This document summarizes two pieces of Georgia legislation related to rural health and primary care education. The first is the 2017 Preceptor Tax Incentive Program (PTIP) bill (HB 301) that aimed to provide tax credits for physicians, nurses and physician assistants who serve as preceptors for students. The second is the 2018 "Achieving Connectivity Everywhere (ACE) Act" (SB 402) that established a framework to expand broadband access across Georgia, especially in rural areas, by providing grants to public-private partnerships. The bill recognized broadband as essential for education, healthcare and more. It prioritized grants that would provide connectivity for hospitals and telehealth facilities.

1. Legislative Efforts in
Georgia – Rural Health and
PrimaryCare Education
- Discussion ofTwo Legislative Approaches

2. PreceptorTaxIncentiveProgram(PTIP):2017
HB301
”AchievingConnectivityEverwhere(ACE)Act”
:2018SB402– signedMay7,2018
Legislative Efforts in Georgia

3. PreceptorTax Incentive
Program (PTIP)
2017 HB 301

4. PreceptorTax
Incentive
Program (PTIP):
2017 HB 301
 Income tax credit for licensed physicians, advanced
practice registered nurses and physician assistants
 GA has a growing number of students but fewer
community preceptors
 Competition of preceptors from out-of-state and off-
shore training programs that pay for preceptorship
 Done as an effort to increase benefit of the PTIP
program already in place that offers up to $10,000 tax
deduction of licensed physicians

5. PreceptorTax
Incentive
Program (PTIP):
2017 HB 301
 Current 2014 PTIP bill is $10,000 tax deduction for
licensed physicians
 2017 HB 301 would have:
 Allowed tax credit for physicians, APRN and PA’s
providing preceptorship
 Tax Credit calculated as:
 $500 x 1st,2nd and 3rd rotation, $1000 x 4-10 – MD/DO
 $350 x 1-3, $750 x 4-10 – APRN, PA
 The bill passed State House 162 – 0, Feb 27, 2017 but
did not pass the State Senate, looks good for passage
in the next session
 2014 PTIP is still in place

6. ”Achieving
Connectivity
Everwhere (ACE)Act” :
2018SB 402 – signed
May 7, 2018

7. ”Achieving
Connectivity
Everwhere (ACE)
Act” : 2018SB 402
– signedMay 7,
2018
 Encourages the development of Georgia Broadband
Ready Community Site through the Department of
CommunityAffairs
 SB 402 provides the regulatory framework by amending
the Official Code of Georgia giving the Georgia
Technology Authority to establish and implement
policies and programs to “promote and facilitate
broadband deployment” in the state
 Recognizes ensuring deployment of broadband services
as a public necessity, a basic function of government,
and would benefit the entire state.

8. ”Achieving
Connectivity
Everwhere (ACE)
Act” : 2018SB 402
– signedMay 7,
2018
 ”The General Assembly finds and declares that it is vital that
the state provide equitable access to broadband services
that will ensure that this necessary utility that provides
support for education, work, engagement with government,
healthcare, public safety, and leisure is available to all
citizens of Georgia.” - SB 402, PartV, Sec 5-1, 196-200
 Priority for grant applications with proposal to provide
broadband services:
 “…hospitals and other health care facilites such as telehealth
facilities and emergency care facilities,…” – SB 402, 265-268
 Framed to encourage public-private cooperation /
partnership to bring broadband access to all parts of Georgia
 State Senator Steve Gooch was given GAFP Family Medicine
Legislative Champion of theYear for advancing this
legislation

9. For more info
on PTIP inGA
Denise Kornegay, MSW, Executive Director
Georgia Statewide AHEC Network - Augusta University
(706) 721-8331 (T)
dkornega@augusta.edu
 https://www.augusta.edu/ahec/ptip/