GORDON SUMMERS: Legislator ready to get back to work at the Capitol

Although we face unprecedented times, one thing is for sure: Georgia is bouncing back strong from the effects of COVID-19. We all owe a tremendous amount of gratitude to the hard-working Georgian’s who are on the front lines serving others.

Georgia recently reached the lowest number of COVID-19 positive patients hospitalized since hospitals started reporting data to the Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency on April 8. This is an encouraging sign in our fight against COVID-19. Furthermore, we are continuing to open up more testing sites as part of our COVID-19 response. On May 22, CVS Health announced the opening of 23 new COVID-19 test sites at select CVS Pharmacy drive-thru locations across the state. These testing sites will utilize the self-swab tests and after getting tested, the results will be available in approximately three days.

In order to get tested at one of these sites, you must register in advance at CVS.org to schedule an appointment. While we are on the upswing of things, please continue to do your part by practicing social distancing and following the advice of public health officials.

Additionally, there is still a lot of important work to be done in the legislature, and we need to get back to the Capitol to pass important bills and a balanced budget. There will be significant changes to the General Fiscal Year 2021 budget, including an anticipated 14% budget cut across all state agencies. This is a major increase from the previously proposed 6%.

Legislators have also been meeting regularly to ensure a safe return, although we currently have yet to determine a specific date to return to the Capitol to resume the legislative session. While we understand it will take time to return to business as usual, we are also taking important steps to ensure the Senate is able to continue representing Georgians. Any changes to the way we do business should be made in a deliberate and bipartisan manner. By emphasizing social distancing, increasing sanitation and prioritizing the health of all members and staff, the Senate will be able to physically meet again soon. I believe the return will be mid-June, with committee meetings resuming on Monday.

I will continue to keep you informed on any additional information that comes my way. Thank you again for allowing me to be your voice at the state Capitol. If you have any questions or if I can be of any assistance, do not hesitate to contact me at [email protected] or call me at (404) 463-5258.

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