URGENT GEORGIA: A central data repository is being created and will ultimately enable businesses to bully citizens into compliance
House Bill 520 will further government overreach and create issues with data privacy, human freedom, accountability, and liability. It must be stopped now.
Our Stand: At-A-Glance
-
HB520 has many issues, but we've chosen to focus on three of them:
- The bill creates universal data gathering into a “central data repository” with one person directing. Who is the "one person" accountable to? HB520 will ultimately enable businesses and corporations to bully citizens into compliance through a wide variety of rights-violating and discriminatory practices via demands for citizen’s personal information. (Lines 817-859) Will this public/private partnership open the door for widespread corruption?
-
The bill also allows the government's rights to trump those of a family member, including remanding a minor to a state mental health facility for evaluation based on testimony from two individuals whose identities would be concealed (lines 473-478 of the bill). Don't parents of minors own the decision regarding mental health evaluations for their children rather than two anonymous individuals? This bill not only strips parental rights regarding the health care of minors but would open the door for abuse by unknown individuals whose testimonies would not be open to question by parents.
-
HB250 allows for immunity from all liability for mental health care providers, including for treatment deemed criminal or negligent if it is given in accordance with the contract with the board and provisions of the code (lines 582-585 of the bill). How is it possible to provide immunity from all liability to any health care providers, especially when the terms of a contract and code provisions may change with time? This also opens the door for abuse. Just as our government has checks and balances, checks and balances must be employed in mental health care.
-
Please be at the capitol today, Wednesday, March 15, at 3 p.m., room 450 CAP. Convening of the Sub-Committee on Mental Health Parity Enhancement for HB520. *Full HHS Committee will convene immediately following subcommittee adjournment.
- With one click and three phone calls, you can help us stop this bad policy from becoming law in Georgia now, before it's too late! Once you have clicked the submit button, you can either click on the phone icon above the form or the list of phone numbers for the three key targets to pop up. Please call them now to tell them to say no to HB520.