Legislative Update: Week 1

The 2021 legislative session has begun

Last week, the Georgia General Assembly convened for the first time in 2021. The first four days of the 2021 legislative session were held with additional COVID-19 safety protocols in place. The attentions of legislators were mostly taken up with committee appointments, (including a change in leadership for the Senate Insurance Committee from Sen. Burt Jones to Sen. Dean Burke), Governor Kemp’s third State of the State address, and other annual traditions, including GHF’s own Health Care Unscrambled. 

This week will be primarily dedicated to budget hearings for the current (FY 2021 Amended) and next year’s (FY 2022) state budgets. The General Assembly will reconvene on Tuesday, January 26th for the fifth day of legislative session.

In 2019 Georgia’s health advocacy community lost several colleagues and friends. As we mourn those who passed, we strive to honor their lives by continuing to build the healthy, equitable future they each envisioned.

This year’s Linda Smith Lowe Health Advocacy Award will honor the work of one such Georgian. Dawn Alford is this year’s award recipient for her advocacy on behalf of Georgians with disabilities.

Dawn Alford was the Public Policy Director for the Georgia Council on Developmental Disabilities from 2013 until her unexpected passing in July 2019. In this role, Dawn led advocacy efforts to improve and protect access to quality health care, increase opportunities for accessible education, and to expand opportunities for people with disabilities to live full lives in their communities.

Dawn brought her own life experience to her work. As she educated legislators on important policy issues, she told stories about her health care, education, and family supports to illustrate the need and impact of policy change. She regularly led efforts to bring Georgians with disabilities to the state Capitol to do the same. Dawn’s ability to create change by leveraging the power of her own and others’ voices illustrates why GHF has chosen to recognize her as this year’s awardee.

Dawn’s former colleague and friend Eric Jacobson submitted her award nomination and reflected on Dawn’s legacy:

“It now only makes sense that we promote young people with disabilities to take her role and build upon it. While only 41 when she passed, she had begun developing a network of young people with disabilities who saw her as a mentor, coach and friend. She prepared them not only to become better advocates but to take leadership roles in the Disability Rights Movement.

She was an extraordinary advocate for people with disabilities who fought so that all Georgians with disabilities could live full and meaningful lives in the community.”

For her advocacy work on behalf of Georgians with disabilities, we are proud to honor Dawn Alford with the Linda Smith Lowe Health Advocacy Award.

We hope you will join us on January 14^th as we recognize Dawn! RSVP here.