The Watcher  News from Georgia Watch

February 2023

Visit our website!

‌ ‌ ‌

The 2023 Legislative Session of the Georgia General Assembly is underway and Georgia Watch is at the Capitol looking out for Georgia consumers. We are actively working to support passage of: House Bill 342 to require regulation of car title lenders and make them subject to small-dollar lending protections. A state certification process for Community Health Workers. Reforms to ensure statewide health system accountability to keep providers where they are needed and reduce disparities in access to care. Legislation to authorize a utility financing option to lower power bills and protect consumers from cost overruns at Plant Vogtle. An Equity Impact Tool (EIT) to analyze potential impacts of proposed legislation on certain demographic populations. Download our full 2023 Policy Priorities and keep up-to-date on all the bills we're following on our Take Action page. Please be on the lookout for action alerts from us throughout the session as we call on you to contact your legislators to amplify consumer concerns on the issues that matter most to you. Our success depends on you.

Liz Coyle, Executive Director

Georgia Receives "F" Rating in Report, Fails to Protect Residents from Debt Collectors With millions of families struggling to find financial stability as soaring inflation drives up the costs of basic necessities, our state legislature plays a vital role in protecting Georgia households from seizure of essential wages and property to pay old debts. But according to a new report from the National Consumer Law Center (NCLC), Georgia has some of the worst protections in the nation. Recognizing the vital need to reform the state’s garnishment laws, Georgia Watch produced “Helping Georgians Manage Garnishment Actions,” a policy paper examining garnishment practices in Georgia and recommending state-level policy changes. This paper provides real-life examples, statistics, research, and expert knowledge of garnishment practices in Georgia and how those practices impact the lives of its citizens. Read more here.

REP. JOSH BONNER INTRODUCES HOUSE BILL 342 TO PROTECT CONSUMERS FROM UNREGULATED CAR TITLE LOANS Representative Josh Bonner (R – Fayetteville) introduced House Bill 342, known as the Motor Vehicle Title Loan Act, to require statewide regulation of car title lenders who prey on cash-strapped Georgia families, often trapping them in a cycle of debt. The bill would make car title loans subject to the state’s 60 percent cap on interest rates. Currently, a legal loophole allows car titles to be “pawned” at interest rates as high as 300 percent. If passed, the bill would authorize the Department of Banking and Finance to regulate car title lenders as they do all other lenders in the state and require lenders to return to the borrower any surplus obtained if the vehicle is repossessed and sold. Read more here.

Liz Coyle Recognized Among Top 500 Leaders

Each year, Atlanta Magazine recognizes the city's top leaders in the special publication, The Atlanta 500. The annual publication, which debuted in 2019, highlights "the city's most powerful, influential, and impactful people," across all industries, from banking and law to education and healthcare. For the fifth year in a row, Georgia Watch Executive Director Liz Coyle has been recognized. We are very proud that our organization is being recognized again as one of Atlanta's top leaders in advocacy, and look forward to a successful and productive 2023. Read The Atlanta 500 here.

STAY IN THE LOOP

Follow everything consumer protection this legislative session by connecting with us on social media below!

‌ ‌ ‌

In the News

Georgia struggles to protect residents from debt collectors Consumer advocates call for better debt protections in Georgia Another Vogtle reactor issue will delay new unit's operation

Georgia Watch 55 Marietta Street NW Atlanta, Georgia 30303

Click here to join our mailing list!