UNDER THE GOLD DOME

WEEK 10

HELPING GEORGIANS GET JOBS

The Georgia General Assembly reconvened for the 10th week of the 2023 legislative session on Monday, March 13. During these final days of session, my colleagues and I have turned our focus toward reviewing Senate legislation that passed before the Crossover Day deadline. As such, we were extremely busy considering Senate bills in our respective House committees, and we passed a number of these bills on the House floor this week. 

On Tuesday, the House passed Senate Bill 3, or the “Reducing Barriers to State Employment Act of 2023,” to help attract more prospective state employees with different educational and professional backgrounds. SB 3 would require the Georgia Department of Administrative Services (DOAS) to regularly assess and reduce unnecessary educational, experiential and training requirements for positions within our state agencies and departments. The state and private sector are competing for top talent, and through this bill, our state agencies could avoid creating artificial barriers that limit our ability to attract the best candidates, especially for positions in emerging fields that may not have existed a few years ago. 

Protecting Georgia's Citizens

Additionally, the House passed legislation to protect vulnerable senior citizens in Georgia from falling victim to financial exploitation. Senate Bill 84 would require investment advisors or supervisory professionals to notify the Secretary of State’s Office if they suspect that an adult over 65 years old with mental or physical incapacitation, dementia or Alzheimer's disease is being exploited financially. The investment advisor could also inform one of the victim’s designated contacts about the situation if such person is not considered a suspect.  Unfortunately, the financial exploitation of vulnerable senior citizens is not uncommon, and HB 84 would help the state identify and stop perpetrators of this type of financial abuse. 

Honoring David Ralston

My colleagues and I also took time on the House floor to honor our friend and former colleague, the late Speaker David Ralston (R-Blue Ridge), who passed away unexpectedly last November. On Tuesday, March 14, Speaker Ralston’s family joined us on the House floor as we remembered the late speaker on what would have been his 69th birthday. Before his passing, Speaker Ralston was the longest-serving active speaker of a state house in the nation. He was also the second-longest serving speaker of the Georgia House of Representatives in state history. During his tenure, Speaker Ralston was a steadfast champion for job creation and economic development, especially for rural communities in Georgia. He also cared deeply about improving the health and wellbeing of Georgians and led the fight for historic reforms to address mental health care, maternal mortality and adoption reform. Even though he is no longer with us, his legacy will be felt throughout our state for generations to come.       

Signed Into Law

In other news, Governor Brian Kemp signed House Bill 18, or the Amended Fiscal Year 2023 (AFY 2023) budget, this week. Set at a revenue estimate of $32.56 billion, this finalized amended budget includes many of the House’s priorities to support economic development projects, public safety initiatives, as well as recruitment and retention efforts for our public workforce. HB 18 immediately went into effect upon the governor’s signature and will direct our state spending through June 30, 2023. 

This week, Gov. Kemp also signed into law two other House bills to support Georgia taxpayers. First, the governor signed House Bill 162 to provide a one-time income tax refund to Georgians who filed returns for both the 2021 and 2022 tax years. Similar to the tax refund last year, individual tax filers could receive a maximum refund of $250, head of household filers could receive a maximum refund of $375, and married individuals who file jointly could receive a maximum refund of $500. The Georgia Department of Revenue is expected to begin issuing these refunds this spring based on each filer’s tax liabilities.

Gov. Kemp also signed House Bill 311 to give local governments an optional temporary tax relief mechanism for local property damaged by a natural disaster, such as a tornado or hurricane. An assessment of the damaged property would be required before being eligible for temporary tax relief, and local governments would not be required to implement this temporary tax relief.

We completed our work for the week on Thursday, March 16, which marked Legislative Day 35. My colleagues and I will return for our last full week of session on Monday, March 20. As we continue to work with the Senate to ensure the final passage of meaningful legislation, I encourage you to contact me with any questions or concerns you might have about legislation before we adjourn on March 29.

I encourage you to reach out to me with your thoughts and opinions about legislation. Your feedback is crucial to developing good, sound policies for our state, and I look forward to discussing my legislative goals for this session with you. I can be reached at (404) 656-0325 or bethany.ballard@house.ga.gov.

Thank you for allowing me to serve as your state representative for the 2023-2024 legislative term.