The Gardner Family: Ida and Bradley Gardner (son) with Ella and Dylan; Pat and her husband of 41 years Jerry Gardner; Anita (daughter) and Alain Cortadillo with Isabella.
About Pat
• Pat Gardner has served our community in the State House of Representatives for 12 years
• Wife, Mother, and Grandmother
• Former teacher and businesswoman
• Consistent, reliable, solution oriented leader
Committee Assignments
• House Appropriations
• Transportation
• Higher Education
• Natural Resources & Environment
• Appropriations Committee’s Health Subcommittee
Leadership in the House
• Treasurer of the Working Families Caucus
• Chair of the Health and Welfare Subcommittee of the Fulton County Delegation
• Immediate past Chair of Women’s Legislative Caucus
• Recent appointments by the Speaker include:
Regional Transit Authority, Governance Commission,
Health Committee of National Conference of State Legislators
• Appointed by the Governor to the Health Insurance Exchange Advisory Committee
Recognitions
Mental Health Association
Georgia Environmental Voters
Women’s Policy Council
Legislative Priorities
• Healthcare: ensure access and affordability of care
• Transportation/Transit: reduce congestion, enhance MARTA’s funding sources, and the development of a regional transit system in the metro area
• Job Creation: support skill-building to ensure Georgians are prepared for good jobs and invest in infrastructure that grows our economy
• Education: assure adequate funding for our schools
Representative Pat Gardner Extended Bio
Legislative Activities. Pat Gardner begins her 12th session as State Representative in 2013. She presently serves on the House Appropriations,Transportation, Higher Education and Natural Resources & Environment Committees and the Appropriations Committee’s Health Subcommittee. She is the Treasurer of the Working Families Caucus , Chair of the Health and Welfare Subcommittee of the Fulton County Delegation, and immediate past chair of the Women’s Legislative Caucus.
Recent appointments by the Speaker include the Regional Transit Authority Governance Commission and the Health Committee of the National Conference of State Legislators. Governor Deal appointed Pat to the Health Insurance Exchange Advisory Committee.
Healthcare. Pat works tirelessly to ensure that healthcare coverage is available to all of Georgia’s children. Before the Affordable Care Act was passed by Congress, Pat introduced The “Peach Care for All Children Act”, a bipartisan effort that would authorize the Department of Community Health to draw additional federal dollars through Medicaid and the current State Children’s Health Insurance Program (S-CHIP or PeachCare), would use the buying power of government in negotiating reasonable premiums with insurance carriers for any child who is not insured through the parent’s employer, regardless of income level. During the most recent sessions, Pat’s energy focused on consolidating government by working to eliminate duplications in eligibility processes for Medicaid and PeachCare and the dual insurance administration of health insurance programs.
Transportation/Transit. As a member of the Transportation Committee of the House, Pat led the effort to make MARTA a part of a Metro Regional Transit Authority and to eliminate outdated language limiting the use of the tax dollars raised in Fulton and DeKalb Counties and the City of Atlanta.
Legislative Philosophy. Being an effective legislator involves more than passing bills. It involves knowing and understanding the community, listening to the issues of those who live in the district, advancing the public discussion about complicated problems and finding solutions. Being a legislator also means developing and maintaining relationships with other legislators whose advice and support are critical in getting things done forthe citizens of our neighborhoods. Some of the problems have to do with the budget – others require working with the bureaucracies to solve problems.
As a legislator with a demonstrated track record of working to protect and raise our quality of life, she has enjoyed the support of community groups like the Women’s Policy Group, Georgia Equality, the Georgia Conservation Voters, the Georgia Alliance for Tobacco Prevention, Consumers of Mental Health Services and the Mental Health Services Coalition to name a few. Background on Pat. As a mother and former teacher who has lived in the neighborhood for more than 40 years, Pat has worked hard to improve the quality of our schools, our neighborhood environment and access to affordable healthcare.
As an association executive, she has had more than 30 years of experience in what it takes to run a small business. She also knows how to buildcoalitions to help advance public awareness and generate results on issues important to our health and our neighborhoods.
As a member of the Morningside community where she has lived for more than 40 years with her husband and two children, Pat has served on the Board of the Morningside/Lenox Park Association. She has also served on the Boards of the League of Women Voters, the Learning Disabilities Association of Georgia, the Mental Health Services Coalition, Project Interconnections, the Besser Foundation and Georgians for Choice. She is a member of the Midtown Atlanta Rotary Club, Leadership Atlanta and a graduate of the Institute for Georgia Environmental Leadership.