Update to an earlier report: This article includes new information about a story we previously covered. Read our earlier report.
Health care would be state Rep. Carolyn Hugley’s first priority, she said after Georgia House Democrats selected the Columbus lawmaker as their nominee for speaker. The full House has not elected her: lawmakers are to vote when the new legislature convenes in January.
If elected, Hugley would be Georgia’s first Black woman speaker. Democrats have won a House majority for the first time in more than two decades.
Hugley said affordability shaped this year’s elections, with people across Georgia raising concerns about the cost of everyday life. She said Gov.-elect Keisha Lance Bottoms has made Medicaid expansion a leading priority, an issue the Democratic caucus has supported for several years. Hugley also said many people lack health insurance and access to care.
Hugley said the lack of a governor willing to consider Medicaid expansion had been a barrier, and she expects Bottoms to take the lead. The comments describe priorities and expectations; the source does not report that expansion has been approved.
Republicans still control the Senate. Hugley said the House and Senate will need to put forward their priorities and find shared ground on issues important to Georgians.
She cautioned that changes would not reverse the past 22 years in a single year. Hugley described the legislative path as committee review followed by votes in each chamber. If the chambers pass different versions, they must agree on identical language before a bill can go to the governor.
Hugley said she met with St. Francis on Thursday morning to discuss the increase in uncompensated care in Georgia.
Vincent Caldwell
News Now Georgia
