BELIEVE HOUSE SPEAKER -- HOUSE MINORITY LEADER JAMES BEVERLY.

>> THAT'S RIGHT, DONNA.

I'M HERE WITH HOUSE MINORITY LEADER JAMES BEVERLY.

THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE.

YOU'RE HOPEFUL THIS WOULD BE THE SESSION THAT MEDICAID EXPANSION PASSED.

BUT IT NEVER MADE IT OUT OF COMMITTEE.

CAN YOU EXPLAIN WHAT HAPPENED?

>> YEAH, THE GOVERNOR.

THEY COULD HAVE JUST CHANGED ONE -- TWO NUMBERS ON THE POVERTY LEVEL FOR FEDERAL POVERTY LEVEL FROM 100 TO 138% AND IT WOULD HAVE CHANGED IT AND WE WOULD BE PULLING DOWN $1.2 BILLION RIGHT NOW FROM THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT.

AND THE GOVERNOR JUST IN HIS, YOU KNOW, HIS DECISION.

HE DECIDED NO, WE'RE NOT DOING IT.

>> AND SO WHAT ARE YOU HOPING THAT NEXT YEAR'S LEADERS DO TO HELP THIS CAUSE?

>> WHAT I HOPE HAPPENS IS THEY PICK UP MEDICAID AGAIN AND THAT THEY REALLY HAVE A ROBUST CONVERSATION OVER THE SUMMER ABOUT HOW TO EXPAND IT, AND BEYOND THAT, WE'LL SEE.

I MEAN, YOU KNOW, I THINK THE NEXT GENERATION OF LEADERS ARE GOING TO COME IN AND FIGURE OUT WHAT THE WORK IS SUPPOSED TO BE.

AND SO WE'LL SEE WHERE THEY ARE NEXT YEAR.

>> SO THIS IS YOUR LAST YEAR IN THE LEGISLATURE AFTER MORE THAN A DECADE HERE.

WHAT IS THE BIGGEST LESSON YOU LEARNED?

>> I THINK THE BIGGEST LESSON I LEARNED IS STAY FOCUSED ON THE WORK.

THERE ARE SO MANY DISTRACTIONS, ALL KINDS OF THINGS THAT HAPPEN UP HERE.

BUT YOU GOT TO STAY FOCUSED ON THE WORK.

WHATEVER THE WORK IS IN THE MOMENT, STAY FOCUSED ON IT.

THAT IS WHAT IS GOING TO GET YOU THROUGH.

NO MATTER WHAT THE DISTRACTIONS ARE, STAY FOCUSED ON WHAT IS THE WORK TO MOVE GEORGIA FORWARD, WHAT IS THE PROGRESS WE'RE TRYING TO HAVE HAPPEN.

>> WHAT IS THE MOST IMPORTANT WORK THEN DURING YOUR DECADE HERE?

>> OH, WOW, PROBABLY ADDRESSING POVERTY.

REALLY LEANING INTO WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE AND HOW DO WE TRY TO ERADICATE POVERTY, NOT JUST IN BIB COUNTY, BUT THE STATE OF GEORGIA AND FOCUSING ON THAT.

THAT'S BEEN ONE OF THE BIGGEST ACCOMPLISHMENTS I HAD.

>> THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE.