Senate Insurance Committee Adopts HB 167

On Thursday, the Senate Insurance Committee adopted HB 167, the Georgia Pandemic Business Protection Act.  The bill addresses liability for both businesses and health care providers in response to COVID-19 pandemic.  Talking points for the bill are as follows:

• HB 167 is a comprehensive, pro-business and pro-health care provider bill necessary to aid in Georgia’s recovery from the COVID-19 crisis.

 

• To ensure economic recovery, businesses need the assurance that when giving their best efforts to protect employees and the general public, that they in turn will be protected from frivolous lawsuits.

 

• As our public health officials learn more about COVID-19 every day and recommendations continue to change, businesses and the medical community need the support of the legislature to provide a consistent and predictable legal environment.

 

• This legislation does two things:  It addresses COVID-19 exposure for businesses and liability for our health care providers, many of whom were on the frontline of treatment.

 

• The bill simply states that no cause of action shall exist for the transmission or contraction of COVID-19 unless a business or person performed willful and wanton misconduct or intentional infliction of harm.

 

• Additionally, the legislation protects health care providers who were treating patients with COVID-19, as well as any health care provider who had to make difficult treatment decisions during the COVID-19 crisis, sometimes with limited resources. 

 
Please consider reaching out to members of the Senate and encourage them to take action on this legislation.

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