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I am pleased to announce that my legislative aide for the 2006 session is Paige Guy. Paige is from LaGrange and the daughter of Dr. and Mrs. Daniel Guy. She graduated from LaGrange High School in 2003 and is currently a third year Management major at the Georgia Institute of Technology. Paige is the sixth student from Troup schools that I have had as a legislative aide during my twelve years of being a legislator. Last year Jesse Weathington from Carrollton was my aide. They have all been outstanding which reflects very favorably on our area.

Please contact Paige if you have any concerns pertaining to current or upcoming legislation and she will be happy to help you in any way that she can. During the legislative session she can be reached at 404.463.2247. Note my new email address is jeff.brown@house.ga.gov. My website, repjbrown.org, will be continuously updated throughout the session.

We have several openings for pages during the session. Call my legislative office for information.

Contrary to what many expected, the legislature began the 2006 Session very quickly. I serve on the Ways and Means Committee, and we passed out, on Day One, the decrease of the state tax on natural gas and propane. At the same time the Judiciary Committee started work on legislation to prevent the right of eminent domain to be used to the benefit of private developers. Also at the same time, the Government Affairs Committee passed a bill to require a photo ID to vote.

Day two the Governor announced a package for public education which included pay raises for teachers, funding for smaller class sizes, etc.

Day three the House passed the natural gas/propane tax reduction by a vote of 169-2. Also, the Governor delivered his State of the State and Budget Address to a Joint House and Senate meeting. The state of the state is good. Our tax revenues are up significantly which is making the job of those of us who serve on the Appropriations Committee much easier this year versus the past three as we were in a recession.

Thursday was Day Four, and after four and a half hours of debate, by a vote of 110-64, SB 84 requiring a photo ID to vote passed. Also, my Appropriations Committee began the process of reviewing, modifying and passing the Amended 2006 Budget. This budget started July 1, 2005, but each year when we return, unforeseen things have happened over the nine months since we passed the budget, so we make adjustments. The 2007 Budget is our primary task as a legislature this session.

On Day Five, a bill that I cosigned significantly increasing the sentence for sexual predators and monitoring them after serving their time was introduced in the House.

Even before the session began there were several consequential actions taken. Most significantly was the Governor’s announcement of an almost 300% increase for local governments to use to improve roads. One survey I saw recently ranked improved roads as the number one desire of Georgia voters in regard to their state government.

Given the above, any notion of a “do nothing” session has been dispelled. 2006 promises to be a very good year for the people of Georgia relative to what your government will do for you.

Governor Perdue & State Representative Brown announce Local Road Projects for Heard, Carroll and Troup Counties

ATLANTA- Governor Sonny Perdue and Rep. Jeffrey Brown today announced a list of 2006 local road projects for Heard, Carroll and Troup Counties that will be funded through his Paving the Way Home transportation initiative.

“These road improvement projects are investments in the communities in this county,” said Governor Sonny Perdue. “Local roads account for nearly 84 percent of the state’s entire road system. Improving local roads will lead to greater economic prosperity and ultimately a better quality of life for

Georgia

’s citizens.”

The 2006 statewide local road projects released today, funded through the Local Assistance Road Program (LARP), total $60 million, only a portion of the $234 million that will be a part of Governor Perdue’s two year initiative. At a later date, 2007 LARP and State Aid projects will be announced to complete the Paving the Way Home initiative.

“Road improvements are important to my district, and it is my opinion that road paving and road improvement projects are one of the greatest factors to our region for economic growth and development,” said Rep. Jeff Brown.

Georgia

counties prioritize their transportation improvement needs each year and submit a list to the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) to determine how much funding they will receive under LARP and State Aid. The 2006 LARP projects were selected from these prioritized project lists.

