UNDER THE GOLD DOME

WEEK 5

PASSAGE OF THE AMENDED 2024 BUDGET

The Georgia General Assembly returned to the State Capitol on Tuesday, February 6 for a busy fifth week of the 2024 legislative session. The House assembled for four days, and our days are certainly getting longer and busier as we move further along in the session. This week, we successfully gave passage to several bills and also continued our committee work each day. Some highlights of the week include the passage of the House’s version of the Amended Fiscal Year 2024 budget (AFY 2024), among other bills, as well as the convening of a joint legislative session for the annual State of the Judiciary address.

The Amended Fiscal Year 2024 budget, or House Bill 915, is set at a revenue estimate of approximately $37.5 billion. Governor Kemp’s estimate for the amended budget includes $2 billion in surplus funds, bringing the total to $5 billion, and marking a 15.6 percent increase from the original estimate. The Amended FY 2024 budget provides substantial investments in technology, capital improvements, safety and security initiatives, economic development projects and human capital enhancements. We will continue our work on the FY2025 Budget in the coming days.

SPONSORED LEGISLATION

I am proud to be sponsoring the following legislation. My colleagues and I are working tirelessly on other bills that will support our communities and will make Georgia a better place to live, work, and raise a family.

HOUSE BILL 880 -- This bill will allow military spouses in Georgia to get to work immediately in their chosen field using their existing professional license from another state. This will free our military spouses from cumbersome regulatory burdens and red tape. This bill received a hearing this week in a Regulated Affairs subcommittee and a substitute bill should be heard this week.

HOUSE BILL 1027 -- This bill would require all Georgia high school students to take a computer science class as a half credit course for graduation. This is literacy for the 21st century and will equip our state's children with the knowledge to enter into our increasingly high tech workforce. I'm working with the Department of Education to make sure this will work for all our students.

HOUSE BILL 1121 -- This bill protects private property rights by allowing citizens to keep their short term rental properties if a municipality or county prohibits the registration of new short term rental properties.

HOUSE BILL 1161 -- This bill would exempt all income received as retirement benefits for our retired military service members.

You can click the button below to follow legislation as each bill makes its way through the House and Senate.

ONGOING LITERACY WORK

On Friday, I sat in on the joint meeting of the Senate Education and Higher Education Committees. The discussion and testimony centered on the implementation of House Bill 538, The Georgia Early Literacy Act, which I sponsored last session and which was signed into law by Governor Kemp in April of 2023. We heard the implementation plan as outlined by the Georgia Department of Education and the Sandra Deal Center's research about how to effectively assess each child to make sure they are given what they need. I look forward to working with everyone to ensure our children can read proficiently by the end of 3rd grade.

HOUSE PAGE PROGRAM

If your child is interested in becoming a House Page, please contact my administrative assistant at alana.lund@house.ga.gov, and she will help you with your request.

LINKS AND CONTACT INFORMATION

Thank you for allowing me to represent you in the General Assembly. Below are some links you may find helpful and informative as well as my contact information. Please feel free to reach out with any questions or requests for assistance.