Advocacy
Legislative Lookup for Local, State, and Federal Officials
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Georgia General Assembly Information
Important Contact Information
| Steve Smith Government Relations Chair 404-429-8553 slldt@comcast.net |
Martha Kral Federal Political Director 912-660-0652 kralsml2@aol.com |
| Christy Dunkelberger, Esq. Executive Director/Legal Counsel 770-487-3900 ganaoffice@bellsouth.net |
Monty Veazey Lobbyist 229-386-8660 mveazey@gach.org |
| Mitchell Tobin, JD Senior Director, State Government Affairs 847-655-1131 mtobin@aana.com sga@aana.com |
Frank Purcell, BS Senior Director, Federal Government Affairs 202-484-8400 fpurcell@aanadc.com info@aanadc.com |
ACCESS CURRENT STATE AND FEDERAL ISSUES
Log onto www.aana.com (must be logged on members side) and go to Government Relations for all of the latest and up to date legislative and regulatory information on both the state and federal level.
Government Relations
Calendar
- GANA Retreat: Saturday, November 1, 2008 in Amicalola Falls State Park, Georgia
- Fall Assembly of States: November 7-9, 2008 in St. Petersburg, FL
- Proclamation signing with Governor Perdue and GANA Capitol Day: Thursday, January 29, 2009 at the Georgia State Capitol
- CRNA Week: January 25-31, 2009
- Mid-Year Assembly: April 19-22, 2009 in Arlington, VA
2008 Government Relations Report
I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of you that have assisted the government relations committee throughout the 2008 legislative session. A special thanks goes out to those of you who attended the government relations events and especially to the students from both MCG and MCCG who participated.
In review, the Georgia General Assembly ran from January 14th through April 4th without any regulatory or legislative issues that directly affected the practice of CRNAs in Georgia. We are still awaiting word from the Georgia Board of Nursing regarding CRNA supervision of AA students. We hope to hear something by year’s end.
HB 1041 passed and was signed by the governor into law which will require all new and transferring registered nurses to undergo criminal background checks before they are licensed in Georgia. We were one of only three states that did not have this requirement. As stated by Linda Herren CRNA, President of the Georgia Board of Nursing, “We had become a dumping ground for nurses that had run afoul of the law”.
During the 2008 legislative session the government relations committee along with CRNAs throughout the state and students from both schools attended the signing of the GANA Proclamation by Governor Sonny Perdue, Georgia Nursing Association Lobby Day, the GANA Capitol Day, and presented the “2008 Healthcare Advocate Award” to Senator Johnny Grant for his support and sponsorship of SB222 in 2007.
Please mark your calendar for next year as both GANA Capitol Day and the Proclamation signing with the governor will be held on Thursday, January 29, 2009. This will all take place at the state capitol during CRNA week: January 25-31, 2009.
Once again, it has been a privilage to serve as your government relations chair for the GANA. In closing, I would like to personally thank our executive director/legal counsel Christy Dunkelberger and our lobbyist Monty Veazey along with GRC members Martha Kral, Sao Berkowitz, Cecilia Morales, Lisa Stephens, and Beth Villaneuva.
GANA Government Relations Chair
GANA Capitol Day - February 25, 2008
Professor Lisa Stephens from the Medical College of Georgia (MCG)
along with student Jada Coleman and State Representative Jimmy Pruett from Eastman, GA.
Medical College of Central Georgia (MCCG) student Molly Andrews
and State Representative Billy Maddox from Zebulon, GA.
Professor Lisa Stephens (MCG) and Professor Eric Herrold MCCG) with 24 of their students.
Our 2008 Proclamation Signing for CRNA Week by Governor Sonny Perdue
2008 Healthcare Advocate Award
"2008 Healthcare Advocate Award" presented to Senator Johnny Grant
by Kay Argroves and Cheryl McRae-Bergeron on March 4 at the Capitol.
