GERALD GREENE: Legislators allocate funds in amended budget

Each legislative session, the Georgia General Assembly is constitutionally required to pass a balanced state budget. On Thursday, we passed House Bill 18, or the Amended Fiscal Year 2023 budget.

During the 2022 legislative session, the legislature passed the original Fiscal Year 2023 budget. Now, my colleagues and I must also pass an amended state budget based on the actual revenue obtained to fund our state operations through the end of the fiscal year in June. Due to revenue collections being higher than expected, the AFY 2023 budget recognizes additional revenue, bringing the total appropriation for the AFY 2023 budget to $32.56 billion.

Under HB 18, the Georgia Department of Community Affairs would receive $166.7 million to help launch the new Rivian and Hyundai manufacturing facilities. The House’s AFY 2023 budget includes $6.25 million for the Technical College System of Georgia to design a new electric vehicle training center in Newton County, $56.2 million to finish building the new electric vehicle Quick Start training center in Bryan County and $10.6 million to support an existing training center in the Chatham County area. HB 18 repurposes $35.7 million in existing grant funding to establish the Rural Workforce Housing Fund, a program that would help local authorities bring new affordable housing developments to rural areas.

HB 18 includes $128.2 million for the Quality Basic Education formula’s midterm adjustment to meet the education needs of 12,939 new students and expand the Special Needs Scholarship. This budget includes $5 million in grant funding to encourage paraprofessionals with bachelor’s degrees to become certified teachers. Additionally, the House’s AFY 2023 budget dedicates state funding toward the Medical College of Georgia Hospitals and Clinics, which would receive $105 million to implement a new electronic medical record system. This budget also includes $2 million to support private psychiatric contract beds, as well as $1.97 million to open offline psychiatric beds at the state’s Georgia Regional Hospital in Atlanta.

Furthermore, the Georgia Department of Human Services would receive $5 million to help find alternative housing for youths in our foster care system. The budget also would provide $825,000 to coordinate outreach to address homelessness in the Atlanta area. Finally, the House’s amended budget allocates $250.8 million for the state’s Medicaid program.

HB 18 includes $4.4 million to improve security at domestic violence shelters in the state. Next, HB 18 includes $4 million in new funding for the Criminal Justice Coordinating Council’s Georgia Crime Victims Emergency Fund, which provides up to $25,000 in compensation to support victims of violent crime. The AFY 2023 budget includes $56 million to address emergency maintenance and repairs on the state’s correctional facilities and prisons.

The AFY 2023 budget include $1 billion for the governor’s new Homeowner Tax Relief Grant program, which would provide one-time property tax relief for qualifying homesteads for the tax year. This budget also includes $14.5 million for a one-time benefit adjustment for retired state employees. Lastly, the Secretary of State’s Office would receive nearly $5 million to maintain our voting equipment and make improvements to the Georgia Online Voter Registration system.

During Legislative Day 11, my House colleagues and I also took time to recognize the 49th anniversary of the Consulate-General of Japan in Atlanta. Our relationship with Japan has produced nearly $8 billion in imports and exports, and nearly 600 Japanese-affiliated companies employ more than 40,000 Georgians in our state.

The House Page Program resumed at the State Capitol this session. For more than 50 years, the Page Program has provided an exclusive opportunity for Georgia students between 12 and 18 years old to visit our Capitol and serve in the House Chamber. This program is highly competitive, and I encourage students from House District 154 who may be interested to apply as soon as possible at https://www.legis.ga.gov/house/page-program.

I encourage you to reach out to me about any legislation that interests you. My Capitol office phone number is (404) 656-9210, and my email address is [email protected]. As always, thank you for allowing me to serve as your state representative.

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