Happy Holidays from Georgia Watch!
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As we prepare to spend joyful time with family and friends this holiday season, we are mindful of all the people we've worked with and on behalf of throughout the year. We are proud of our accomplishments protecting consumers from predatory lending, helping people access affordable healthcare, working to keep utility bills low and promoting access to civil justice.
On behalf of the Georgia Watch team, I thank you for your support this year. We all look forward to our continued partnership with you in 2019 and we pledge to remain a powerful voice ensuring equity and justice for all Georgia consumers.
We wish you happy holidays and good health, happiness and prosperity in the New Year!
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Liz Coyle,
Executive Director
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Whew, What a Year! A Look Back at 2018
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You had a huge impact in 2018! With your support, Georgia Watch:
Advocacy
- Hosted a Financial Protection and Economic Opportunity Summit with partners to spotlight disparities that exist in Georgia related to economic opportunity and financial well-being;
- Stood up for Georgia consumers against efforts to weaken the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and its regulations;
- Brought together over forty individuals and organizations from around the state to push for certification and training for Community Health Workers in the state;
- Advocated for and celebrated passage of bills that:
- make credit freezes free;
- allow victims of domestic violence to terminate leases without penalty fees; and
- sunset the Nuclear Energy Financing Act (to ensure that another Vogtle debacle will never happen again).
- Protected the voice of Georgia consumers by stopping legislation that would have allowed a local utility to issue revenue bonds for electric projects without a vote of approval from residents;
- Worked with the Department of Banking and Finance, Georgia Credit Union Affiliates, and other stakeholders to protect our existing state usury caps and payday lending ban;
- Appealed in Fulton Superior Court a decision by the Public Service Commission to allow Plant Vogtle construction to continue while passing billions in cost-overruns onto consumers in violation of Georgia law and the Commission's own rules.
Direct Assistance and Education
- Hosted fifteen healthcare access workshops around the state, and distributed our medical debt guide and online resource for the uninsured to nearly 10,000 consumers;
- Directly assisted over 120 consumers who contacted us for advice on dealing with high utility bills, surprise medical bills, and other quality of life challenges;
- Educated more than 1,235 consumers and advocates about inequities in healthcare, energy, and finances, through 41 educational workshops, presentations, or webinars;
- Hosted Energy Equity Forums in Columbus, where we brought together community members, utility representatives, community leaders, service providers, advocates and policymakers to discuss energy efficiency and ways to save money on energy bills;
- and so much more!
If you think that's a lot, wait until you see what we can achieve together in 2019. Going forward, Georgia Watch will
make sure that equity and justice for all Georgians remains our top priority.
We thank you for your steadfast support and engagement!
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Advocating in D.C. for Protections Against Predatory Lending
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On November 29, Georgia Watch joined consumer advocates from around the country in Washington, D.C. for the 2018 High Cost Lending Summit and Lobbying Day hosted by the Consumer Federation of America. Our Manager of Education and Advocacy Nia Brown visited the offices of five Georgia Congressmen, including both of our U.S. Senators. (Pictured here with Sen. Johnny Isakson's staff.)
With serious threats looming to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's Payday, Vehicle Title, and Certain High-Cost Installment Loans rule as well as the Bureau's announced plan to stop enforcing service member protections in the Military Lending Act, we were in D.C. to let our elected officials know how important these policies are to protecting hard working Americans. We also asked our Congressmen to push for greater protections for consumers from predatory financial products.
While in D.C. Nia also attended CFA's 31st Annual Financial Services Conference to network with like-minded consumer advocates and learn from experts in developing fields such as FinTech.
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Healthcare and Energy Advocates Convene in New Orleans
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In New Orleans this month, the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy (ACEEE) hosted its first Conference on Health, Environment, and Energy. The two-day event brought together innovative leaders from a variety of professions (healthcare, energy efficiency, and building design) to explore how energy choices can affect our health. High energy bills contribute to health problems when families cut back on necessary heating and cooling to save money.
Berneta L. Haynes, Director of Equity and Access at Georgia Watch, moderated two panels, including a panel discussing the connection between affordable housing, health, and energy. Panelists included experts from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, U.S. Department of Energy, Healthy Building Research, ecoAmerica, and more.
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Georgia Watch
55 Marietta Street NW
Atlanta, Georgia 30303
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