Founded in 2002, Georgia Watch is the state’s leading consumer advocacy organization, focused on issues that impact your wallet and your quality of life. Georgia Watch is a non-profit, nonpartisan 501(c)3 organization that uses education and advocacy to help give consumers a strong ally to level the playing field with powerful special interests in the state. We work every day to create a Georgia that is a model for consumer protection.
Our Vision
Equity and justice for all Georgia consumers.
Our Mission
To protect and inform consumers so all Georgians prosper and their communities thrive.
Our Goals
We endeavor to achieve health equity, close opportunity gaps, promote economic mobility, and protect financial wellbeing for all Georgia consumers. We advocate for policies that reduce the energy burden of struggling families, expand access to quality, affordable healthcare, open doors to the financial mainstream, and improve access to the civil justice system. We educate consumers so they know and assert their rights, and we equip communities with the tools to advocate for their own best interests. We strive to be a relentless consumer advocate and to ensure equitable outcomes and justice for all Georgians.
Our Story
Founded in 2002, Georgia Watch is the state’s leading consumer advocacy organization, focused on issues that impact your wallet and your quality of life. Georgia Watch is a non-profit, nonpartisan 501(c)3 organization that uses education and advocacy to help give consumers a strong ally to level the playing field with powerful special interests in the state. We work every day to create a Georgia that is a model for consumer protection.
While we serve all Georgia consumers, we are particularly dedicated to ensuring that the most vulnerable of our population have representation and access to necessary resources, and are aware of their rights in the consumer marketplace. To fulfill our mission, Georgia Watch works closely with the public, coalition partners, legislators, regulators, and the media to serve as an advocate as well as a trusted resource for information and guidance.
Ultimately, Georgia Watch supports Georgians who may feel their interests are not represented on the floor of the legislature, in state courts, or before the Public Service Commission. Through education, we seek to help Georgians harness their own power to become effective advocates for themselves.
As a tax-exempt organization, Georgia Watch does not engage in partisan political activity. No organizational resources are used in connection with political campaign activities, or in support or opposition of any candidates for public office.
Georgia Watch does not provide legal advice or representation. If you need legal advice or assistance, please contact a licensed attorney.
Recent Milestones
- Honored six Consumer Champions for steadfastly for standing up for the interests of Georgia consumers.
- Advocated for a broad policy framework to hold hospitals and health systems accountable to keep providers where they are needed, reduce disparities in access and prevent destabilizing closures across the state.
- Commissioned a statewide poll with the University of Georgia showing that Georgians strongly support increased financial protections for consumers, hospital accountability, and equity considerations in the legislative process.
- Empowered over 300 community leaders through our civic advocacy and policy workshops to amplify the voices of their communities.
- Provided education on refugee and immigrant health rights, financial literacy, maternal and child health, and Community Health Worker (CHW) leadership.
- Amplified the need for financial protection by uplifting the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) and the strides the CFPB has made to help protect consumers in Georgia.
- Worked to reduce medical debt for consumers across our state and nationally. Our efforts included joining with partners to provide vital information and personal stories at the Medical Debt Day of Action in Washington, DC, where the Biden Administration took steps to remove all medical debt from credit reports.
- Hosted the 2022 Financial Protection and Economic Opportunity Summit that brought together local, state, and national community leaders and partners to discuss policy solutions for issues surrounding wage garnishment and bank levy, predatory lending, medical debt, hospital closures and accountability, and assessing equity impact.
- Released “Taking a Closer Look at the Equity Impacts of Legislation Pending in Georgia,” outlining the need for an equity impact tool (EIT), a process permitting a legislator to identify, assess, and communicate the potential impact—positive or negative—of proposed legislation on a particular demographic.
- Updated “Helping Georgians Manage Garnishment Actions” to include changes made by the three main nationwide credit reporting agencies on how medical debt will be reported on credit reports.
- Collaborated on the Community Benefit and Economic Stability project, which worked to address the impact of medical debt in Southwest Georgia, especially among communities of color, and uplifted how hospitals can prioritize the needs of the communities they serve through community health needs assessments (CHNAs).
- Continue addressing racial disparities in barriers to healthcare services at the local health system level, particularly in Asian and Hispanic immigrant communities in the Buford Highway corridor.
- Advocate for the protection of Georgians against predatory car title loans through the licensing and regulation of car title lenders under the state Department of Banking and Finance.
- Launched the comprehensive, web-based Guide to Advocacy and Resource Directory, a one-stop shop where advocates can learn more about the legislative process, effective communication with legislators, and resources in a variety of policy areas.
- Directly assisted dozens of consumers who contacted us for advice on dealing with utility bills, predatory lending, medical billing, garnishment, and other quality of life challenges.
