ATLANTA — State Representative Valerie Clark (R-Lawrenceville) was recently named the Johnson & Johnson Georgia Retirees Association 2016 Legislator of the Year. Rep. Clark was honored during the 21st Annual Meeting of the Johnson & Johnson Georgia Retirees Association in Gainesville, Ga.
“It is an honor to be named the 2016 Legislator of the Year and to be recognized for the work we have done in the General Assembly this session,” said Rep. Clark. “I hope that these bills will save lives and protect our school children, honest consumers and pharmacists, while preventing the production of an illegal drug that is destroying lives.”
Rep. Clark was honored for her efforts in passing legislation that will allow physicians to write prescriptions for life saving medications, such as inhalers and EpiPens, directly to schools, youth camps, and other organizations. Rep. Clark was also recognized for her work with her colleagues in the General Assembly to restore insurance coverage for bariatric procedures. Bariatric surgery, a weight loss procedure aimed at restricting a person’s calorie intake, can halt diabetes, lower blood pressure, and prevent other health hazards like stroke and heart disease in many patients.
In addition, Rep. Clark was chosen as the Johnson & Johnson Georgia Retirees Association 2016 Legislator of the Year for her legislation to provide independent and grocery store pharmacists with an electronic logging system to maintain limits on purchases of over-the-counter cold and allergy medications containing pseudoephedrine – a substance commonly used to produce methamphetamine. This bill prevents illegal drug producers from buying large quantities of cold and allergy medication to produce methamphetamine. This electronic logging system is already in use in 32 other states, including those surrounding Georgia.
For more information on the Johnson & Johnson Georgia Retiree’s Association, please click here.
Representative Valerie Clark represents the citizens of District 101, which includes portions of Gwinnett County. She was elected into the House of Representatives in 2010, and currently serves as the Vice Chairman of the Transportation Committee and the Appropriations Subcommittee on Education. She also serves on the Education, Health & Human Services, and Human Relations & Aging committees.
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