Sen. Burt Jones: Update from the Capitol

Your Georgia Desk:

 Sen. Burt Jones: Update from the Capitol

By: Sen. Burt Jones (R- Jackson)

The 2014 Legislative Session is officially underway, and there is much work to be done. With nine of the 40 allotted days for session complete, we have continued working toward passing a balanced, fiscally responsible budget and have ramped up the committee process to bring about bills that benefit all Georgians.

This week the Insurance and Labor Committee met to discuss two House of Representative bills I signed on to carry through the Senate, House Bill 375 and House Bill 229.  HB 375 allows an insurer to cancel a policy under certain circumstances relating to policy terms that permit an audit and noncompliance by the insured.  HB 229 will no longer require each property and casualty insurer to submit an annual report to the Commissioner detailing its direct writing, instead, now the Commissioner can require the reports by rule or regulation instead of statutorily.

Last week, Governor Nathan Deal presented his annual State of the State address to both the House and Senate bodies to report the current and future condition of our state as well as unveil his budgetary report.  The State of the State recounted recent achievements such as the reformation of our outdated tax code and juvenile justice system as well as the continued decline of our unemployment rate; in fact, Georgia’s unemployment rate is the lowest it has been in five years.

Governor Deal’s State of the State address last week brought some good news about Georgia’s economic outlook in the form of an increased budget recommendation for FY 2015. The increase in state funds from $20.2 billion in FY 2014 to $20.8 billion in FY 2015 is proof of a slowly growing economy and will allow our state to reinvest funds in the areas hurt the most by the national recession.

The FY 2015 budget has recommended a $547 million increase for K – 12 education and specifically includes $171 million for enrollment growth and training; $314 million to increase instructional days, reduce teacher furloughs or increase teacher pay; $16.5 million in capital funding to expand technology infrastructure; and $10 million for the development of rigorous statewide assessments aligned with state standards.

In addition, $35 million in bonds were allotted for the Savannah Harbor Expansion Project.  By dedicating funds to the crucial areas of education and infrastructure we are continuing to attract businesses and provide all citizens with the best conditions and opportunities possible. The week concluded with budget hearings to ensure funds are responsibly allocated throughout the state and state agencies.

Last week Gov. Deal signed House Bill 310 which shifts election qualifying dates in Georgia to require at least 45 days of absentee balloting before the date of a runoff or primary election where a federal candidate is on the ballot; this means qualifying for public office will begin on March 3, 2014 and run through March 7, 2014. Further, HB 310 will align the schedule of state and local candidate elections to correspond with federal candidate election dates. So now, our federal and state primaries – including the gubernatorial and all General Assembly races – will now occur on May 20th instead of in June.

The General Assembly will convene again on Monday, January 27th for the tenth day of the 2014 Legislative Session.  I look forward to seeing many of you at the State Capitol this year and encourage you to reach out to me with any issues that you feel should be of importance to your elected officials.

I remain committed to supporting policies that promote business growth and get Georgians back to work. It remains a pleasure to serve you, the constituents of the 25th Senate District. If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact my office at 404.656.0082 or via email at burt.jones@senate.ga.gov.