After recent years of healthcare priorities being placed on the backburner in Georgia— because of “pure politics,” say sources at the Capitol— the issue came roaring to the forefront this year. The COVID-19 health crisis seeped into every nook and cranny of weakness across the system and wreaked havoc. Rural hospitals that have limited coverage, an onerous insurance process and
Banking and Financial Institutions Creating Banking Improvement Zones Effective: January 1, 2021 Senate Bill 20, sponsored by Sen. Michael Rhett (D – Marietta), would allow for the establishment of banking improvement zones in under-served areas as authorized by the Department of Community Affairs. Local gov- ernments within banking improvement zones would be able to deposit funds into the banks with
ATLANTA – On Wednesday, Governor Brian Kemp was joined by Commissioner John F. King, State Senator Kay Kirkpatrick, and State Representative Ron Stephens for the signing of legislation to allow for early prescription refills during a state of emergency. Senate Bill 391, which was carried by Senator Kirkpatrick on behalf of the Insurance and Safety FireCommissioner’s Office, allows for the early refill of
ATLANTA (August 5, 2020) | Today, Sen. Kay Kirkpatrick (R – Marietta) joined Governor Brian P. Kemp for the final signing of bills for the 2020 legislative session. In total, the session saw the passage of 342 bills and resolutions, including local and general, 11 of which were legislation carried or sponsored by Sen. Kirkpatrick. “In spite of the challenges of
CUMBERLAND — The Cobb County Chamber of Commerce met for breakfast in smaller numbers and spaced out Monday for the first time since the coronavirus pandemic canceled its Marquee Monday events. The gathering at the Coca-Cola Roxy at the Battery, which saw about 100 people, featured Georgia House Speaker David Ralston, R-Blue Ridge, and a panel of Cobb County state lawmakers
Georgia senators unanimously approved a bill Monday designed to cut back on the state’s stubbornly high maternal mortality rate. An amended version of House Bill 1114 now heads back to the House, where legislators have only a few days to act before the end of the 2020 session. The measure, which senators cleared 48-0, would extend Medicaid for low-income mothers from two to six months following the
After confining herself to her east Cobb bedroom for two weeks to recover from a COVID-19 infection, state Sen. Kay Kirkpatrick said she wants people to know they will get through this pandemic and that most folks are going to be fine. Kirkpatrick, who is also a physician, said she first noticed symptoms when she came down with a fever on March
Legislation allowing nonprofit groups to make sandwiches for needy children during summer cleared the Georgia Senate on Thursday. Senate Bill 345, dubbed the “Save Our Sandwiches Bill,” came after state health inspectors halted a Marietta-based summer food program after nearly 24 years of serving free homemade sandwiches to thousands of school children. A technicality in state law barred the nonprofit
A Georgia state senator who contracted coronavirus said she has almost fully recovered. “I’m actually feeling well,” said Sen. Kay Kirkpatrick, R-Marietta. “So much better now that I have the run of my house, which just started yesterday. [I’m] still coughing some, but no fever for four days, which is what it took to get out of isolation.” Kirkpatrick is one of five
A Cobb County senator said she wants Georgia to better regulate cosmetic surgery centers, where botched procedures have taken a number of lives in recent years. State Sen. Kay Kirkpatrick, a Marietta Republican, said “medispas” receive business licenses through the secretary of state’s office, but — because they are not categorized as health care facilities — don’t have to adhere
A program by a Marietta nonprofit to provide sandwiches for hungry children may be saved by a law change being pushed through the Georgia General Assembly by Sen. Kay Kirkpatrick, East Cobb. The “Save our Sandwiches” or “SOS” bill, SB 345, was introduced by Kirkpatrick in the Senate on Jan. 31 and passed unanimously out of the Health and Services
The recently completed legislative session was remarkable for the amount of health care legislation that passed. I have counted over a dozen important health bills that passed, quite amazing compared to last year when almost no health care bills passed. There was a backlog of health care work that got caught up in politics over the last few sessions, and
Georgia corrections officials told a panel of state senators that there are about 25 drone sightings near state prisons annually. For years, prison officials have tried to find ways to combat drones, which they say are used to drop contraband such as cell phones or drugs into prison yards or take photos and videos of the grounds. To help curb
State Sen. Kay Kirkpatrick, R-Marietta, has proposed an amendment, Senate Bill 32, that would protect citizens from a lawsuit if they damage a vehicle to rescue an animal in danger. She said the idea came out of the Senate committee studying whether laws were needed to regulate service or support animals. Kirkpatrick said she has a 14-year-old golden doodle therapy dog named
ATLANTA (June 2, 2017) | Senator Kay Kirkpatrick M.D. (R – Marietta) was officially sworn into her first term as a Georgia State Senator during a ceremony at the State Capitol today. “I feel incredibly blessed and humbled to have the opportunity to serve my fellow Georgians in the state senate,” said Sen. Kirkpatrick. “I am eager and excited to