We have come to the half way point of the 2006 session and I have only written one column prior to this one. The main reason is because I chair a committee that as of the third day of session started on the amended ’06 budget which began July 1, 2006 and as soon as that was over we started on the 2007 budget. My committee is responsible for the Department of Community Health which includes Medicaid, Peachcare, nursing homes and the State Health Benefits Plans; Department of Human Resources which includes services for mental health, developmental disabilities and substance abuse, services for children and public health and the Department of Labor which includes rehabilitative services. The totals for these departments for state and tax federal dollars (paid by you) and monies from the tobacco settlement fund exceeds 14 billion dollars per year.

My first column commented on a good start to the session. I am pleased to say that we continue to have such. Granted there have been some contentious issues such as requiring a photo ID to vote, requiring at least 65% of the approximately 12 billion dollars spent on K-12 public education in Georgia be spent in the classroom and increasing penalties for certain sex crimes. Interestingly, each of these bills have been debated three to four hours on the House floor; usually by the same people making the same outdated points. Then the bill passes by 70% with all the Republicans voting for it and a group of Democrats; some of whom will run as Republicans later this year because they realize the group making the same outdated points and voting no do not represent their views nor those of the majority of their constituents.

If you sit in the gallery you may wonder why and how I often show up right before a vote. As to the why we primarily have two types of bills. The first referenced above where I know what most of the speakers are going to say so I am in my office meeting with people who want to talk to me about the budget or bills in the other three committees on which I serve. The other type of bills is those that go pretty quickly so if I am outside the House Chamber talking to people who have come to see me I can get to my seat to vote before voting is over. Since I serve on the Rules Committee which meets every morning to select the bills we will vote on in the House the next day I already have knowledge of the bill. As to how I can show up right before a vote my office is less than 100 feet from the House floor. In my office is a TV carrying the session live. Also via cell phone or instant messaging on my computer a “whip” (a caucus member responsible for getting us to vote) will contact me to say the debate is ending and voting is imminent.

Also taking my time are bills that I am “carrying” (I am the lead sponsor). You can go to www.legis.state.ga.us and click on the link “Representatives by Name” then click on my “Bio” to see these bills. This site also details my contact information and links to the committees on which I serve.

To carry a bill the author has to have legislative counsel write it, talk to those who favor it and those who oppose it, make changes that are suggested by either or both groups if she/he agrees, present it to a subcommittee and if it passes there take it to the full committee. If it passes the full committee the author has to present it to the Rules Committee to try to get it to the House Floor for a vote. If it passes then the Senate subcommittee, committee and Rules Committee must approve it. If the Senate makes a change that the House disagrees with the author is one of three House members joining three Senators as a Conference Committee to try to resolve the differences. If it passes both legislative chambers time must be spent with the executive branch to make sure they understand it and support it otherwise the Governor might veto it.

Despite this level of activity I represent you so do not hesitate to contact me at 404-463-2247 or email me at jeff.brown@house.ga.gov if you have questions, need help, have a suggestion or want to make a point about a bill. I have a few page slots available for children of constituents who are at least 12 years of age.

Busy Off Day

March 10, 2006

Tuesday we were not in session but most of our committees had a number of bills to decide since this was near the end of the time that a House Bill could pass a House Committee and have a chance of getting to the Senate this session.

My day began at 7:00 a.m. I spent two hours getting ready to present several bills, had three brief meetings and responded to emails. At 9:00 a.m. I presented HB 1459 to an Appropriations Subcommittee. This bill would give pharmaceutical companies relief from supplemental rebates they pay to the state and from prior approval requirements in return for having manufacturing plants located in Georgia. It passed unanimously.

At 10:00 a.m. we had a full Appropriations Committee meeting to hear nine bills. I requested they table my House Bill 909 which would have changed how ambulance providers are reimbursed for Medicaid trips because I don’t feel we have sufficiently developed a new formula that is affordable and yet fair to these providers. We may, at least temporarily, address this in the 2007 budget and/or introduce a new bill next session.