- Reached more than 320 consumers and advocates through educational workshops, presentations, and webinars.
- Conducted a three-part Civic Advocacy, Leadership, and Engagement training series with the Center for Black Women’s Wellness (CBWW), equipping participants with advocacy and engagement tools and empowering them to champion improved maternal health outcomes with policymakers.
- Celebrated the Surprise Billing Consumer Protection Act going into effect, protecting an estimated 2.5 million Georgia residents from unexpected out-of-network medical bills, and along with Georgians for a Healthy Future released the consumer guide, “What You Need to Know About Georgia’s Surprise Billing Law”.
- Launched the Community Benefit and Economic Stability – Georgia Project, working to address the impact of medical debt in Southwest Georgia, especially among communities of color, through systemic changes rooted in community engagement. Read more about the Dish the Debt Campaign
- Continued to lead the work of Community Voices for Health, Georgia, in collaboration with state and national partners, to train Community Health Workers in public policy advocacy and civic engagement to address the health needs of their communities.
- Produced “Helping Georgians Manage Garnishment Actions,” advocating for state-level policy changes that will reform Georgia’s garnishment laws, protecting consumers from bankruptcy and promoting economic stability.
- Stood up for Georgia’s energy burdened utility customers at numerous hearings into the debacle at nuclear Plant Vogtle.
- Invited by Senators Raphael Warnock and Thom Tillis, Liz Coyle testified before the U.S. Senate on policies to protect consumers from financial fraud and scams in the pandemic recovery economy.
- Signed onto more than 20 letters to demonstrate unity on consumer protection issues with organizations such as the Consumer Federation of America, the National Consumer Law Center, Georgians for a Healthy Future, Families USA, the Center for Justice and Democracy, Community Catalyst, and Morehouse School of Medicine.
- Directly assisted more than 100 consumers who contacted us for advice on dealing with utility bills, predatory lending, medical billing, garnishment, and other quality of life challenges.
- Distributed essential resources and information to Georgians amidst the COVID-19 pandemic to help them rebuild and recover from the crisis.
- Reached more than 270 consumers and advocates through educational workshops, presentations, and webinars.
- Held the inaugural Civic Advocacy, Leadership, and Engagement Trainings for Community Health Workers with our Community Voices for Health, Georgia partners.
- Rapidly responded to the COVID-19 emergency by developing numerous consumer resources centered on informing consumers about ways to find emergency assistance amid the ongoing crisis, how to recognize COVID-19 scams, and find alternatives to car title loans.
- Directly assisted over 120 consumers who contacted us for advice on dealing with high utility bills, surprise medical bills, and other quality of life challenges impacted by COVID-19.
- Reached more than 500 consumers and advocates about inequities in healthcare, energy, and finances, through educational workshops, presentations, or webinars;
- Created an energy equity toolkit to educate Georgians who receive their power from Electric Membership Cooperatives (EMCs) about the crucial role they can play in making energy more accessible and equitable in their communities.
- Formed Community Voices for Health-Georgia, a coalition of state and national partners, to embark upon a multi-year effort to train Community Health Workers in public policy advocacy.
- Brought together 60 organizations around the state to submit a letter encouraging the Governor to implement a utility shutoff moratorium amid the onset of the COVID-19 crisis.
- Advocated for and celebrated the passage of bills that: protect Georgians from surprise out-of-network medical bills, strengthen protections around small dollar lending, increase the tobacco tax on vaping products, and extend Medicaid coverage to new mothers.
- Hosted Black Entrepreneurship in Clean Energy discussions with partners in Southwest Atlanta to highlight black entrepreneurs in solar and energy efficiency.
- Spoke up for residential utility customers in Georgia Power and Atlanta Gas Light rate cases to limit the overall size of rate increases and higher service charges. We successfully advocated for expanded low-income energy assistance programs for electric and gas customers;
- Intervened in the Integrated Resource Planning and successfully defended important energy efficiency programs adopted in 2016 to help low-income Georgia Power customers manage their power bills;
- Stood up for Georgia consumers against efforts to weaken the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and its regulations around predatory lending and debt collection;
- Advocated for and celebrated passage of bills that:
- prohibit retaliation against tenants who report unsafe and unhealthy housing conditions;
- protect professionals from losing their licenses due to student loan debt; and
- expand internet access in rural areas of the state.
- Fought to increase access to Medicaid for Georgians living at the poverty level;
- Worked closely with the Georgia Department of Public Health to grow the Community Health Worker Advocacy Coalition and host a forum in June that brought together advocates, service providers, and other stakeholders from around the state;
- Appealed in Fulton Superior Court and the Georgia Court of Appeals a decision by the Public Service Commission to allow Plant Vogtle construction to continue while passing billions in cost-overruns onto consumers in violation of Georgia law and the Commission’s own rules.
