ATLANTA – State Representative Mary Margaret Oliver (D-Decatur), chair of the House Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Overview Committee (MARTOC), was recently named by the Georgia Academy of Family Physicians (GAFP) as its House Legislative Champion of the Year for her strategic vision, leadership and efforts to improve health care in the state.
“I am honored and humbled to receive this award from such a respected and renowned organization,” said Rep. Oliver. “Often times, family physicians are the main, or only, providers for mental health care services to their patients, and I want to recognize their invaluable contributions to fighting the mental health epidemic among our children and youth. The fight to change the mental health care system in Georgia is just getting started and will continue to gain momentum during the next legislative term.”
Rep. Oliver was a co-sponsor and leading advocate for Speaker David Ralston’s (R-Blue Ridge) House Bill 1013, the Mental Health Parity Act, which passed both the House and Senate unanimously during the 2022 legislative session. This legislation provides comprehensive reform to Georgia’s mental and behavioral health care system. HB 1013 provides parity to mental health coverage, equips law enforcement with trained mental health clinicians for related emergency calls and establishes grants for outpatient treatment.
“Representative Oliver has been tenacious in her efforts to ensure that every Georgian has access to the health care they need, including those who live in underserved communities,” says GAFP President Susana Alfonso, M.D. “This legislation was a huge victory for Georgians. Our most vulnerable patients will consequently receive better care and have greater access to more coordinated mental health services.”
Rep. Oliver is currently the only Democrat in the House to chair a standing House committee, and she was also appointed by Speaker Ralston to serve on the Georgia Behavioral Health Reform and Innovation Commission. Georgia Supreme Court Justice Michael P. Boggs also appointed Rep. Oliver to the court’s Committee on Justice for Children. She is a member of numerous other key House committees.
Rep. Oliver practices law in Decatur. She has degrees from Vanderbilt University and the Emory University School of Law. Rep. Oliver was a visiting professor at Emory’s Barton Child Law and Policy Center and currently serves on Emory’s Board of Visitors. She has been honored as an Emory History Maker, and she is a member of the Altamaha Riverkeeper Board of Directors. Rep. Oliver also taught at Boston College Law School and served as a DeKalb County Magistrate judge.
Founded in 1947, GAFP is a chapter of the American Academy of Family Physicians. GAFP’s mission is to promote Georgians’ health by advancing the family medicine specialty through education, advocacy and service to family physicians. With some 3,200 members, including physicians, residents and medical students, GAFP supports those who aspire to achieve and deliver excellence. To learn more about GAFP, please visit gafp.org or call 404-321-7445.
Representative Mary Margaret Oliver represents the citizens of District 82, which includes portions of DeKalb County. She was elected to the House of Representatives in 2002 and currently serves as Chairman of MARTOC. She also serves as a member on the Appropriations Subcommittee on Human Resources, Special Committee on Access to the Civil Justice System, as well as the Governmental Affairs, Juvenile Justice, Judiciary and Science and Technology committees.
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