2005 Georgia General Assembly

The centerpiece of the Greater Columbus Georgia Chamber agenda and the Georgia Chamber agenda was civil justice reform. Senate Bill 3, the comprehensive tort reform package was passed before the session midpoint. The business and healthcare communities owe a great deal of gratitude to all Georgia lawmakers who voted to make this and several other business-friendly laws possible. Here is a brief review of bills passed during this landmark session. If you have any questions or want more details on any of these bills, contact Harold Bryant, vice president-Governmental Affairs at hbryant@columbusgachamber.com or 706-327-1566.

Senate Bill 3-Eliminates joint and several liability in cases involving multiple defendants, strengthens expert witness provisions, limits liability for emergency rooms and personnel, addresses venue reforms where there are two or more defendants, creates offers of settlement, places a limit on non-economic damages in medical malpractice cases, and other provisions.

Senate Bill 19-Increases the chances of getting a fair decision regarding certification of a class. Having the class certification resolved on the front end of a class action case should save significant discovery related expenses for all parties involved.

House Bill 282-Provides tax incentives to business to encourage continued growth.

House Bill 389-Creates a designation for counties in less developed areas of the state to offer business tax credits to help attract and retain small business.

Senate Bill 174-Offers employees choice between a fully mandated health insurance program and a less costly plan with fewer mandates. SB 174 allows more small business employees the opportunity to choose which type of healthcare coverage best suits their individual needs and affordability.

Other legislation supported by business interest relative to tourism, education, and workers compensation also passed during the 2005 session.

The disappointment of the session was the failure of House Bill 218. House Bill 218 would give development authorities the ability to maintain confidentiality of their economic development negotiations until those negotiations were completed. Without this authority, other states competing for an economic development prospect would have access to information that would put Georgia at a competitive disadvantage. Members of the Georgia press felt this was a threat to the open records laws and killed this bill in the Senate.

(L-R) Joel Ames, Atmos Energy; Frank and Sara Bullard, Bill Heard Enterprises; Gov. Sonny Perdue; Tripp Layfield, Columbus Regional Healthcare System; Bob Tant, Columbus Water Works and Harold Bryant, Greater Columbus Georgia Chamber of Commerce were gathered in the governor’s office.

Columbus Day at the Capitol was held on March 11. The Chamber delegation included Governmental Affairs Chairman Tripp Layfield of Columbus Regional Healthcare Systems, Frank and Sarah Bullard of Bill Heard Enterprises, Joel Ames of Atmos Energy, Bob Tant of Columbus Water Works, and Harold Bryant, VP of Governmental Affairs of the Chamber.

Each legislator was given a cap commemorating the "2005 General Assembly Family Day," which was to take place the following day, March 12, on the Capitol grounds. In addition, each member of the General Assembly received another Columbus icon, an Aflac duck. Both of these items were well received and appreciated by the recipients. The group was called to the well of both the House and Senate and was publicly recognized and thanked for the gifts. The Chamber delegation also met with the governor for a few minutes and presented him with a "Family Day" cap.

(L-R) Rep. Debbie Buckner, Rep. Richard Smith, Joel Ames, Frank Bullard, Rep. Carolyn Hugley, Rep. Calvin Smyre, Bob Tant, Tripp Layfield, Rep. Vance Smith, Harold Bryant and Speaker Pro-tem Rep. Mark Burkhalter are pictured together at the Georgia House of Representatives.

Special thanks are extended to the sponsors of Columbus Day at the Capitol. Making this successful day possible were Aflac, Atmos Energy, Bill Heard Enterprises, Columbus Technical College, Columbus Water Works, Ritch Electric, TIC Federal Credit Union, Rob Doll Nissan and Winship Clinic, P.C.

Both Congressman Westmoreland (pictured above) and Congressman Bishop (pictured at right) recently attended briefings at the Chamber.

Both congressmen were appreciative of the briefings and expressed their strong support of the Chamber's agenda.

Mark your calendars: Legislative Express appreciation night will be held Oct. 18. More details will follow. In the meantime, sponsorships are available for this gala event! Please contact Harold Bryant hbryant@columbusgachamber.com or Catina Butler cbutler@columbusgachamber.com or call 706-327-1566 and reserve your spot.