Created in January 2009, the Consumer Energy Program (CEP) is a passionate advocate on behalf of Georgia’s residential and small business customers in energy-related matters at the Public Service Commission (PSC) and the Capitol.

We stand up for lower utility rates and cleaner, more efficient energy solutions.

We are led by former Public Service Commissioner and Georgia Watch executive director Angela Speir Phelps and former PSC attorney and Georgia Watch senior counsel Clare McGuire.

Over the last two years, the Consumer Energy Program has:

• Pushed for $7 million of aid to assist Georgians with winter heating bills
• Opposed Georgia Power’s massive $2.1 billion rate increase in 2010 on behalf of its 2.4 million customer
• Challenged Atlanta Gas Light’s $54 million rate request in 2010 on behalf of its 1.5 million customers
• Built a broad coalition of business groups and advocacy organizations across the state to oppose utility rate increases in 2010
• Sponsored expert witness testimony and formally intervened in PSC proceedings to represent ratepayer interests
• Advocated for greater transparency and accountability at electric membership corporations on behalf of the state’s 4.5 million EMC customers
• Fought against legislation to require ratepayers to pre-pay at least $1.6 billion of financing charges and taxes for nuclear plant construction by Georgia Power, resulting in $1 billion of early profits for the company

The Consumer Energy Program will continue to advocate for lower utility bills and a more diversified state energy portfolio to mitigate future rate increases.

The Georgia Hospital Accountability Project broadens accessibility to affordable, safe and effective care at the state’s hospitals for uninsured, underinsured and low-income Georgians by promoting state-level regulations, advocating for hospital policy changes and promoting consumer empowerment through research and analysis, the publication of relevant reports, the engagement of the state’s hospitals and consumer education. Georgia Watch also actively engages key state-level stakeholders, hospital representatives, community leaders and lawmakers in dialogue on these topics.

Highlighting and combating the challenges of low-income, uninsured and underinsured Georgians at hospitals has long been a top priority of Georgia Watch. Since 2007, Georgia Watch has evaluated issues of access and affordability throughout the state, and has conducted detailed analyses of fiscal practices and community benefit offerings of six of the state’s key safety net facilities. In 2009, the organization officially launched its Georgia Hospital Accountability Project.

Through this effort, Georgia Watch:

• Conducts extensive research on community benefit programs and financial assistance policies at nonprofit hospitals, and regularly meets with hospital leaders to discuss challenges to and opportunities for programs within their communities
• Often authors white papers and reports on crucial topics, including an examination of the affect of the new health law on hospitals, the cost of care in Georgia and the need for adequate language services at hospitals. In 2010, Georgia Watch released a report detailing financial access at hospitals within the metropolitan Atlanta area, which delineated other barriers to care for those who are uninsured and underinsured, such as transportation and health literacy
• Actively works with the media, and authors regular op-eds and blog posts dedicated to the project’s core topics
• Engages consumers in its work, and in 2010, surveyed approximately 900 consumers on issues of affordable access at their local hospitals
• Assists numerous consumers on their particular issues, including billing discrepancies, a denial of financial assistance and finding a health care home
• Educates lawmakers, policy makers and advocates on issues of access at hospitals
• Hosts the Health Policy Fellowship, which trains emerging policy leaders on key access and affordability issues

Georgia Watch’s Hospital Accountability Project also actively advocates for transparency and accountability in regards to patient safety at our hospitals. Georgia is one of 22 states that currently do not require public disclosure of hospital-acquired infection rates, which leaves consumers in the dark as to which hospitals are safe and which are not. Georgia Watch is leading the effort to ensure safe care by convening national, state and local stakeholders that will analyze and recommend recourses to make certain patient care is not harmful.

By Angela Speir Phelps
May 15, 2011

If you put lipstick on a pig it will most likely just look silly – it doesn’t change the fact that it’s still a pig – stinky yet adorned. The same can be said for Senate Bill 160, one of this legislative session’s most egregious bills. It’s a bad bill that got amended in the eleventh hour of session to close an ethics loophole. The loophole allowed lobbyist spending on state employees to go unreported – that loophole is now closed – thanks to the amendment. Although the amendment is good, the bill is bad and it was the wrong bill to attach this amendment to. Read more

By Ashley Wilson
May 15, 2011

The past few months have created a whirlwind of outreach opportunities for Georgia Watch.  We have led consumer workshops on issues ranging from identity theft to affordable hospital care in communities from Stone Mountain to Albany.   We spread the word about Georgia’s leading consumer organization to a diverse variety of Georgians including Rotarians and Optimists, college students, NPU members, seniors, community organizations and members of impactful city ministries across the state.  We were particularly honored to be invited in March to distribute important consumer information to servicemen and women on a wide spectrum of issues alongside the great staff of Army Community Service at Ft. Gordon. Read more

March 16, 2011

Georgia Watch Deputy Director Danny Orrock will appear on Georgia Public Broadcasting’s Prime Time Lawmakers at 7 p.m. tonight to discuss Crossover Day and the consumer impact of various bills currently being debated at the Capitol.

