Week Four of the 2016 Georgia General Assembly is complete. We had many people from District 28 at the Capitol last week. I met with several nursing students from Piedmont College who were advocating for expanded practice for nurses in Georgia. These young people are excited about their future profession are ready to be involved in the political process. This was great to see. I met with Farm Bureau members from every county in the district and enjoyed lunch with the Habersham County Farm Bureau members. Farm Bureau members from across Georgia were in Atlanta to show support for agriculture related legislation. Finally, last week included a very productive meeting with the Banks County Commissioners, the Georgia Department of Transportation Commissioner, the statewide GDOT Planning Director, State Senator Wilkinson, and myself to discuss significant road improvements in the Banks Crossing area of Banks County. This area currently is one of the most dangerous one mile stretches of road in Georgia, with over 450 traffic accidents in 2015. I am optimistic this meeting was the beginning of improvements necessary to make this area much safer for drivers and pedestrians.
Week Four was also busy with legislation. In this column, I am going to focus on three bills. House Bill 798 addresses Hope Scholarship eligibility for home study students and students graduating from ineligible high schools who receive good scores on standardized college admission tests. In short, this bill allows home school students and those graduating from non-accredited high schools to qualify for the Zell Miller Scholarship or the Hope Scholarship. This bill says that if you score in the 93rd percentile on a nationally recognized admissions test (ACT, SAT, etc.) you will qualify for the Zell Miller Scholarship and if you score in the 80th percentile on these tests you will qualify for the Hope Scholarship.
House Bill 801 proposes to give a boost to the grades for some college courses that contain significant rigor and are in the critical demand fields of Science, Technology, Engineering, Math, and Computer Science. HB 801 proposes to give the student who takes the difficult college classes a one half point bonus on their final grade when used to calculate their eligibility to keep the Hope or Zell Scholarship. We are seeing many students reluctant to take the tough courses in college for fear of losing their scholarship. This bill is an attempt to help this situation.
House Bill 402 proposes reduction in workers’ compensation premiums for employers that provide work- based learning for high school students. HB 402 is another measure that seeks to close the skills gap in Georgia. HB 402 is an effort to increase business partnerships with local public school systems for K-12 work-based learning programs. Work-based learning programs allow high school students age 16 and older to participate in a structured learning environment at an employer’s job site for a portion of the school day, while also receiving academic credit. HB 402 would offer businesses that participate in the program a discount of up to five percent on their worker’s compensation insurance premiums as an incentive to encourage participation. Georgia’s work-based learning program is an excellent way to teach students the true value and responsibility of employment.
Every column this year I have asked to hear from folks on the legislative proposal to bring casino gambling to Georgia. This week I heard two new opinions and I want to thank all of those who have taken the time to send me a response over the past few weeks. To date, the tally is 13 against and 8 for bringing casino gambling to Georgia. I want to know what you think about this important issue. If you want to share your opinion on this issue or any others, please contact me. I can be reached at 404-656-0325 or [email protected].
About the Author
Rep. Dan Gasaway (R-Homer) represents the 28th GA House District. His district includes Stephens and Banks Counties and the southern end of Habersham.
