Underway!
We are officially underway in the 2017 legislative session, and it’s shaping up to have some interesting issues. On Monday, January 9th, we were officially sworn into office and immediately went to work electing House leadership and taking care of the necessary steps to ensure that the House of Representatives runs smoothly. There’s a lot of work behind the scenes to get things started, but it looks like we’re off to a fast start.
State of the State
On Wednesday, Governor Deal came to the House for a joint session with the Senate to give his annual state of the state speech and outline his vision for where Georgia should be going this year. The Governor took a positive approach and shared with us many of the great things our state has accomplished in the past few years. Some notable highlights include a tremendous drop in unemployment down to 5.3%, nearly 600,000 new private-sector jobs created, and Georgia being named the top state in the nation for business for the fourth straight year.
The Governor’s focus in 2017 will be on education, a solid balanced budget, and taking a measured approach to healthcare and criminal justice reform. The Governor also considers Cybersecurity as a priority and opportunity for Georgia, and as such, has made some recommendations for its expansion. As Governor Deal’s Senior Floor Leader in the House, I look forward to helping pass legislation which accomplishes these goals and keeps our state moving forward.
Appropriations
The legislature was not officially in session during our second week, however I was in Atlanta most of the week, as we took time for the Appropriations Committee to start reviewing the budget. I’m proud that I have been selected as Vice-Chairman of the Public Safety sub- committee on Appropriations and we’re already hard at work looking at the numbers.
Governor Deal has proposed a solid $25 billion budget, which includes a 2% pay increase for teachers, as well as substantial increases in pay for public safety personnel as well as caseworkers in the Division of Family and Children Services. The proposed budget is a very sound, fiscally responsible budget which makes certain we maintain our “rainy day” fund and AAA bond ratings. The House will now go to work and put our recommendations in place, before sending it to the Senate for their ideas. As we work through and finalize the process I’ll keep you posted in future updates.
Contact information
Although the majority of my time for the next few months will be spent in Atlanta, as always, you are my top priority. If you have concerns or questions, or need some help with a state problem, please don’t hesitate to get in touch. I can be reached in Atlanta at 404-651-7737 or locally at 706-754-0706. If it’s easier, email me at [email protected]. I’d always glad to hear from you. I’m honored and humbled to be your Representative. Thank you for giving me the privilege!
