counties. Click here to review the summary. Please direct any questions or concerns regarding critical transportation infrastructure funding to ACCG Legislative Director Clint Mueller (cmueller@accg.org) or Associate Legislative Director Shaun Adams (sadams@accg.org). Also, be sure to monitor the weekly Legislative Update and the ACCG website for transportation updates as this session progresses. Many of the state’s rural hospitals are facing funding issues because of declining populations, fewer paying patients and decreasing payments from the government and insurers. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution recently published an article chronicling this significant issue. The article also highlights how some counties’ have assisted with keeping their rural hospitals afloat while outlining some of the overall challenges counties face in regard to their community hospitals. Click here to read the full story. House and Senate Committee Appointments and Adjournment Resolution The General Assembly also set an Adjournment Resolution (their legislative calendar) through Thursday, February 12th which will be the 15th legislative day. Be Empowered: ACCG Legislative Toolkit for County Officials As issues under the Gold Dome gain traction, it becomes more important for county officials to be engaged with ACCG and to communicate with their legislative delegations. ACCG encourages county officials to review the policy issues in the ACCG Legislative Toolkit for County Officials. Counties are also encouraged to use the feedback form included in the toolkit when discussing ACCG’s major issues with legislators. Other helpful items included in the toolkit are a sample Thank You Letter that counties may send to legislators when they vote in support of a bill significant to counties and insightful tips on how to effectively communicate with lawmakers found on the Making It Count at the Capitol page. Counties may now access the ACCG Legislative Toolkit for County Officials online by visiting here. Stay Connected, Informed, and Engaged! Attend the ACCG District Days at the Capitol The legislative session is a time when counties are presented with a wealth of information on laws that impact them directly. Whether it be changes to current laws or the creation of new ones, it remains extremely important for counties to stay connected, informed, and engaged. One way counties may achieve this is by attending the ACCG District Days at the Capitol. The ACCG District Days at the Capitol will allow attendees to receive updates from the ACCG policy staff, hear directly from the Georgia Department of Transportation, provide county officials the opportunity to connect with their legislative delegation, and hear from state leaders. Click here for details such as dates and the District Days agenda. Please be sure to register as District Days are approaching soon! Maintaining the Conversation with ACCG Social Media Follow ACCG on Twitter @GACounty and like the association’s Facebook page, ACCG, to learn more about what is taking place over the 40 legislative days. ACCG social media is another outlet in which counties will receive information regarding the 2015 legislative session.
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