I also asked them to table House Bill 1459 which two hours earlier had passed subcommittee. I presented it to the subcommittee because I wanted to give this bill “airtime” so we could more fully study the issue of prior approvals, preferred drug lists and supplemental rebates in the off session and see if they could be used to recruit pharmaceutical companies to Georgia.

My House Bill 1473 was approved unanimously. This would require that the legislature approve any move to “Medicaid Modernization”. This will be on the House Floor Monday for a vote. Also on the floor Monday is my House Bill 1223 which is a 27 page bill that would affect Community Service Boards (CSB) such as Pathways. I have spent a lot of time with Department of Human Resources and the CSB Association to try and resolve differences.

Following action on the nine bills I convened our committee to have a hearing on House Bill 1498 to ease some of the thresholds the Department of Community Health is planning to use for “asset recovery”; a federal requirement to help pay for the cost of nursing home care a family member received from Medicaid. We also heard HB 1464, PeachCare for All Kids health insurance plan. Totally, this took about one hour and 45 minutes, as the authors presented their bills, committee members asked questions and ten individuals/organizations spoke for or against them.

If you are still with me we are now up to 1:00 p.m. at which time I was asked by Speaker Pro Tem Burkhalter to present HB 1472 to the Government Affairs Committee at 2:00 p.m. This bill would require that a request for quotation be developed and awarded no later than November 1, 2006 to privatize West Central Georgia Regional Hospital in Columbus. The bill passed unanimously which started a barrage of emails; more later.

At 3:30 p.m. I presented HB 1229 to award extra points for honors courses. This had passed a subcommittee. It passed unanimously in the Education Committee. The next day I was asked by School Superintendent Kathy Cox and the Governor’s policy person for education to drop this bill in return for a pledge that the issue of course content and testing to give an objective grade being aggressively pursued.

At 4:00 p.m. the Ways & Means Committee, of which I am a member, met to review eight bills. We adjourned at 5:30 p.m. Another committee started at the same time and went until 10:30 p.m. Fortunately, I’m not on that committee!

Contrary to what columnist Bill Shipp said in an article this week we should not wrap up and go home; much remains to be done in the final eleven legislative and four to six “off days”. By the way, for years Bill has been a mouth piece for the Democrat Party and a geographic bigot. He’s the one who defended Jimmy Carter’s remarks at Coretta Scott King’s funeral by saying only those from here understand that such is appropriate at a southern funeral.

There are other points from the above including most of us work very hard to try and make this a better state, the issues are varied and many very complex, there are ways beyond getting a bill passed to effect change and that you can get a lot done in a limited time but must be careful to consider all sides.

You can contact Rep. Jeff Brown at 404-463-2247 or email at jeff.brown@house.ga.gov

Legislative Aide’s Experiences

March 22, 2006

As the 2006 legislative session comes to a close, Representative Jeff Brown has asked me to take this opportunity to reflect on my experiences here at the Capitol.

Over the past few months, I have worked as the legislative aide to Representative Brown. In the 2005 session, I served as an aide to Representative Don Parsons of Marietta who is Vice-Chairman of Appropriations General Subcommittee.

During the session, the majority of my time has been spent helping Representative Brown focus on his legislative responsibilities by handling things that he would otherwise have to do. My primary role has included organizing constituent visits to the Capitol, scheduling meetings, and dealing with constituent issues. While I may handle most constituent questions and problems, Representative Brown is informed of all constituent contacts and the resolution reached. If it is a constituent issue that I cannot resolve, Representative Brown becomes involved.

One of my major projects this session has been organizing the 2007 budget requests provided to Representative Brown’s subcommittee. I, along with House Budget Analysts, created a master list of all the requests for the Department of Community Health, the Department of Labor, and the Department of Human Resources. This was a tedious, on-going process but proved to be a great resource to Representative Brown and the members of the Appropriations Health Subcommittee when it came time to vote on the budget.

