General Assembly set to convene with budget, education reform at the forefront

ALBANY — A few days ago, Georgia Budget and Policy Institute Executive Director Taifa Smith Butler stood before a gathering of regional educators, legislators and city and county officials at the Albany Welcome Center and emphasized the importance of the state budget.

“Georgia’s budget touches the lives of people in every corner of the state,” Butler said. “From the mountains of north Georgia to the southern coastal plains, the spending plan affects the quality of life in Georgia’s communities. The state’s future prosperity depends on Georgia’s investments in essential services like education, health care, public safety and transportation, just to name a few.

With the state general assembly set to convene Monday in Atlanta, Albany’s local delegation — Sen. Freddie Powell Sims (D-Dawson), Gerald Greene (R-Cuthbert), Winfred Dukes (D-Albany), Darrel Ealum (D-Albany) and Ed Rynders (R-Leesburg) — will arrive with the FY 2016 budget firmly on their minds.

“The budget is my primary concern because it has a huge impact of the people of southwest Georgia,” Sims said. “We have several issues like funding expansion of the Carlton Construction Academy at Albany Tech. That’s been on the table for awhile. We still don’t know what the governor will send us from the Education Reform Commission’s (ERC) recommendations involving reformulating QBE (quality basic education funding) and teacher merit pay. — both are big concerns. I expect his recommendations to get a long hard look in both the House and Senate.

“We also have a request from the Northwest Library to expand their childrens’ center, parimutuel betting, gaming casinos and horse racing will also be discussed. Funding must be found.”

Dukes, who has been a member of the House since 1997, has Medicaid expansion and education atop his list of priorities for the upcoming session.

“I want us to do everything we can to move forward with Medicaid expansion, it’s particularly important for our part of the state,” Dukes said. “As far as the governor’s ERC recommendations go, we’ll see how it shakes out and wait for the bill to take shape.

“We also have some budget items we are interested in such Albany Tech’s expansion of the Carlton Academy and $2.1 in funding for fixtures and furniture for Albany State’s new Fine Arts building.”

Greene, a former educator, says he plans to keep a close eye on tax reform for property owners and the governor’s ERC recommendations.

“You have to keep in mind that what is good for urban Georgia is often bad for rural Georgia,” Greene said. “I know how hard things have been down here for some of our students. Ever since the 80s every governor tried to put is mark on education. More than 50 percent of the state budget goes to education and as usual it always comes down to the money. In my 33 years in the House I have never seen education fully funded.

“I want some time to study the governor’s recommendation, but I am a little apprehensive. But I do applaud the effort the governor and the ERC have put forth.”

Georgia plans to spend more than $21.8 billion in state funds raised through taxes and fees for the 2016 fiscal year. The budget plan anticipates a revenue increase of $991 million, or 4.8 percent, from the prior year. The state’s 2016 budget adds $280 million more for K-12 education over the prior year. It is another easing of yearly education austerity cuts after lawmakers added $314 million for public schools last year.

It will be up to the state’s lawmakers to determine how that money is divided up among Georgia’s 180 school districts..

“Governor Deal’s Education Reform Commission report from November will be an overall legislative issue,” Ealum said. “My feeling is that much like Transportation HB 170 consumed a tremendous amount of energy in the 2015 session, educational issues such as revising the formula for funding local districts and teacher pay considerations will take center stage.

“Our delegation is united, and we are committed to working as a team. Getting funding to relocate our Georgia National Guard aboard the Marine Base and $2 million to expand our Northwest Library are our delegation’s initiatives. As a personal goal, I am working on HB 649 which will create support and encouragement for young mothers who wish to breastfeed their babies.”

Rynders, secretary of the House Appropriations Committee and chairman of the Government Affairs Committee, has a more expansive view of what the upcoming session will hold.

“I think the Governmental Affairs Committee we will be dealing with cityhood initiatives and changes in election laws,” Rynders said. “The Appropriations Committee will be fully involved in budget matters and I will be looking out for the interests of the people in southwest Georgia. Much of the attention will be focused on the on the governor’s recommendations from the ERC report. We’ll also see some movement on the religious liberty bill (SB 129) as well as casino and parimutuel betting in the state.

“I also think there is going to be discussion on the in-state cultivation of medical marijuana.”

The session, barring the governor’s call for a special session, will last 40 days.

The General Assembly will begin budget hearings on Tuesday with Gov. Nathan Deal’s State of the State address set for Wednesday at 11 a.m.