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HB 1235 - Commission on Men's Health; create

Childers, E. (Buddy) M (13th)	McClinton, JoAnn (68th)	Epps, Carl Von (131st)
Smith, Lynn R (103rd)	Smyre, Calvin (136th)	Manning, Judith H (32nd)

Status Summary	HC:	H&E	SC:	H&HS	FR:	01/25/00	LA:	02/16/00	S - Passed/Adopted ( ) (FA )

First Reader Summary

A BILL to amend Title 31 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to health, so as to create the Commission on Men's Health and provide for its assignment for administrative purposes and for its staff; and for other purposes.

Code Sections - 31-43-1/ 31-43-2/ 31-43-3/ 31-43-4/ 31-43-5/ 31-43-6/ 31-43-7/ 31-43-8/ 31-43-9/ 31-43-10/ 31-43-11/ 31-43-12/ 31-43-13

HB 1235                                          LC 11 9945/1 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                        A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 
                               AN ACT 
 
 
  1- 1  To amend Title 31 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, 
  1- 2  relating to health, so as to create the Commission on Men's 
  1- 3  Health and provide for its assignment for administrative 
  1- 4  purposes and for its staff; to provide for findings; to 
  1- 5  provide for appointment, qualifications, terms, 
  1- 6  compensation, expenses, vacancies, and removal of commission 
  1- 7  members; to provide for commission organization, powers, and 
  1- 8  duties; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes. 
 
  1- 9       BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA: 
 
  1-10                           SECTION 1. 
 
  1-11  Title 31 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating 
  1-12  to health, is amended by adding at the end a new chapter to 
  1-13  read as follows: 
 
 
 
  1-14    31-43-1. 
 
  1-15    As used in this chapter, the term 'commission' means the 
  1-16    Commission on Men's Health created in Code Section 
  1-17    31-43-3. 
 
  1-18    31-43-2. 
 
  1-19    The General Assembly makes the following findings: 
 
  1-20      (1) There is a silent health crisis affecting the health 
  1-21      and well-being of Georgia's men; 
 
  1-22      (2) This health crisis is of particular concern to men, 
  1-23      but is also a concern for women, and especially to those 
  1-24      who have fathers, husbands, sons, and brothers; 
 
  1-25      (3) Men's health is likewise a concern for employers who 
  1-26      lose productive employees as well as pay the costs of 
  1-27      medical care, and is a concern to state government and 
  1-28      society which absorb the enormous costs of premature 
  1-29      death and disability, including the costs of caring for 
  1-30      dependents left behind; 
 
 
 
                                 -1- 
 
 
 
  2- 1      (4) The life expectancy gap between men and women has 
  2- 2      steadily increased from one year in 1920 to seven years 
  2- 3      in 1990; 
 
  2- 4      (5) Almost twice as many men than women die from heart 
  2- 5      disease, and 28.5 percent of all men die as a result of 
  2- 6      stroke; 
 
  2- 7      (6) In 1995, blood pressure of black males was 356 
  2- 8      percent higher than that of white males, and the death 
  2- 9      rate for stroke was 97 percent higher for black males 
  2-10      than for white males; 
 
  2-11      (7) The incidence of stroke among men is 19 percent 
  2-12      higher than for women; 
 
  2-13      (8) Significantly more men than women are diagnosed with 
  2-14      AIDS each year; 
 
  2-15      (9) Fifty percent more men than women die of cancer; 
 
  2-16      (10) Although the incidence of depression is higher in 
  2-17      women, the rate of life-threatening depression is higher 
  2-18      in men, with men representing 80 percent of all suicides 
  2-19      cases, and with men 43 times more likely to be admitted 
  2-20      to psychiatric hospitals than women; 
 
  2-21      (11) Prostate cancer is the most frequently diagnosed 
  2-22      cancer in the United States among men, accounting for 36 
  2-23      percent of all cancer cases; 
 
  2-24      (12) An estimated 180,000 men will be newly diagnosed 
  2-25      with prostate cancer this year alone, of which 37,000 
  2-26      will die; 
 
