State Senate Summary

State Senate

Summary CHUCK

HUFSTETLER

Finance Chair District 52

The 2021 session of the Georgia General Assembly recently concluded.

Looking back at a couple of bills, the Surprise Billing became law on January 1st. (Otherwise known as the Surprise Billing Consumer Protection Act.) The act aims to stop surprise billing to patients who receive out of network care. Unexpected high medical bills are often the result of specialty procedures like emergency room, trauma surgery and anesthesiology preformed by out-of-network specialists. I have received response from constituents that it has kept them from being economically devastated when they were out-of-network in an emergency situation.

The Marketplace Facilitator bill became effective on April 1st last year. This bill requires online sellers to remit sales tax to the Georgia Department of Revenue. Who would have known when it was passed last January that the economy would shut down in late March and online sales would go up tremendously? While an economist last year said it would ‘only bring in $80M annually,’ it actually generated $455M in the first eight months, and has continued to grow. It is looking like three-quarters of $1B on an annual basis.

We are now able to efficiently collect sales tax from businesses in foreign countries. Because of the implementations, we are actually up in revenue in the fiscal year that began last June—unlike many states that are struggling to pay their expenses. It also provides more revenue to our cities, counties and schools who statewide are receiving about three-quarters of that amount. (Representing three cents of the seven-cent sales tax.) Election bills are always a hot topic. The no excuses, no photo ID bill of 2005 was passed in Georgia by Republicans on a party line. Providing more security and/or limiting those who use this method of voting are the aim of many bills, but we have to be careful that we don’t have a knee jerk reaction and do it based on security and not voter suppression.

Georgia State Senate Republicans had the highest vote in any category at 54%, and many attribute our success to the above two mentioned bills and many other that dealt with health care.

Among other things, I am proposing a two-year study to look at economic competitiveness in Georgia. The last analysis was taken in 2010, and I believe the changes that were implemented then are part of the reason Georgia is the number one state to do business in for the last eight years.

As always, I want to say that it has been a great privilege to serve in the Georgia State Senate for the four counties I represent. I look forward to a great session with real solutions for the State of Georgia in helping our citizens to be healthy, educated, productive citizens who have an environment that allows them the opportunities that they desire in this life.