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Committee hears bill to add optometrists to rural loan-forgiveness program
Summary
A Georgia House committee held a hearing on a bill to add optometrists to the state program that can forgive loans for medical professionals who locate in rural areas. Supporters cited shortages in rural counties and said funding must still be identified.
A Georgia House committee held a hearing on a bill to add optometrists to the state rural loan-forgiveness program, sponsor Rep. Dean Green said during the session.
The bill, which came out of the House Rural Development Council, would add optometrists to the list of professionals eligible to appear before the workforce committee and board to seek loan forgiveness in return for locating in designated rural areas. “It just adds optometrists to the list of those who can go in front of the workforce committee, the board, and possibly get their loan forgiven if they locate in a rural area,” said Aubrey Valines, general counsel for the Georgia Optometric Association.
Supporters told the committee they face a shortage of eye-care providers in many rural counties. Valines said the association counts about 1,406 optometrists in Georgia and that roughly 85% practice in the Atlanta metropolitan area, leaving large parts of the state underserved. Rep. Dean Green, sponsor of the bill, said several rural optometrists are retiring without replacements and that Georgia does not have an optometry school; students currently go to programs in Memphis, Tennessee, or Birmingham, Alabama.
Several lawmakers voiced strong support. “You are my new hero. It is so incredibly hard to get optometrists ... to come to these rural areas. And we are desperate for optometrists,” Rep. Osteen told the committee. Rep. Al Williams suggested creating a roundtable of retired and active optometrists to mentor students and promote careers in rural areas.
Committee members acknowledged the bill requires funding before it can take effect. Chairman Corbett asked about fiscal impact; Rep. Green said the cost is not yet known and that the committee held only a hearing to discuss the concept. “That’s the reason we’re just doing the hearing today,” Green said. Members said they would need to work with the Appropriations chair to secure any appropriation.
The hearing produced no vote or formal committee action. Committee members and association representatives said next steps include seeking funding and continuing discussions about longer-term steps, including whether to pursue an in-state optometry school.
No formal amendments or motions were recorded at the hearing.