  2-27      (13) Prostate cancer rates increase sharply with age, 
  2-28      and more than 75 percent of such cases are diagnosed in 
  2-29      men age 65 and older; 
 
  2-30      (14) The incidence of prostate cancer and the resulting 
  2-31      mortality rate in African American men is twice that in 
  2-32      white men; 
 
  2-33      (15) Studies show that men are at least 25 percent less 
  2-34      likely than women to visit a doctor, and are 
  2-35      significantly less likely to have regular physician 
  2-36      check-ups and obtain preventive screening tests for 
  2-37      serious diseases; 
 
  2-38      (16) Appropriate use of tests such as prostate specific 
  2-39      antigen (PSA) exams and blood pressure, blood sugar, and 
  2-40      cholesterol screens, in conjunction with clinical exams 
 
 
                                 -2- 
 
 
 
  3- 1      and self-testing, can result in the early detection of 
  3- 2      many problems and in increased survival rates; 
 
  3- 3      (17) Educating men, their families, and health care 
  3- 4      providers about the importance of early detection of 
  3- 5      male health problems can result in reducing rates of 
  3- 6      mortality for male-specific diseases, as well as improve 
  3- 7      the health of Georgia's men and its overall economic 
  3- 8      well-being; 
 
  3- 9      (18) Recent scientific studies have shown that regular 
  3-10      medical exams, preventive screenings, regular exercise, 
  3-11      and healthy eating habits can help save lives; and 
 
  3-12      (19) A Commission on Men's Health is needed to 
  3-13      investigate these findings and take such further actions 
  3-14      as may be needed to promote men's health in this state. 
 
  3-15    31-43-3. 
 
  3-16    There is created the Commission on Men's Health.  The 
  3-17    commission shall be assigned to the Department of 
  3-18    Community Health for administrative purposes only, as 
  3-19    provided in Code Section 50-4-3, except that such 
  3-20    department shall provide staff to the commission. 
 
  3-21    31-43-4. 
 
  3-22    The commission shall consist of 11 members: seven members 
  3-23    appointed by the Governor; two members of the Senate 
  3-24    appointed by the President of the Senate; and two members 
  3-25    of the House of Representatives appointed by the Speaker 
  3-26    of the House.  The Governor may also appoint an honorary 
  3-27    chairperson to serve as a member of the commission. 
 
  3-28    31-43-5. 
 
  3-29    Appointments to the commission shall be made without 
  3-30    regard to the race, color, disability, sex, religion, age, 
  3-31    or national origin of the appointees.  The members of the 
  3-32    commission appointed by the Governor shall be 
  3-33    representative of major public and private agencies and 
  3-34    organizations, shall be experienced in or have 
  3-35    demonstrated particular interest in men's health issues. 
 
  3-36    31-43-6. 
 
  3-37    (a) A person may not serve as a member of the commission 
  3-38    if the person is required to register as a lobbyist 
  3-39    because of the person's activities for compensation on 
 
 
 
 
                                 -3- 
 
 
 
  4- 1    behalf of a profession related to the operation of the 
  4- 2    commission. 
 
  4- 3    (b) The elected official who appoints members to the 
  4- 4    commission may remove any member appointed by such 
  4- 5    official who: 
 
  4- 6      (1) Violates a prohibition established by this chapter; 
 
  4- 7      (2) Cannot because of illness or disability discharge 
  4- 8      the member's duties for a substantial part of the term 
  4- 9      for which the member is appointed; or 
 
  4-10      (3) Is absent from more than half of the regularly 
  4-11      scheduled commission meetings that the member is 
  4-12      eligible to attend during a calendar year unless the 
  4-13      absence is excused by majority vote of the commission. 
 
  4-14    (c) The validity of an action of the commission is not 
  4-15    affected by the fact that it is taken when a ground for 
  4-16    removal of a commission member exists. 
 
  4-17    (d) If a member of the commission has knowledge that a 
  4-18    potential ground for removal exists, the member shall 
  4-19    notify the presiding officer of the commission of the 
  4-20    potential ground.  The presiding officer shall then notify 
  4-21    the elected official who appointed such member that a 
  4-22    potential ground for removal exists. 
 
