hb69_Sen_floor_amend_1_AM_33_0830_7.html
09 AM 33 0830

WITHDRAWN
Senators Unterman of the 45th and Williams of the 19th offered the following amendment:

Amend the Senate Health and Human Services Committee substitute to HB 69 (LC 33 3237) by inserting after "conditions;" on line 4 the following:
to amend Chapter 1 of Title 31 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to general health provisions, so as to create the Women's Reproductive Health Legislative Oversight Committee; to provide for its membership, terms, and meetings; to provide for its duties; to provide for cooperation with other agencies; to provide for an annual report; to provide for an audit;

By inserting between lines 21 and 22 the following:

SECTION 1A.
Chapter 1 of Title 31 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to general health provisions, is amended by adding a new Code section to read as follows:
"31-1-10.
(a) There is created the Women's Reproductive Health Legislative Oversight Committee which shall be composed of ten persons: four members of the House of Representatives appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, four members of the Senate appointed by the Lieutenant Governor, one member of the House of Representatives appointed by the Governor, and one member of the Senate appointed by the Governor. The initial members of such committee shall be appointed for terms beginning on July 1, 2009, and shall serve until their successors are appointed. Thereafter, the members of such committee shall be appointed within ten days after the convening of the General Assembly in each odd-numbered year and shall serve until their successors are appointed.
(b) The Speaker of the House of Representatives shall appoint a member of such committee to serve as chairperson, and the Lieutenant Governor shall appoint one member of the committee to serve as vice chairperson during each even-numbered year. The Lieutenant Governor shall appoint a member of such committee to serve as chairperson, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives shall appoint one member to serve as vice chairperson during each odd-numbered year. Such committee shall meet at least three times each year and, upon the call of the chairperson, at such additional times as deemed necessary by the chairperson; provided, however, that in 2009, such committee shall only be required to meet one time.
(c) The committee shall be authorized to:
(1) Review the funding for and evaluate the effectiveness of all state and federally funded programs and health care providers and facilities licensed by the state that provide services related to women's reproductive health. Such services include family planning programs and teen clinics that promote abstinence skills education and counseling, sex education, contraception, access to health care, testing and treatment of sexually transmitted disease, HIV counseling and testing, pregnancy education and counseling, and any other reproductive heath education. This review and evaluation shall also include accountability measures for the effectiveness of the programs as they relate to the appropriate prevention of pregnancy and to family planning; and
(2) Review the services provided by and programs conducted by the Office of Regulatory Services of the department and the Department of Community Health relating to licensed health care providers or facilities that provide treatments for:
(A) Sexually transmitted diseases;
(B) Abortions; and
(C) Follow-up health care after abortion.
(d) The department, Department of Community Health, and any other state agency or entity which receives state or federal funds for programs related to women's reproductive health or regulates health care providers or facilities licensed by the state shall cooperate with such committee and provide such information or reports as requested by the committee for the performance of its functions.
(e) The committee shall make an annual report of its activities and findings to the membership of the General Assembly and the Governor within one week of the convening of each regular session of the General Assembly. The chairperson of such committee shall deliver written executive summaries of such report to the members of the General Assembly prior to the adoption of the General Appropriations Act each year.
(f) The members of such committee shall receive the allowances authorized for legislative members of legislative committees. The funds necessary to pay such allowances shall come from funds appropriated to the House of Representatives and the Senate.
(g) The committee shall be authorized to request that a performance audit of the department be conducted with respect to the activities included in subsection (c) of this Code section."