Another major project I handled, and the one I am most excited about, is organizing the upcoming appearance in Troup County of the exhibit “Anne Frank, A History for Today.” This traveling exhibit will be at the LaGrange Archives from April 25 until May 20. Helping plan this event has been a time-consuming and sometimes frustrating process, but it is has also been extremely rewarding. This is a wonderful opportunity for Troup County and I encourage all to attend.

Representative Brown is Vice-Chairman of a subcommittee that is in charge of a $14 billion budget that is not only important to and impacts special interest groups but also impacts every citizen of Georgia. I have gained an enormous respect for Representative Brown, his position, and his role in the Legislature because he tries to be objective, informed, and free from pressures with his votes and budget decisions.

I encourage you to contact your legislators when you have opinions about legislation. Representative Brown carefully considers any information he receives on legislation from his constituents before voting. One of my duties is to file this information and then give it to Representative Brown when it is time to vote on the bill for which you had input. I also recommend contacting his office during session if you have a child 12 years or older who would like to page in the House. This is a great experience for children to meet their legislators and to participate in the legislature for a day.

My name is Paige Guy. I was a 2003 graduate of LaGrange High School, and am now finishing up my junior year at the Georgia Institute of Technology studying management, specifically marketing and accounting. I work at the Capitol Tuesdays and Thursdays from eight to five and Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from one to five during session and am always more than happy to help.

Collegiality/Compromise/Retribution

April 3, 2006

On Thursday, March 30, 2006 shortly before midnight we finished the 2006 session of the Georgia General Assembly. By now you have seen a lot of articles about what was and was not accomplished and may have your own take. From my perspective it was generally a good session for the people of Georgia. Taxes were lowered, financial reserves increased for the next downturn in the economy, public education should be improved through legislation and budget enhancements, eminent domain addressed, state employees and teachers get pay raises but no increased healthcare premiums despite ever rising costs (the taxpayers of Georgia will absorb the difference), child support guidelines updated, sentences increased for sexual predators, the strongest laws of any state for illegal aliens, numerous improvements to the efficient and affordable delivery of healthcare to our lower income as well as improvements in services for children and family (DFACS) and for those receiving tax payer assisted services for mental health, developmental disabilities and substance abuse. Additionally, there were numerous other budget changes and several hundred other bills passed.

As I reflect on the session and for that matter on my 16 years of public service (4 as a LaGrange City Councilman and 12 as a State Legislator) I see some themes that influence legislation. They are collegiality (relationships of colleagues) not surprisingly compromise and unfortunately retribution.

Collegiality is generally positive and happens in many areas of life. Despite its positive aspects I see it hindering the passage of better legislation and blocking the defeat of other legislation. Our subcommittees, committees and for that matter the House, and Senate pass too much legislation that is not as well thought out as it should be because of many factors; not the least of which is collegiality. We do not want to offend anyone because we will need their vote on one of our bills and/or we like them.

Compromise is often good. One of the best examples recently is SB 382 regarding child support. This bill, even after a year of study, was a problem to many of us. I watched two of our female Republican members work with the Chairman of the Rules Committee who had invested a lot of time and emotions into this bill. The result was compromise which resulted in an overwhelming vote for passage. Had the compromise not taken place the bill would have either passed by a narrow margin and forced the Governor into a tough position of having to sign it into law or veto it or it would have been defeated and an overdue modification of our child support guidelines not been updated.

Another example of compromise was HB 1313 regarding eminent domain did not turn out as well as the above example in my opinion. The City of LaGrange and many others warned that a provision some insisted on would hamper redevelopment efforts. Unfortunately to get sufficient votes for passage this provision remained. The good news is the legislation, assuming the Governor signs it, is a big improvement versus the situation the Supreme Court put us into when they allowed eminent domain to be used for the advantage of private developers.