  4-23    31-43-7. 
 
  4-24    (a) The initial members of the commission who are members 
  4-25    of the General Assembly shall serve for initial terms of 
  4-26    office which expire December 31, 2000. Thereafter, those 
  4-27    members of the commission who are members of the General 
  4-28    Assembly shall serve for terms of office of two years 
  4-29    each.  Members of the commission who are not members of 
  4-30    the General Assembly shall serve for terms of office of 
  4-31    three years each.  Members of the commission shall serve 
  4-32    for the terms of office specified in this Code section and 
  4-33    until their respective successors are appointed and 
  4-34    qualified.  Members of the commission may be reappointed 
  4-35    to the commission upon the expiration of their terms of 
  4-36    office if they otherwise continue to meet the 
  4-37    qualifications for such office. 
 
  4-38    (b) If a vacancy occurs in the membership of the 
  4-39    commission, the elected official who appointed the member 
  4-40    to the position which became vacant shall appoint a 
 
 
 
 
                                 -4- 
 
 
 
  5- 1    successor for the remainder of the unexpired term and 
  5- 2    until a successor is appointed and qualified. 
 
  5- 3    31-43-8. 
 
  5- 4    (a) The commission annually shall elect one of its members 
  5- 5    as presiding officer. 
 
  5- 6    (b) The presiding officer of the commission may appoint 
  5- 7    subcommittees for any purpose consistent with the duties 
  5- 8    of the commission under this chapter. 
 
  5- 9    31-43-9. 
 
  5-10    A member of the commission is not entitled to compensation 
  5-11    or expenses, except that any member of the commission who 
  5-12    is a member of the General Assembly shall receive the same 
  5-13    expenses and allowances for each day of service upon the 
  5-14    commission as is authorized for members of interim 
  5-15    legislative study committees of the General Assembly. 
 
  5-16    31-43-10. 
 
  5-17    (a) The commission may meet at the times and places that 
  5-18    the commission designates. 
 
  5-19    (b) The commission shall develop and implement policies 
  5-20    that provide the public with a reasonable opportunity to 
  5-21    appear before the commission and to speak on any issue 
  5-22    under the jurisdiction of the commission. 
 
  5-23    31-43-11. 
 
  5-24    The commission shall prepare annually a complete and 
  5-25    detailed written report accounting for all funds received 
  5-26    and disbursed by the commission during the preceding 
  5-27    fiscal year. 
 
  5-28    31-43-12. 
 
  5-29    The commission shall: 
 
  5-30      (1) Adopt rules as necessary for its own procedures; 
 
  5-31      (2) Develop strategies, public policy recommendations, 
  5-32      and programs, including community outreach and 
  5-33      public-private partnerships, that are designed to 
  5-34      educate Georgia's men on the benefits of regular 
  5-35      physician check-ups, early detection and preventive 
  5-36      screening tests, and healthy lifestyle practices; 
 
  5-37      (3) Focus on improving health outcomes of men in 
  5-38      specific disease areas including but not necessarily 
 
 
 
                                 -5- 
 
 
 
  6- 1      limited to prostate and testicular cancer, 
  6- 2      cardiovascular disease including high blood pressure, 
  6- 3      stroke and heart attacks, depression and suicide, and 
  6- 4      diabetes; 
 
  6- 5      (4) Monitor state and federal policy and legislation 
  6- 6      that may affect the areas of men's health; 
 
  6- 7      (5) Recommend assistance, services, and policy changes 
  6- 8      that will further the goals of the commission; and 
 
  6- 9      (6) Submit a report of its findings and recommendations 
  6-10      under this chapter to the Governor, the President of the 
  6-11      Senate, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives 
  6-12      not later than October 1 of each year. 
 
  6-13    31-43-13. 
 
  6-14    The commission may solicit and accept donations, gifts, 
  6-15    grants, property, or matching funds from a public or 
  6-16    private source for the use of the commission in performing 
  6-17    its functions under this chapter." 
 
  6-18                           SECTION 2. 
 
  6-19  All laws and parts of laws in conflict with this Act are 
  6-20  repealed. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                 -6-