As a reminder, Crossover Day is the last day of the legislative session in which bills must be voted on and moved to the opposite chamber of the General Assembly in order to have a chance at becoming a law.

For a full rundown of today’s busy legislative schedule, make sure to tune in to GPB at 7 p.m. tonight!

February 10, 2011

After a formal request from Georgia Watch, the Public Service Commission voted unanimously last month to release $5 million from a special fund to help seniors and low-income customers pay their natural gas bills in the wake  of extreme weather conditions.

Four million dollars will be credited to qualifying low-income seniors on the Atlanta Gas Light distribution system. The money will show up as a line item credit on gas bills. The Salvation Army will receive the remaining funds and  open the application process to all low-income AGL customers, regardless of age.

According to the PSC’s order, individual credits in all cases are not to exceed $300.

“We applaud the PSC for acting quickly to address a situation that has reached emergency levels,” said Georgia Watch executive director Angela Speir Phelps, a former public service commissioner herself. “The recession has hit  consumers hard and record-low temperatures are exacerbating an already dire situation.”

The $5 million will be disbursed from the PSC’s Universal Service Fund (USF), one of the purposes of which is to assist low-income residential consumers in times of emergency. As of December 2010, the USF balance was  approximately $30 million.

The new funds will supplement the state’s rapidly dwindling resources from the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), a federal program created to help residents pay utility bills during the warmest and  coldest months.

Many community groups tasked with distributing LIHEAP funds are reporting exceptionally high demand as a result of the record-low temperatures. Earlier this month, Fulton Atlanta Community Action Authority was forced to  stop accepting new LIHEAP applications due to exhaustion of funds. Joyce Dorsey, CEO of the Fulton agency, has stated that recent demand for financial aid is the worst she’s seen in 20 years.

It’s awfully cold out there and this $5 million will make a real difference in helping residents keep their heat on,”said Speir Phelps.

For more information on LIHEAP, check the Public Service Commission’s website at www.psc.state.ga.us, as well as www.liheap.org.

February 15, 2011

As the official website of Georgia Watch’s Hospital Accountability Project, www.GaHAP.org provides a breadth of information about hospitals, pricing, coverage and low-cost options for care.

Through an interactive map that allows consumers to click on their region of the state, Georgians are able to learn more about the hospitals in their community.

Included in hospital listings are links to hospital websites, including links to pages providing information about financial assistance policies, eligibility requirements and applications. In addition, the average mark-up of the hospital is listed, as are certain quality measures.

As many consumers need low-cost options for care, contact information on local community health centers, including Federally Qualified Health Centers, is available on the site. Visitors can also read about key public health data, which is provided by the Partner Up! for Public Health campaign. By knowing more about their community, consumers can become more engaged and work together to solve some of the health problems that may surround them.

To help consumers stay as informed as possible, GaHAP.org also publishesinterviews with key healthcare stakeholders, community leaders and policymakers.

In addition, the site will regularly feature issue briefs on crucial topics, such as health reform, medical debt and hospital community benefits. The site also hosts all reports and white papers authored through the project, including its comprehensive Metropolitan Atlanta Hospital Accountability Project. Finally, the site will also link to relevant news and information from media outlets across Georgia, giving consumers the chance to learn what’s happening throughout the state.

Consumers are encouraged to visit regularly www.GaHAP.org as content is added weekly.

If you would like to share your story, provide feedback or suggest new information, please use the site’s “contact us” form to get in touch.

February 15, 2011

According to NCPHIF, the following are some of the most common home contractor scams.

The “Free Roof” Scam

A contractor tells you they will pay your insurance deductible for you. Do not do it! This is a big fraud red flag! There is no such thing as a free roof. Contact your insurance agent for guidance.
Read more

By Angela Speir Phelps
February 20, 2011

During the cold, snowy days of winter we crave sunshine. It’s good for our spirit and our health. Sunshine is also good for the health of our political process. Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis said sunshine is the best disinfectant, a profound statement that rings as true today as when Justice Brandeis first said it decades ago.

