1/7/2010 -

ATLANTA, Jan. 6, 2010 – For the upcoming 2010 legislative session, AARP Georgia plans to focus on several core priorities concerning health care and financial protection issues. Staff and volunteers will meet with legislators and attend committee meetings to advocate on behalf of the 2010 priorities as well as other key issues important to the lives of AARP’s one million Georgia members.

“These priorities were selected after speaking with our members and looking at the key issues likely to come up during the 2010 legislative session,” said Rick D’Arezzo, state president of AARP Georgia. “We are urging all Georgians to join with us and let their legislators know what’s important to them as the new session begins.”

2010 Priorities

• Long Term Care – Protect funding for key long term care programs, especially those providing services that help seniors remain in their homes and communities.
• Health Care Reform – Support efforts to reduce the number of uninsured and underinsured Georgians and to improve the process of health care delivery. Influence state implementation of any requirements of federal health reform.
• Home Mortgage and Foreclosure Reform – Support SB 57 which works to protect Georgians from abusive lenders and predatory lending practices. SB 57 passed the Senate in 2009.
• Investor Protection and Variable Annuities – Support SB 95, which establishes suitability standards for the sale of variable annuities to persons over the age of 65. SB 95 passed the Senate in 2009.
• Tax Reform – Support a tax structure that is fair, stable and able to produce enough revenue to meet the growing needs of our state. Oppose TABOR like measures. Support SB 206, which would require a regular accounting of tax expenditures.
• Access to Fair and Affordable Utility Services – AARP will work to ensure that any legislation that impacts small utility customers is fair and protects the interests of Georgia utility customers.
• Transportation – Support initiatives that contribute to a livable community, which facilitates personal independence, allows residents to age in place and engages them in the community’s civic and economic life. Support SB 22, which requires coordination between state agencies that handle funds for transportation. Support efforts to create a range of safe, accessible, dependable and affordable transit options.

For more information about AARP Georgia’s legislative priorities and how to get involved, visit www.aarp.org/states/ga.
About AARP
AARP is a nonprofit, nonpartisan membership organization that helps people 50+ have independence, choice and control in ways that are beneficial and affordable to them and to society as a whole. We produce AARP The Magazine, published bimonthly; AARP Bulletin, our monthly newspaper; AARP Segunda Juventud, our bimonthly magazine in Spanish and English; NRTA Live & Learn, our quarterly newsletter for 50+ educators; and our website, www.aarp.org. AARP Foundation is our affiliated charity that provides security, protection, and empowerment to older persons in need with support from thousands of volunteers, donors, and sponsors. We have staffed offices in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.