Contrary to writer, reform applies to all licenses

Editor:

I am writing in response to the recent letter from Murray Burks of Woodstock, Ga., who wrote to express his disappointment with legislation I authored that governs how licensing boards must respond to complaints.

Burks stated that my bill only includes athletic trainers, but in fact House Bill 352 covers all professions that have licensing boards in the state of Georgia. The portion of the bill referring to athletic trainers is specific to penalties for violations involving that profession; otherwise, all provisions of the bill apply to all licensing boards.

The bill, which was passed by the Legislature and signed into law by Gov. Sonny Perdue, requires these boards to respond to complaints within 30 days after an investigation is concluded. This bill is de-signed to make our government more responsive and open, something that will be a welcome change for those who have been discouraged in trying to pry information out of our bureaucrats.

//

I applaud Burks for his concern, and want to emphasize how important it is for citizens to be active in the legislative process. Our government belongs to the people, not the politicians, and we all need to be reminded of that from time to time.

State Rep. Ben Harbin

Evans