GERALD GREENE: House passes major legislation before session suspended

The Georgia House of Representatives returned to the Capitol for week nine of the legislative session last Monday, which was the busiest week of the session so far, and on Thursday, March 12, we reached Legislative Day 28, or “crossover day.” Crossover day is a critical deadline in the General Assembly, as it is the last day a piece of legislation can pass out of its original chamber and still remain eligible for consideration by the opposite legislative chamber. On crossover day, my colleagues and I worked late into the night to pass several House bills, which will now be considered by the Senate.

An important announcement came during the ninth week of the session as Speaker of the House David Ralston and Lt. Governor Geoff Duncan made the decision to suspend the 2020 session until further notice due to the growing threat of COVID-19 (coronavirus) across the state and country. The suspension is out of an abundance of caution and in the interest of health and safety of my colleagues in the General Assembly, our staff and the public. We suspended the legislative session indefinitely after we adjourned for Legislative Day 29 on Friday.

Before we suspended the legislative session, the House passed the most important piece of legislation of the session, House Bill 793, which is the Fiscal Year 2021 budget. HB 793 demonstrates the House’s ongoing support of expanded mental health core and crisis intervention services, access to quality health care and restoring grants for county health departments and public libraries. It also includes the reinstatement of funds to ensure a fully-functioning criminal justice system.

On crossover day, we adopted a conference committee report that gave final passage to the Amended Fiscal Year 2020 budget. The report recognizes a revenue increase of $100 million from the Revenue Shortfall Reserve to be appropriated to the Governor’s Emergency Fund for COVID-19 (coronavirus) preparedness and response efforts, and it adds $5 million to rural hospitals to prepare for the spread of coronavirus.

The House and Senate Appropriations committees worked extremely hard to finalize the AFY 2020 budget based on a more accurate revenue estimate, and this budget will ensure that our state funds are used wisely and efficiently for the remainder of the fiscal year while keeping the health and safety of Georgians a priority.

Now that the legislative session is suspended indefinitely, my colleagues and I will return to our House districts for the time being. During this recess period, I encourage you to reach out to me if you have any questions regarding bills that may still be up for consideration. I appreciate your input and feedback regarding legislation as your thoughts and opinions on these critical issues are essential to my decision-making process. As always, thank you for allowing me to serve as your representative.