Retribution is an unfortunate aspect of the legislative process. I again saw this the last night of the session when I was to present SB 596 on non embryonic stem cell research for a House vote. A person who could influence when the bill was to be presented made sure we did not take a vote until it was too late to get it back to the Senate for another vote. There had been a one word change put in by the House Committee that passed it therefore requiring the Senate to vote again. The House passed the bill 152 to 0 but as the one practicing retribution knew there was not time for the Senate to vote again so the bill died. I was called out after the vote by several researchers who said how unfortunate because lives may be lost because this bill cannot be voted on until next year. The reason for the retribution – the Senator who authored SB 596 had been responsible for blocking Senate passage of a bill the House member had authored.

Despite collegiality and even retribution and at times thanks to compromise the legislative process works. No one ever said democracy is efficient but until now in world history no one has come up with a better alternative.

The legislature does not go into session again until the second Monday of January 2007 unless the Governor calls an emergency session. In the interim there will be retirements and elections of all state representatives and senators so a very different legislature will convene in January. Meanwhile I am still your representative until at least January 8, 2007 so contact me at jeff.brown@house.ga.gov or at 706-884-3232 ext 203. My website is www.repjbrown.org.

Representative Jeff Brown Will Not Seek Re-Election

April 20, 2006

Today I am announcing that I will not seek re-election to the Georgia House of Representatives for District 69, representing parts of Troup, Heard and Carroll Counties, where I have served for the past 12 years.

It has been an honor to represent the people of my district. During this time I have served under three Governors (Zell Miller, Roy Barnes and Sonny Perdue) and three House Speakers (Tom Murphy, Terry Coleman and Glenn Richardson). We have gone from over 130 years of Democrat control to a Republican governor and a Republican majority in the Senate in 2003 and then in 2005 to a Republican majority in the House. Georgia had made good progress under a Democrat majority. In the short space of four years the Republicans built solidly on that base. I am proud to be part of a majority that has quickly proven capable of leadership.

Especially in the past two years, I have been a member of four of the most powerful committees in the House (Appropriations, Rules, Ways and Means, and Health and Human Services). Further I have chaired the largest portion of the budget totaling over $14,000,000,000 of state and federal tax revenues and tobacco settlement monies spent in the health care area which affects millions of our citizens including some of our most vulnerable. I was pleased to be named Legislator of the Year in 2005 by six different organizations.

My family has been wonderfully supportive. The Biblical injunction to “serve the least of these” is fulfilled in many ways as a Legislator and doubly so with Appropriations responsibilities. My constituents have been responsive; the departments, lobbyists and advocates informative; the press fair, and my staff at the Capitol and in my office in LaGrange outstanding!

We can improve as a state and especially need to in education. Jim Wooten, columnist for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, commented on 04/16/06 what I feel is the heart of the problem when he said, “The choice is to dump psychologically damaged and daddy-deprived children by the ton at the schoolhouse door, along with those who are unable to speak the language, who are disabled or who are un-socialized and then to mix them up in the classroom . . . But this model simply can’t deliver, with any amount of money, what we’re demanding.” This aside, the state of the State of Georgia is good.

With all of the foregoing why am I not seeking re-election? The reasons are many, but suffice it to say I am going on to something else, not going away from something where I failed or that I did not like. I have evaluated, prayed and consulted with family and key supporters. Primarily it comes down to where I feel I can spend my time most effectively. A frustration, but not one that lead to this decision, is the complexity of the decision-making process in the Legislature; especially the Appropriations process.

Two hundred thirty-six Legislators are involved as are: the Governor’s staff, including his policy directors and the Office of Planning and Budget; the departments with their appointed boards; the Conference Committee to resolve differences between the House and Senate and all of this is simultaneously being influenced by lobbyists, advocates and voters. This significantly changes budget decisions we worked on earlier in the process.

While decisions in my business (www.comp-search.com and www.careertrip.com) are not command and control but instead participative with the reality of marketplace acceptance, I can have far greater impact on these decisions than I can on legislative decisions; even in my leadership position. Also, we have made some significant investments that need to be managed; another word for more of my time. Several years ago our son Greg joined the business and we announced a management succession plan. I need to spend more time making that plan a reality. Also I want to do more speaking and writing on careers and “hiring winners.”