- As part of the National Identity Theft and Victims Assistance Network, created and led the Georgia Identity Theft and Cybercrime Coalition and produced resources to help consumers learn how to minimize their risk of becoming victims of such crimes.
- Brought together advocates and partners from across the state at a Financial Protection and Economic Opportunity Summit to spotlight disparities that exist in Georgia related to economic opportunity and financial well-being;
- Stood up for Georgia consumers against efforts to weaken the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and its regulations;
- Convened over forty individuals and organizations from around the state to push for certification and training for Community Health Workers in the state;
- Advocated for and celebrated passage of bills that:
- make credit freezes free;
- allow victims of domestic violence to terminate leases without penalty fees; and
- sunset the Nuclear Energy Financing Act (to ensure that another Vogtle debacle will never happen again).
- Protected the voice of Georgia consumers by stopping legislation that would have allowed a local utility to issue revenue bonds for electric projects without a vote of approval from residents;
- Worked with the Department of Banking and Finance, Georgia Credit Union Affiliates, and other stakeholders to protect our existing state usury caps and payday lending ban;
- Appealed in Fulton Superior Court a decision by the Public Service Commission to allow Plant Vogtle construction to continue while passing billions in cost-overruns onto consumers in violation of Georgia law and the Commission’s own rules.
- Conducted fifteen healthcare access workshops around the state, and distributed our medical debt guide and online resource for the uninsured to nearly 10,000 consumers;
- Educated more than 1,235 consumers and advocates about inequities in healthcare, energy, and finances, through 41 educational workshops, presentations, or webinars;
- Hosted Energy Equity Forums in Columbus, where we brought together community members, utility representatives, community leaders, service providers, advocates and policymakers to discuss energy efficiency and ways to save money on energy bills;
- Stopped the title pawn loan industry from weakening rules protecting consumers;
- Brought together advocates throughout the state to learn about financial planning, medical debt, and utility bills;
- Conducted 128 workshops, educating more than 2,300 consumers on financial planning, medical debt, and utility bills;
- Developed a consumer resource offering information about current options available for families struggling with high energy bills, as well as policy recommendations to expand access to energy efficiency and community solar to all Georgians;
- Produced a consumer guide on medical billing and debt that helped one consumer reduce $30,000 in medical bills to $0;
- Called on state energy regulators to hold Georgia Power accountable for costly overruns related to the construction at Plant Vogtle;
- Produced a comprehensive online resource with instructions on identity protection in response to the Equifax breach;
- Opposed the Affordable Care Act repeal bills to preserve access to affordable healthcare coverage;
- Supported surprise billing legislation that would protect Georgia consumers from unexpected out-of-network costs in an emergency or during a planned procedure;
- Produced a report on our Intersectoral Community Health Improvement Collaborative (ICHIC) project that brought employers, advocates and public health together to learn and strategize about improving population health in rural Georgia.
- Stopped legislation that would make title pawn loans even more costly for Georgia consumers and urged federal agencies to help Stop the Debt Trap;
- Protected consumers from higher medical bills by supporting legislation to ban surprise out-of-network medical bills;
- Educated consumers on important patient safety matters, including how to background check their doctors and choose safer hospitals;
- Teamed up with the Georgia Attorney General’s office to produce a comprehensive Military Consumer Protection Guide to provide essential tools to protect those who protect us;
- Stood up for consumers against higher energy bills at the Georgia Public Service Commission more than 20 times throughout the year and worked to make energy efficiency more accessible for all;
- Worked to bring to light the harm that unlicensed tax preparation is doing to some of Atlanta’s most vulnerable communities through a mystery shopper research study;
- Led a collaborative effort with employers, public health and fellow advocates to improve community health;
- Spent significant time in rural Georgia to deepen our understanding of rural healthcare challenges and educate residents on how to identify, prevent and report scams;
- Called on the Georgia Supreme Court to stop the erosion of existing accountability for Georgia’s public hospitals by filing an amicus brief in a high-profile hospital open records act case.
- Released a policy report that took an in-depth look at the first round of community health needs assessments for nearly half of Georgia nonprofit hospitals. Our report has been used as an improvement tool by hospitals across the state;
- Launched an initiative alongside Attorney General Sam Olens and Holly Petraeus of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Office of Servicemember Affairs to protect Servicemembers from abusive practices in the financial marketplace;
- Produced a report examining the bylaws and compliance of Electric Membership Cooperatives throughout Georgia that consumers can use to hold EMC boards accountable;
- Released a report examining practice barriers for Advanced Practice Registered Nurses that impede Georgians’ access to care;
- Educated more than 1,000 consumers on ways to protect themselves from marketplace scams through our Financial Protection Program.
