DARREL EALUM: Legislative session reaches midpoint

Last week marked the midpoint of our 2015 legislative session. With near unanimous support, we passed the Fiscal Year 2016 budget (HB 76), which will soon go before the Senate for revision and then to the governor for signature. The budget is the only legislation we in the General Assembly are required by our Georgia Constitution to pass. This year’s budget was established with an annual estimated revenue of $21.7 billion, which reflects a projected revenue increase of 4.5 percent above Fiscal Year 2015.

Additional funding in HB 76 for K-12 education will hopefully position our school system to eliminate furlough days and increase teacher salaries. Efforts to continue the State Health Benefit Plan coverage for non-certificated school workers, i.e. custodians, bus drivers, and cafeteria workers, are also included in the budget. Transportation continues to be a major topic, and funding for additional state transportation projects is a FY 2016 budget priority.

A variety of health initiatives in the budget includes $3 million to assist struggling and closing rural hospitals, $50,000 to support the Georgia Comprehensive Sickle Cell Center at Grady Memorial Hospital, additional funds for Mercer and Morehouse Schools of Medicine, and $200,000 to revive a rural dentistry program that provides debt relief with a service commitment to practice in a rural or underserved area. We are hoping to better prepare for a future generation of doctors and to address the shortage of health care providers in rural areas.

Last week was exciting for those of us who represent Albany at the Capitol. After well over 10 years of consideration, the Albany State University Fine Arts Facility (multi-purpose academic building) is in the House budget for the first time. Senate approval and the governor’s signature are still required before we can celebrate; however, our entire Dougherty County delegation is in unison behind this project, and we are working together for Albany and southwest Georgia.

Transportation Bill HB 170 is the elephant in the Capitol this week. After being amended in the Transportation Committee, the bill will return to the Rules Committee, and will then be passed to the House floor for a vote today, Wednesday or Thursday. Although the initial draft had provisions that were not favorable to Dougherty County, Transportation Chair Jay Roberts worked tirelessly to revise those sections and protect our interest.

Our 1 percent Local Option Sales Tax (LOST) will be increased to 1.25 percent to compensate for our future loss of motor fuel revenue, and our future 1 percent school system SPLOST will be added to the bill with an expanded transportation meaning so as to give us more flexibility than before to use SPLOST for transportation-related expenses, i.e. bus driver salaries, motor fuel expenses, etc. Concerns from our local leaders are being addressed and resolved in our favor.

Please contact me or stop by and visit me at the Capitol if you are in Atlanta during the legislative session.

State Rep. Darrel Bush Ealum, D-Albany, represents Georgia House District 153 in the General Assembly. Contact him at [email protected] or (404) 656-0116.