Sen. William Ligon: Gold Dome Update: Crossover Week

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Gold Dome Update: Crossover Week

By: Sen. William Ligon (R- Brunswick)

Members of the Georgia Senate worked diligently to pass legislation on Day 30, which is also known as Crossover Day. At this time, all proposed legislation must pass its chamber of origination to still be considered a ‘live’ bill during the 2014 Legislative Session. Because this is a biennial year, all bills that did not pass the Senate on Crossover Day on March 3rd will not return to committee and must be re-introduced during the 2015 session.

Under Georgia law, the House and Senate must pass identical versions of a bill. Often this requires many committee meetings and amendments to the bill from both sides of the legislature. This is an important process to allow for the careful vetting of bills before they head to the Governor’s desk for final approval.

The Georgia Senate also gave final approval to the FY 2014 Amended Budget recently, and the bill was immediately transferred to the Governor for his signature.  On Thursday, the Senate came one step closer to fulfilling our constitutionally-mandated duty of passing a balanced state budget, appropriating $20.8 billion for the FY 2015 General Budget.

The Senate also took action on a number of other bills and resolutions on Crossover Day, including:

SB 98 bars health plans offered through a Georgia state or federal health care exchange, as well as the State Health Benefit Plan, from covering abortion services except in the case of a medical emergency.

SB 268 allows a physician to delegate the prescribing of Schedule II controlled substances to a physician assistant.However, a physician will not be able to delegate this authority if the prescription calls for more than a 30 day supply.

SB 281 would require the State Health Benefit Plan to offer at least one high deductible health plan paired with a health savings account. 

SB 304 allows care providers to offer continuing care at facilities where a resident purchases a living space as part of a continuing care agreement.

SB 381, otherwise known as the “First Informer Broadcasters” bill, would direct the unified incident command system and the Georgia Emergency Operations Plan to establish planning for first informer broadcasters. By implementing a plan during emergencies, first informer broadcasters will have more access to fuel, food, water and other materials necessary for maintaining a broadcast signal.

SB 384, America’s Founding Philosophy and Principles Act, which I co-sponsored, allows for a new code section requiring the local boards of education, beginning in the 2014-2015 school year, to recommend high school students –grades nine through twelve – to participate in a semester course of study on America’s founding principles. The bill passed unanimously.

SR 747, a resolution I sponsored urges amending or repealing the federal Biggert-Waters Flood Insurance Act. This resolution is an important first step toward restoring flood insurance premiums to an affordable level and eliminating the negative impact this act has had upon home values and the local community. It is my hope the federal government will take swift and decisive action to ensure those living along Georgia’s coastal areas are no longer adversely affected by the burdensome mandates of this act.

SR 783 proposes an amendment to the Georgia Constitution to prevent the Georgia General Assembly from re-enacting future ad valorem taxes. The ad valorem tax is a minor source of revenue in Georgia, reaching a peak of only $80 million prior to its phase out. Currently, the state’s largest revenue streams include the individual state income tax and the sales and use tax.  The constitutional amendment prohibiting the collection of ad valorem taxes will not apply to public utilities, railroad companies or airlines, or administrative functions that are subject to local ad valorem taxation.

The House Education Committee heard testimony for almost three hours on Wednesday regarding Senate Bill 167. As a refresher, the bill will ensure that Georgia retains the right to determine its educational standards rather than those standards being developed by interests outside the State of Georgia and it outlines new protections for student privacy. It creates the Curriculum Content Standards Advisory Council; a group made up of parents, teachers, university professors and other citizens tasked with advising the Board of Education on revising and adopting content standards. Since the House Education Committee was only hearing public testimony and gathering feedback from educators, parents and other interested stakeholders, no voting took place. However, it is anticipated the bill will be up for a vote next week on March 13th.

The remainder of the 2014 Legislative Session will be fast paced and filled with debate. Please feel free to contact my office at any time with questions or concerns. As always, it is an honor to serve Senate District 3. For more information regarding a specific piece of legislation, you may access the Georgia General Assembly website athttp://www.legis.ga.gov/.