Albany area lawmakers give their takes on upcoming legislative session

ALBANY — When Georgia’s 136 House representatives and senators convene on Monday for the 40-day 2024 session, it will be in an enviable situation of having a surplus of some $16 billion.

Over the past several months, there have been plenty of ideas put forth on new programs and additional spending in existing ones from legislators and other groups.

Members of the legislature whose districts include a portion of Dougherty County identified several key areas where additional state spending is warranted, but one idea that has widespread approval is returning some of that money to taxpayers through tax cuts.

Legislators have approved $2 billion in income tax cuts and property tax relief, state Rep. Mike Cheokas, an Americus Republican, said.

“We want to be good fiscal stewards of taxpayer money,” he said. “We have as a matter of policy looked at ways to cut the income tax. As we have every year, we’re going to be looking at ways to cut taxes.”

Cheokas, who is chairman of the Small Business Development Committee, has proposed an increase in the amount of business property and investment that is exempt from taxation from $7,500 to $50,000.

“Small business is the backbone of our counties,” he said. “They contribute significantly to the economy. The investment tax they have to pay each year is a burden.”

House Speaker Jon Burns has announced that he wants to increase the timetable on cutting income tax rates, a proposal that state Rep. Bill Yearta, R-Sylvester, agrees with.

“It’s the people of Georgia’s tax dollars,” he said.

The state’s economy is doing well, he said, and to keep that trend continuing in the future of education is another key area where the state can make an investment.

The state’s 2023-2024 budget included nearly $12 billion in education spending, not counting money raised by the HOPE scholarship, and represents more than half of all state spending.

Educating children in grade school and educating the current and future work force is a significant part of the state’s role, Yearta said.

“Education, work force development, ways we can help our K-12 programs (and) also our technical colleges … there are so many jobs out there, even in southwest Georgia, that go unfilled,” he said. “One of the biggest things I’ve heard from employers is finding workers.”

A quality education is a key to improving the lives of children as well as addressing some of the issues that plague Albany and other Georgia cities, Cheokas said.

“You’re going to have a good economy when you have a good education,” he said. “Everything is related to education. You’re going to see a reduction in crime rates when you have a good education. That, in my my mind, is the most important thing we can do is to provide opportunities for our children.”

While the COVID-19 pandemic has played a role in a loss in learning for the state’s students, it is not the only factor, and going forward that should not be used as an excuse any longer, state Sen. Freddie Powell Sims, D-Dawson, said.

While high schools are reporting better and better graduation rates, students continue to arrive at college unprepared, so looking at the graduation standards and student achievement is necessary, she said. One key issue is a teacher shortage that is not just a local or state issue but one that is being felt across the country.

A retired educator, Sims has been part of the Georgia Council on Literacy that was created during the 2023 legislative session.

“We need more teachers,” she said. “Our education programs are suffering because we don’t have enough teachers. We need more teachers, and we need them to be prepared for the students they are encountering today. We need strength in our school boards, and we need strength in our superintendents.”

Like Cheokas, Sims said that parents also must play more of a role in the education of their children.

The legislators also pointed to the need to reward public safety officers with higher pay. As is the case for nurses and teachers, law enforcement is another area where there is a shortage across the nation.

“It’s a tough job, and they need to be compensated,” Yearta said. “We need to find additional ways to try to hire state patrol, safety officers and others. The crime lab is always an issue, and we need the folks to fill those positions.”

Another issue likely to come up during the 2024 session is tort reform, state Rep. Gerald Greene, R-Cuthbert said

“It’s come up many years,” he said. “It will be something introduced this year that has chambers (of commerce) and small businesses pushing for. We’ll see what’s going to be introduced there.”

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