GERALD GREENE: General Assembly gets busy doing work of Georgia citizens

On Jan. 13, the Georgia House of Representatives convened for the second regular session of the 155th Georgia General Assembly. The State Capitol was full of excitement during the first week of the session, but my colleagues and I got right to work for the citizens of Georgia.

This week, the House convened for four legislative days in the House chamber, and one of our first orders of business was to adopt an adjournment resolution, which set our calendar for the first few weeks of the session. House committees also hit the ground running; Gov. Brian Kemp delivered his second annual State of the State address, and we voted on legislation on the House floor.

On Jan. 16, the House and Senate convened in the House chamber for a joint session to hear Gov. Kemp’s State of the State address. This annual address provides a unique opportunity for our governor to present his assessment on the current condition of our state government, as well as his priorities for the year ahead. Gov. Kemp reminded us of the great successes that we have experienced in Georgia recently, including reaching the lowest unemployment rate in the state’s history at 3.3 percent, creating 64,000 new private-sector jobs and being named the No. 1 state in which to do business for the seventh straight year.

Despite these successes, we have much work to do to make our state even stronger.

In his address, the governor reaffirmed his commitment to Georgia’s schools. Gov. Kemp vowed to fully fund our public school education again, while also accounting for enrollment growth and additional resources needed to properly educate Georgia students. The governor stated that he will continue to dismantle ineffective Common Core Curriculum and reduce the number of required tests that weigh down our education system. Finally, Gov. Kemp announced that his budget includes an additional $2,000 pay raise for all public school teachers.

Gov. Kemp went on to urge the General Assembly to focus our legislative efforts on improving access to quality health care across Georgia and promoting better health outcomes for Georgians.

Finally, Gov. Kemp commended former U.S. Senator Johnny Isakson, who was in attendance at the State of the State address, on his recent retirement after serving as one of our state’s boldest advocates in Washington, D.C., for the last 15 years.

I returned to the Gold Dome on Tuesday to begin the state budgeting process. This is an important week during the legislative session as the General Assembly is constitutionally required to pass a balanced state budget each year.

Please feel free to contact me by email at [email protected], or by phone at my office at (404) 656-5105. You may also feel free to write me at 206 Washington St. SW, 131 State Capitol, Atlanta, Ga. 30334.

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