Laying the Groundwork to Defend the Civil Justice System

You may have read that the Georgia Chamber of Commerce held its annual Government Affairs meeting earlier this month on St. Simon’s Island. As reported by the Daily Report, the Chamber’s agenda included a discussion of their 2013 goals, including a panel on tort reform featuring a legislator from both the House and Senate Judiciary Committees.

Just as the Chamber is preparing for the 2013 legislative session, we too at GTLA must lay the ground work to protect against efforts to chip away at Georgians’ rights to trial by jury. In the 2013 session, we can expect a push for far-reaching legislation to shrink an insurance company’s duty to fairly settle claims, create medical "health care panels" to replace malpractice jury trials, and otherwise change the law to harm people, families, and small businesses. GTLA is more than 2,000 members strong and we can not and will not stand for compromising our fellow citizens' constitutional rights.

We can all do our part by:

•       Contributing to the PAC;

•       Participating in GTLA’s Directed Giving Program;

•       Reaching out to legislators through our 236 Project; and

•       Leading and working with your Local TLA.

My door is open – please do not hesitate to call me or anyone on the Executive Committee so we can discuss both your involvement in GTLA, and ways you can contribute to fulfilling our responsibility to preserve and protect the Civil Justice System in Georgia.

Jay Sadd

GTLA President