UNDER THE GOLD DOME

WEEK 2

BUDGET WORK AND VISITORS FROM HOME

After the week of snow in Middle and South Georgia, we got back to work in Atlanta on Monday, January 27. We missed our annual Budget Week when the Joint House and Senate Appropriations Committees meet to hear from the heads of all the state agencies, so we have had to put in some long days and play a little bit of catch up. Each Appropriations subcommittee met separately and conducted hearings to begin the work of crafting the Amended FY 2025 and the FY 2026 Budgets. My colleagues and I are still working diligently to craft the House budget proposals, but you can view Governor Kemp's proposals HERE.

Monday was a crowded day at the Capitol. City Council members from all over the state were there for Georgia Municipal Association activities. On Tuesday, many of our Chamber of Commerce members were around. It was great to see April Bragg and Michael Collins from the Robins Regional Chamber and join them for breakfast and conversation. It's always fun to see people from home!

HOUSE PRIORITIES -- LITERACY

In 2023, I authored, and the governor signed, The Georgia Early Literacy Act which mandates that our schools use curricula aligned with the Science of Reading which is the research based way to teach reading using tried and true methods that have been proven to work. With only a little over a third of our state's third graders reading proficiently, it is imperative that we implement this. Our teachers and teacher candidates are being trained, and the curricula should be fully in place next school year. Many early adopting districts are seeing great results!

I'm proud to have Speaker Burns's support on this issue, and I'm thrilled that both he and Lt. Governor Burt Jones have made literacy a priority this year. Over the next few weeks, we will roll out the next piece of our literacy legislation as we clarify some things that we have learned from listening to our teachers as the Georgia Early Literacy Act has begun to be implemented in our districts. Our goal is simple. We want Georgia to lead the nation in literacy, and we want all our children to read proficiently so they can be successful in school and in life.

UNVEILING THE TORT REFORM PLAN

This week, Governor Brian Kemp unveiled his plan to address tort reform and stabilize insurance costs for hardworking Georgians. I have rarely seen the Capitol more crowded! I know how important this issue is because I have heard from many of you about this issue. You are worried about the businesses you have worked so hard to build, and you are afraid that if you have to shutter your business your employees will suffer. The press release with an outline of the legislation can be read here, and you can watch the Governor unveiling this plan here.

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 81 -- This bill will allow Georgia to enter into the Interstate Compact for School Psychologists. This will cut red tape for school psychologists who move here from other member states. School psychologists are an integral part of our schools, and my hope is that this will help our schools hire more of them to support our students. I have been working with all the interested parties to ensure this legislation is strong before it does into committee.

HOUSE BILL 107--This bill will require our licensing boards to provide military spouses with a digital verifiable license which will make it easier for them to prove they have a valid occupational license when they move from state to state. This bill will be heard in the Defense and Veterans Affairs Committee on Tuesday.

HOUSE BILL 174 --This bill was brought to me as a unanimous resolution by the Centerville City Council as a piece of local legislation. It will authorize the Municipal Court of Centerville to charge a technology fee.

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

LINKS AND CONTACT INFORMATION

Our legislative session is made up of 40 floor session days, and on Monday we will be a quarter of the day done!

Below are some links I hope you will find helpful. When we are in session or are conducting committee meetings, you will be able to see these streamed live by going to the House website.

If your child would like to be a House Page, please click the link below to contact my office. The Page program is open to children ages 12 through 18, and it is a very worthwhile and educational experience.

I hope you will let me know how I can continue to support our district. Please feel free to contact my office at the links below.