BILL YEARTA: Work speeds up in fifth week of legislative session

The House body met for four days during the fifth week of the legislative session, during which we successfully gave passage to several bills and continued our committee work each day. In addition, we also convened for a joint session of the House and the Senate to hear the State of the Judiciary address.

Amended Budget House Bill 915, the amended 2024 budget, is set at a revenue estimate of approximately $37.5 billion. Budget items include substantial investments in technology, capital improvements, safety and security initiatives, economic development projects and human capital enhancements. Our amended budget continues to prioritize economic development in our state and has aligned with the governor’s proposal to allocate funding for several key economic development initiatives. Highlights are listed below.

Economic Development

· $23.9 million is designated to the Rural Workforce Housing program;

· $250 million for low-interest loans to the Georgia Fund, which would be dedicated to water and wastewater infrastructure development in local communities;

· $100 million for economic development initiatives through the Regional Economic Business Assistance program;

· $100 million to the OneGeorgia Authority for rural economic development and site enhancement projects.

Education

· $178 million toward establishing a new dental school at Georgia Southern University in Savannah;

· $50 million for the construction of the Medical School at the University of Georgia;

· $4.75 million to support necessary funding for staff and facility operations within the Quick Start program;

· $19.5 million for the Technical Education program within the Technical College System of Georgia to fund renovation and start-up costs for three Workforce Accelerator site locations;

· $102.5 million allocation to the Department of Education (DOE) for the midterm adjustment of the Quality Basic Education Formula;

· $1.57 million to expand the Communities in Schools program;

· $8.9 million in lottery funds to sustain the Summer Transition Program through the Department of Early Care.

Transportation

· $3.9 billion allocated toward transportation infrastructure;

· $509 million is dedicated to the new Freight Infrastructure. Projects program to enhance Georgia’s growing freight network;

· $200 million allocation as a one-time deposit for the Local Road Assistance Administration Program;

· $4.25 million in this budget to continue upgrading the state-owned rail lines.

Other

· $110,000 for the implementation of visible watermarks on all paper ballots to enhance election security;

· $500 million to improve the health and funding ratio for the Employees Retirement System of Georgia;

· $300 million for a one-time salary supplement of $1,000 for state employees and teachers;

· $2 million to the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities to implement alternative transportation methods for those facing a mental health crisis;

· $1 million for the Georgia Department of Veterans Services to support the Veterans Mental Health Services Program;

· $4.6 million toward the Metro Re-entry Center, which offers crucial resources to former inmates upon release.

Tax Reform

Last week, we successfully passed House Bills 1015, 1019 and 1021, all aimed at bringing Georgia citizens much-needed tax relief. We are confident that each measure will help continue our economic success as a state, while putting dollars back into the pockets of our hardworking taxpayers.

· HB 1015 lowers the individual income tax rate effective on Jan. 1 from 5.49 percent to 5.39 percent, which would return another $1 billion to Georgia taxpayers;

· HB 1019 would increase the statewide homestead exemption from $2,000 to $4,000;

· HB 1021 would increase the child tax deduction from $3,000 to $4,000.

Health care

House Bill 1035 would allow for the sale of overdose reversal drugs, like Narcan, in vending machines. The bill also would protect those who dispense, supply and administer these drugs from liability when acting in good faith. This bill simply enhances Georgia’s 911 Medical Amnesty Law, which provides immunity from prosecution for any person who seeks medical assistance in good faith for someone experiencing an overdose.

Further, this legislation would allow our public health commissioner’s ability to allow for the option of new opioid antagonist drugs to be made available over the counter.

Education

Last week, we also worked to expand Georgia’s current, Realizing Education Achievement Can Happen (REACH) scholarship program. House Bill 970 stipulations include:

· Expands scholarship eligibility to victims of human trafficking;

· Allows REACH participating school systems to designate REACH scholars each school year to receive the $10,000 scholarship without a limit on the number of recipients from each school;

· Realigns state and local funding by requiring participating school systems to provide $1,000 toward the funding of the scholarship.

This week, we return to Capitol Hill for the 6th week of our legislative session. There is no doubt that our schedules will continue to pick up as make our way toward our Crossover Day deadline.

As always, thank you for allowing me to serve you under the Gold Dome. If you need anything at all, please don’t hesitate to reach out anytime. May God bless you and may He continue to bless the great state of Georgia.