One year into COVID-19, Georgia State Rep. Jodi Lott (R-Evans) has introduced a bill that she says will incentivize people to manufacture medical devices inside state lines.
Sponsors say that this legislation, if enacted into law, would limit Georgia’s need to compete with other states or foreign nations for critical supplies.
Legislators describe this bill as the Georgia Made Medical Manufacturing Act.
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp said he supports Lott’s legislation. The governor, in a press release, described it as one of his administration’s key initiatives.
“One of the lessons we learned early on in the pandemic is that we cannot waste time in bidding wars with others for life-saving supplies,” Kemp said.
“Last session, we incentivized the production of PPE in the Peach State to alleviate that problem, build up our stockpile, and make it easier to stay in business in the era of COVID-19. HB 304 is a natural next step to that program and will help us build on Georgia’s momentum to become a leader in all sectors of the healthcare industry. No one state or nation should hold a monopoly on critical medicines and medical supplies, and we should bring these industries and the jobs that come with them back to America and here to Georgia.”
Other sponsors include State Rep. Ron Stephens (R-Savannah), State Rep. Bert Reeves (R-Marietta), State Rep. Patty Bentley (D-Butler), State Rep. Matt Hatchett (R-Dublin), and State Rep. Bruce Williamson (R-Monroe).
During the 2019-2020 legislative session, Georgia enacted a PPE Tax Credit to incentivize manufacturers of Personal Protective Equipment. That included Georgia manufacturers who did not traditionally manufacture PPE but began doing so while responding to COVID-19, according to the press release.
“The Georgia Made Medical Manufacturing Act is modeled off that legislation, increasing the amount of credit available under the Jobs Tax Credit to incentivize job creation and investment in the medical equipment and pharmaceutical manufacturing industries,” the press release said.
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Chris Butler is an investigative journalist at The Tennessee Star. Follow Chris on Facebook. Email tips to [email protected].
