Editor’s Note: This is the first in a continuing series of legislative updates from 50th District State Senator John Wilkinson.
Every January, the legislative session arrives just as certainly as each new day. Everyone at the Capitol works in collaboration to ensure we learn from the past in order to provide for the future. We work tirelessly for 40 days to pass legislation that ensures Georgia remains the superb state it has always been. I am proud to be a part of 154th General Assembly.
All 56 state senators have now been sworn in and we have all be given our committee assignments. I am pleased to say that my colleagues have put their faith in me and provided me with the opportunity to chair the Senate Agriculture and Consumer Affairs Committee for another two year term. I will also be the vice chair of the Education and Youth Committee and a member of the Appropriations, Natural Resources and Rules committees.
On Wednesday, January 11, 2017, Gov. Nathan Deal delivered his State of the State address, where he outlined Georgia’s past and present economic and social landscapes, and announced his plans to improve both in Fiscal Year 2018. Gov. Deal spoke to the state our economy was in when he took office in 2010. Our “Rainy Day Fund” was nearly empty and our revenue was down $2.3 billion from 2007. To fix this, we worked to pass fiscally conservative budgets, remove regulatory burdens on businesses and cut taxes for all Georgians. Our “Rainy Day Fund” has successfully been replenished and now sits at nearly $2.033 billion.
The General Assembly took a break this week to take part in Joint Budget Hearings. On Tuesday, Governor Nathan Deal presented his proposed amended Fiscal Year 2017 budget and his Fiscal Year 2018 General Budget to the Appropriations Committee. He re-introduced some ideas from his State of the State Address, such as the cyber security center in Augusta and a two percent pay increase for K-12 public school teachers. He also introduced some new ideas, such as an increase in funding for both the Division for Child and Protective Services and for inmate vocational and educational programs. During these hearings, we also heard from all of the state departments regarding their budget needs. This is done to ensure that not a dime of taxpayer money is misused.
It is always an honor to have visitors from District 50 here at the Capitol and I encourage you to attend as many public events as possible. As the legislative session continues, I look forward to working on your behalf. If I can be of any assistance, please feel free to reach out to my office at 404.463.5257 or by email at [email protected].
About the author: Sen. John Wilkinson serves as the Chairman of the Agriculture and Consumer Affairs Committee and Vice Chairman of the Education and Youth Committee. He represents the 50th Senate District which includes Banks, Franklin, Habersham, Rabun, Stephens and Towns counties and portions of Hall and Jackson counties.
