ATLANTA – State Representative Gerald Greene (R-Cuthbert) recently convened the final meeting of the House Rural Development Council at the Georgia State Capitol in Atlanta. Rep. Greene was named co-chair of the House Rural Development Council, along with State Representative Mack Jackson (D-Sandersville), by House Speaker Jon Burns (R-Newington) earlier this year.
“Over the last several months, the House Rural Development Council had the opportunity to meet with numerous stakeholders and experts across the state in an effort to continue to prioritize the needs of those who call Georgia’s rural communities their home,” said Rep. Greene. “It was a pleasure to work alongside my fellow legislators, and I am proud of what this council was able to accomplish and look forward to presenting our findings through legislation in January.”
During this convening of the House Rural Development Council, members received testimony from additional area experts and state and local leaders on a number of topics that affect Georgia’s rural communities. Specifically, the council focused its efforts on addressing access to Medicaid and pharmaceutical health care, property rights for rural families and bolstering economic development in rural parts of the state.
The council first heard from representatives with Georgians for a Healthy Future and Voices for Georgia’s Children, organizations that center their efforts on the impacts of Medicaid coverage for rural families and their children, and, specifically, how Georgia’s current Medicaid redetermination process is affecting rural Georgians. Voices for Georgia’s Children reported that prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, roughly one in four Georgians, approximately 2.5 million, were covered by Medicaid with the majority of those numbers accounting for children. Prior to Medicaid unwinding, which began in April 2023, 69 percent of children in Georgia were covered under Medicaid. Now, Voices of Georgia’s Children reports that number has decreased due to the redetermination process, and representatives from the organization informed the council of the challenges rural communities are facing with regards to the redetermination process. Voices for Georgia’s Children and Georgians for a Healthy Future found that with increased automatic renewals for previously approved applicants and fewer procedural terminations, Georgians would have a better chance at maintaining their health care coverage despite living in rural communities across the state.
In addition to hearing testimony on enhancing accessible health care coverage for Georgians, the council also heard from leaders with the American Pharmacy Cooperative, an agency that specializes in supporting local independent community pharmacists and pharmacies in rural parts of Georgia. Independent community pharmacies provide rural residents with affordable, accessible health care including prescriptions, COVID-19 testing and vaccinations. American Pharmacy Cooperative reported in rural communities, the ratio of primary care visits to pharmacy visits is 2:11. However, while local pharmacies are equipped with the necessary tools and resources to provide basic health care, American Pharmacy Cooperative stated to the council that independent community pharmacies are being pushed out by Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBM’s), leaving small community-based pharmacies with no choice but to close their doors. American Pharmacy Cooperative applauded the Georgia General Assembly for their ability to implement legislation in recent years aimed at targeting PBM’s and supporting independent community pharmacies. American Pharmacy Cooperative concluded that pharmacies in Georgia could be better utilized to increase access to health care and stressed the need for further regulation of PBM’s in the form of new legislation that could be introduced during the upcoming legislative session.
Georgia Heirs Property Law Center, a non-profit law firm that helps heirs’ property owners, nonprofits and municipalities remediate property disputes, shared with the council their mission to grow Georgia’s economy by building generational wealth, economic value and community stability through securing and preserving heirs’ property rights. The law center works in three departments: direct legal services, land loss prevention services and asset education. The center reported that heirs’ property is a contributing factor to the decrease in owner-occupied homes and family owned farms across rural Georgia. As a result, they reported that workforce housing in Georgia is also negatively impacted. In order to combat this ongoing concern for rural families, the law center recommended that the council consider increased funding for local attorneys who specialize in heirs’ property rights because without experienced council, many heirs’ property matters go unresolved, resulting in economic turndown and decreased property value.
Lastly, the council received testimony from the Georgia Downtown Association, a non-profit statewide organization that connects communities and professionals that are committed to downtown vitality. The association highlighted the impact of the Georgia Department of Community Affairs (DCA) Rural Zone Program, an incentive based program that focuses on the revitalization of historic downtown cores. Specifically, the association focused its presentation on two rural Georgia cities, Hartwell and Thomaston. The association asked the council to consider giving Rural Zone cities the flexibility to adjust the local district footprints based on market demands, include historic residential housing as eligible for tax credits, with an added benefit of supplementing the state’s work in addressing the housing shortages in Georgia. The association also asked the council to authorize DCA and the Georgia Department of Revenue to coordinate and share information on private sector participants in each designated Rural Zone community.
The council will explore legislative solutions to these issues and others during the 2024 legislative session of the Georgia General Assembly.
The House Rural Development Council was first created in 2017 to work with rural communities to find ways to encourage economic growth and job creation. During the 2023 legislative session, the council was renewed for the current term through the unanimous adoption of House Resolution 488.
More information about the House Rural Development Council may be found here: https://www.house.ga.gov/Committees/en-US/HouseRuralDevelopmentCouncil.aspx
Representative Gerald Greene represents the citizens of District 154, which includes Baker, Calhoun, Clay, Early, Miller, Quitman, Randolph and Seminole counties, as well as portions of Dougherty County. He was elected to the House of Representatives in 1982 and currently serves as Chairman of the State Properties Committee and Vice Chairman of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Economic Development. He also serves on the Economic Development & Tourism, Public Safety and Homeland Security, Retirement, Rules, Special Rules and Urban Affairs committees.
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