2022 Session Adjourned Sine Die 

The Georgia General Assembly adjourned Sine Die on April 4. Governor Kemp has 40 days to review and take action on legislation that received final approval by the legislature. Over a hundred bills made their way to the Governor, including legislation addressing healthcare, education and criminal justice reform. After the 40 day signing period, the State Affairs team will provide a comprehensive update of all legislation that passed during the 2022 Legislative Session of interest to Emory. 

Mental Health Parity Legislation Signed Into Law

On April 4, Governor Brian Kemp signed House Bill 1013 into law. The Governor was joined by Lt. Governor Geoff Duncan, Speaker David Ralston, members of the legislature and key stakeholders. This legislation aligns Georgia’s mental health and substance abuse laws with federal statute. House Bill 1013 addresses access to care, mental health parity for providers and patients, workforce initiatives, transparency and accountability and resources and tools for frontline responders and communities. Funding is included in the Fiscal Year 2023 budget to start or support programs and initiatives outlined in House Bill 1013.

Fiscal Year 2023 Budget

The Fiscal Year 2023 Budget was approved by the Georgia General Assembly on April 4. The $30 billion dollar budget focuses on mental health, education, health care and salary raises for state employees. The budget also restores state agencies to pre-pandemic spending levels and includes funding for House Bill 1013. To review the budget, including funding for Emory programs, please click here. Of note, the budget includes seven residency slots for Emory as well as an additional $3 million for Emory Memory Net.

House Health and Human Services Biomarkers Presentation 

On March 24, Dr. Suresh S. Ramalingam, Executive Director Winship Cancer Institute, gave a presentation to the Health and Human Services Committee on how biomarker testing is revolutionizing patient care by providing better patient outcomes and cost savings. Dr. Ramalingam did a wonderful job and provided great testimony. The members and audience expressed their appreciation and commended Dr. Ramalingam on his work. Chairwoman Sharon Cooper (R - Marietta) is pictured here with Dr. Ramalingam. Please click here for a link to the video: (43:40 mark) 

Deborah Lipstadt Confirmation

The Senate has unanimously confirmed Deborah Lipstadt to serve as special envoy to monitor and combat anti-Semitism following months of delays and contentious hearings. Lipstadt is Emory University’s Dorot Professor of Modern Jewish History and Holocaust Studies. Her scholarship and thought leadership has distinguished her for decades as one of the world’s foremost experts in the study of anti-Semitism.

Kristin Johnson Confirmation

The Senate has confirmed President Joe Biden’s nomination of Kristin Johnson to a seat on the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). As a commissioner on CFTC, Johnson will work to regulate the U.S. derivatives markets and protect the public from fraud related to the sale of commodities. She has worked at the Emory School of Law since early 2021 and is recognized globally as an expert on financial markets regulation and corporate governance, compliance and risk management.

President Biden’s FY2023 Budget Request

On March 28, President Biden submitted his budget request to Congress for fiscal year 2023. The budget is not a binding document but serves as a messaging tool and can be a guide for Congress as they consider spending issues for the year’s budget.

New COVID-19 Supplemental

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Senator Mitt Romney (R-UT) revived stalled talks over COVID-19 aid that was removed from the recent $1.5 trillion government spending bill. The new $10 billion COVID package will be directed to domestic needs for vaccines, tests and therapeutic drug treatments. The amount is less than half of the $22.5 billion the administration has asked Congress to approve. Time to pass the legislation is tight as floor time will be limited in the Senate with debate on the Supreme Court confirmation of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson. It will then need to pass the House, which adjourns for a two-week recess at the end of the week.

Support Letter for Competitiveness Bills

The Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) and 20 higher education organizations submitted a letter to congressional leaders detailing their priorities for the upcoming conference consideration of the America COMPETES Act of 2022 (H.R. 4521) and the U.S. Innovation and Competition Act, or USICA (S. 1260). These bills intend to address competitiveness in global research, security matters, and domestic manufacturing.

Support for Animal Models in Research

Twenty five research organizations, along with the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC), sent a letter to eight members of Congress to express the vital importance of animal research. These House members had sent a letter to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) seeking research restrictions. The response outlines the importance of animal research to understanding and developing treatments for disease, and that appropriate, strict regulations are already in place to ensure the ethical treatment of animals used in lifesaving research. 

Senator Ossoff Internships

The office of U.S. Senator Jon Ossoff has opened the application process for its paid summer internship program in the Atlanta state office. The internship will last 12 weeks, beginning in June and ending in August. It will require potential candidates to report in person for the duration of the program. Full-time and part-time positions are available.

To apply, applicants should visit https://www.ossoff.senate.gov/about/jobs-internships/ .

Emory as a Polling Location

Emory is pleased that DeKalb County has selected our campus as a polling site. Offering a campus building (1599 Clifton) for voting is part of the university’s ongoing efforts to promote civic engagement across our entire community. For more information about this work, please visit the Emory Votes Initiative.

Woodruff Scholars and Fellow Leadership Summit

On March 25 and 26, Emory University hosted the inaugural Robert W. Woodruff Alumni Leadership Summit. During this event, participants had the opportunity to hear from Atlanta, Emory and Woodruff leaders who lead across industry, politics, health, and the arts to advocate, educate, and create lasting change. Alan Anderson, AVP for University Partnerships led a panel on March 26, focused on Civic Engagement and the Public Sector. Joining him on the panel: Doug Hooker 87B, Executive Director, Atlanta Regional Commission, Retired; Jon Keen 11B Head of Business Development, Treaty Oak Clean Energy; and Justice Leah Ward Sears 80L, Partner, Smith, Gambrell & Russell, LLP and former Chief Justice of the Georgia Supreme Court. To learn more, click HERE.

UIPD Face to Face 

During the March 29-31 UIPD university-industry partners event, Alan Anderson, AVP for University Partnerships spoke on a panel focused on the topic of Corporate Community Engagement and Institution Collaboration for Improved Outcomes. Alan was joined on the panel by colleagues from Georgia Tech, NCR, and Microsoft. To learn more, click HERE.

Atlanta Science Festival 

From March 12-26, 29,000 curious kids and adults were wowed by science at the 9th annual Atlanta Science Festival. With 114 events at 63 venues across metro Atlanta, produced in partnership with 118 event hosts, exhibitors, and sponsors, and with more than 700 volunteers, the Festival is building community around science and broadening access to learning opportunities. Emory University has been a proud sponsor and supporter of the Atlanta Science Festival from the very beginning.

Emory Student Founder Showcase 

On March 24, The Hatchery, Emory Center for Innovation hosted its first-ever Emory Student Founder Showcase. The event highlighted groundbreaking work of student founders from all Emory colleges who have been supported by The Hatchery, Emory Center for Innovation. Nearly two dozen students presented their wide-ranging innovations to practice and improve their pitch skills, and hear feedback from those in attendance. 

Good Trouble Honors 

Emory was one of the 2022 Good Trouble Honors sponsors hosted by the Center for Civic Innovation on March 31 at the Fox Theatre. The Center for Civic Innovation is a community of good troublemakers working to solve inequality in Atlanta by informing and inspiring the public, investing in and amplifying the work of community leaders, and advocating for local policy change. The Good Trouble Honors recognizes dynamic people and organizations in Atlanta getting into, in the words of former Congressman John Lewis, "good, necessary trouble" to impact our community positively.