Our government belongs to us – we the people – and we have a right to know how and why decisions are rendered on our behalf. It’s crucial that citizens and the press have access to information. The people’s business should not be conducted in the dark. A high level of openness is an identifying characteristic of democracy.

For these reasons, Georgia Watch supported Senate Bill 17 during the 2010 session which provided stronger ethics reform including restrictions on lobbyists giving gifts to legislators and capping the amount of gifts, and full disclosure of money spent by lobbyists on legislators for travel and entertainment. On April 19, 2010 Georgia Watch publicly noted that the bill as written would allow lobbyists to pay for travel for public officials without disclosing it – including airfare, meals, and hotel accommodations - as long as the travel was related to bringing a public official to a meeting (even if that meeting were held in Paris, France). Under the proposal, a lobbyist could legally buy a legislator a first class trip to the tropics, including plane ticket, room at the Ritz Carlton, and room service, and it would not have to be disclosed if the trip were for the purpose of a meeting.

We pointed out this glaring flaw and insisted that the public has a right to know how much money lobbyists spend on legislators. The following morning, April 20, 2010, the troublesome language was removed. Lobbyists are now required to disclose this information.

We realized the importance of this provision when we advocated for full disclosure, but who knew that just eight months later this pivotal language would ensure disclosure of a $17,000 trip taken by the Georgia Speaker of the House to Germany – a trip paid for by lobbyists. There may be very legitimate reasons for a lobbyist to pay for travel for an elected official for educational purposes but the public has a right to know, ask questions, and hold accountable those elected to represent us. If Georgia Watch weren’t watching out for loopholes – none of us would be aware today of the Speaker’s recent European excursion.

This year, Georgia Watch is working to strengthen ethics laws and has joined a broad coalition called the Georgia Alliance for Ethics Reform. We are also strongly advocating for greater transparency and access to information for EMC (Electric Membership Corporation) customers.

As Georgia Watch enters our ninth year of consumer advocacy we stand on the shoulders of many who have supported us throughout the years. Please know that when you contribute to us – no matter how small or large the amount – we are grateful.

We thank you for your steadfast support. Without the generous contributions of our members, we could not do the good work we do. At Georgia Watch, we know it is action, not apathy that will mold our future. We refuse to sit on the sidelines and listen as the din of special interest drowns out average Georgians. We are working hard on your behalf and we ask that you continue to stand beside us and support our efforts.

Thank you. Please call me or any of our staff at anytime we can help you.

Every year, the Supreme Court of Georgia and the Georgia Court of Appeals issue decisions that significantly impact the rights that consumers have under the law. Because many of these decisions are not covered by the news media, Court Watch is dedicated to informing the public about the court decisions that affect consumer rights the most. Each year Georgia Watch offers a fellowship to a single law student to research various cases that are tried in the Court of Appeals to determine which are most appropriate for the report.

Learn about Simeon Niles, the 2008 Court Watch Fellow here.

By Angela Speir Phelps
November 24, 2010

Change is all around us – particularly at this time of year as we bear witness to the beautiful changing seasons. The recent elections also brought change on the political landscape. Read more

By Ashley Wilson
November 23, 2010

The past few months have provided a number of wonderful opportunities for us to connect with our members and concerned citizens throughout the state. Read more

August 1, 2010

Georgia Watch is proud to announce the addition of Ashley Wilson as our new Consumer Outreach Director and staff attorney.

Wilson will be the first point of contact for consumers, in charge of connecting people to policy and empowering individuals to assert their rights as citizens. She will develop targeted presentations and conduct outreach efforts to help consumers throughout the state and build support for our issues. Read more

Georgia Watch welcomes a new addition to its watchdog team. Jonathan Shapiro joins the organization as communications director, bringing with him valuable experience as a radio, web, and newspaper reporter.

Shapiro most recently worked as Morning Edition producer for WABE, Atlanta’s NPR station. He reported on a range of topics, including transportation, homelessness, immigration, and the state Supreme Court. He will be responsible for all media contact, as well as internal and external communications in print and on the web. Read more

Georgia Watch has released part one of a two part report on the foreclosure crisis currently devastating the state’s housing market and straining its overall economy. Called Georgia Foreclosure Crisis Part One: The Rippling Effects of Reckless Lending, the report examines reasons for the state’s ranking as seventh in the nation for foreclosures and projections indicating this crisis is far from over. Read more