Secondary considerations include a huge concern for where our country is heading, the opportunity to speak more freely, the desire for more personal time and the anticipation of what may happen next.

While the state of the State of Georgia is good, the state of our country, in my opinion, is deteriorating. I have previously written about what we are doing to ourselves (see www.repjbrown.org and click on issues for the article entitled “Heading to Bankruptcy?”). Soon I will be writing an article on what the rest of the world is doing to us largely based on Pulitzer Prize-winning author Thomas Friedman’s “The World is Flat.”

Additionally, we have problems of unfit parents, global warming, unhealthy dependence on oil from some of the most unstable countries in the world, out of control healthcare costs, immorality, the situation in Iraq and illegal immigration (operative word is illegal).

Presently I find myself constrained to speak out. As it is I sometimes get criticized for some of my quotes and articles. I want to be free to comment when the Bush administration and/or the Republican majorities in the U. S. Senate and House squander their leadership opportunities and/or abandon conservative principles. The Democrats do not even recognize many of these problems, often have an agenda that would only exacerbate the problems and are embroiled in mostly outdated civil rights issues that are counter to addressing core issues; all of this epitomized by Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney. My comments will be accompanied by workable solutions, as I did in my article “Heading to Bankruptcy?”, and based on principles.

In Georgia we are “Citizen Legislators” which means many of us have full-time jobs in addition to being Legislators. For the past 12 years, particularly during the past two years when we’ve been in the majority, free time has been at a premium. I want to spend more time with Shirley, my wife of 39 years and our son Greg and his wife Amanda; more Bible study and prayer; traveling more; reading, writing and speaking on the above issues; getting Governor Perdue re-elected; enjoying the beach; playing tennis and sitting on my dock on West Point Lake enjoying nature.

As you can see I am not ready to retire. I am young for my age, in good health with above average energy and feel I could become narcissistic in retirement. My 16 years as an elected official (4 as a LaGrange City Councilman and 12 as a Legislator) have given me knowledge, contacts and influence that I want to parlay.

All of these considerations create an excitement of the unknown. Beyond the business and personal specifics I have no idea what opportunities will come my way, but will carefully listen to each one.

Thank you for giving me this wonderful opportunity to be your Representative in the Georgia House of Representatives! You elected me to serve you till about 10:15am on January 8, 2007 when my successor is sworn in, so I plan to actively fulfill that obligation until then. After that I look forward to working with you in other pursuits.

For more information contact Representative Jeff Brown at 706-884-3232, ext. 203 in LaGrange or 404-463-2247 at the State Capitol, e-mail him at jeff.brown@house.ga,gov or fax to 706-884-4106, or mail to 316 South Lewis Street, LaGrange, Georgia 30240.

Representative Jeff Brown and Senator Sam Zamarripa

Join GBPI’s Board of Directors

October 2, 2006

The Georgia Budget and Policy Institute (GBPI) is pleased to announce that the Honorable Jeff Brown (R) and the Honorable Sam Zamarripa (D) have joined the GBPI Board of Directors. Representative Brown and Senator Zamarripa had announced that they will not be running for re-election and will be leaving the Georgia General Assembly at the end of the year.

Representative Brown has served Georgia House District 69, which includes parts of Carroll, Heard, and Troup Counties, since 1994. Since 2005 he has served as Vice-Chair of the Health Subcommittee of the House Appropriations Committee, and also on the committees for Health and Human Services, Ways and Means, and Rules. A resident of LaGrange, Representative Brown is President of Comprehensive Search, an employment and HR services company. Brown is a member of the Rotary International and has been appointed as a member of the LaGrange Industrial Development Authority, Hi Tech Task Force, West Point Lake Advisory Committee and West Georgia Technical College Foundation.

Senator Zamarripa has served Georgia Senate District 36, which includes parts of Fulton County, since 2002. Senator Zamarripa has served on the Senate Economic Development, Insurance and Labor, Science and Technology, and Transportation Committees. A resident of Atlanta, Senator Zamarripa is Managing Partner of Heritage Capitol Advisors, which provides investment banking services. He is Co-Founder and Director of United Americas Bank, N.A. and serves on the on the corporate boards of Assurance America Corporation, and Diaz Foods, Incorporated. Zamarripa is also an advisory director of the Atlanta Medical Center and holds board positions with the Atlanta College of Art, and Atlanta Public Television. He is also Founder and Chairman of the Georgia China Future, and Founder and Chairman of the Georgia Association of Latino Elected Officials.

“The election of distinguished public servants such as State Senator Zamarippa and State Representative Brown to the Board represents a confirmation of GBPI’s excellence in its efforts to promote effective government and sound public policy,” said Board President Jeffrey Martin. “It also illustrates how deeply we value the Institute’s non-partisan position.”

GBPI Executive Director Alan Essig agrees. “The experience, perspective, balance and integrity both these men possess will be valuable assets to GBPI as we continue to examine some of Georgia’s most important fiscal and public policy challenges,” he said.

Alan Essig, executive director of GBPI, is available to answer questions and can be reached at 404-420-1324 (office) or 770-402-4630 (cell)

All of GBPI’s research reports are available on its web site at www.gbpi.org.

ABOUT GBPI

The Georgia Budget and Policy Institute (GBPI) is the state’s leading independent, nonprofit, nonpartisan organization engaged in research and education on the fiscal and economic health of the state of Georgia. The Institute provides reliable and timely analysis of Georgia’s budget and tax policies and promotes greater state government fiscal accountability, improved services and enhanced quality of life for all Georgians.

Press Release published by the Georgia Budget and Policy Institute

GEORGIA ASSOCIATION OF EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES (GAEMS) HONORS JEFF BROWN

October 17, 2006

LA GRANGE, GA: Representative Jeff Brown was recently honored by the Georgia Association of Emergency Medical Services (GAEMS), a statewide association representing over 14,000 EMS professionals in Georgia. Representative Jeff Brown was presented with the GAEMS Star of Life Legislative Award, which recognizes him as one of a select few honored as the association’s legislators of the year for the 2006 Legislative Session.

“This is the inaugural year for the GAEMS Star of Life Legislative Award and we are proud to have Representative Brown as one of the first recipients,” said GAEMS Chairman Courtney Terwilliger. “Representative Brown took the time to listen and learn about the EMS community and industry and is quite familiar with the challenges that our profession faces in Georgia,” continued Terwilliger. “He was and continues to be a tremendous advocate for EMS professionals. He was selected for this honor for his dedication to sponsoring, speaking in favor of and voting for key issues for EMS Professionals that our association identified in the 2005-06 Legislative Agendas.”

“GAEMS recognized Brown and the other inaugural members for their understanding and appreciation for the lifesaving contributions our EMTs and Paramedics make in their communities, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year,” said Terwilliger. “EMTs in Georgia regularly put their lives on the line for people they do not know and are not likely to ever see again. They do it out of dedication, out of compassion, and out of a sincere commitment to make a difference in the communities they serve.”

The Award is named for the EMS Symbol, which is a blue, six-pointed star with the Rod of Asclepius in the center. Each of the bars of the blue Star of Life represents the six system functions of emergency medical services: detection, reporting, response, on scene care, care in transit and transfer to definitive care.

The Georgia Association of Emergency Medical Services is a state-wide organization consisting of Emergency Medical Technicians (EMT), Paramedics, EMS Administrators, EMS Educators, EMS Medical Directors and other associates from across the State that are passionate about delivering quality Emergency Medical Services. www.ga-ems.com

Press Release published by the Georgia Association of Emergency Medical Services