Sen. P.K. Martin: 2015 Session Update

Your Georgia Desk

2015 Session Update

After another busy two weeks under the Gold Dome, my colleagues and I have completed day 19 of the 2015 Legislative Session. Next week will begin on Monday with legislative day 20, which means we will officially be at the halfway mark of the 2015 Legislative Session.

I am proud to announce I made a trip to Brookwood High School on Thursday to visit the Brookwood Entrepreneurship Academy and sit in on some of their classes. The Entrepreneurship Academy gives high school students the opportunity to learn valuable business skills and entrepreneurial knowledge so that when they graduate, they are fully prepared to enter their career pathway with confidence. Similar Entrepreneurial education programs have been implemented at Central Gwinnett and South Gwinnett High Schools. I would like to thank Brookwood High School and its staff, especially its principal, Bo Ford, for allowing me to visit with some of District 9’s brightest students and see the Brookwood Entrepreneurship Academy’s success.

Now that session is in full-swing, we’re hard at work examining legislation that will continue to make improvements in Georgia. Although skies were sunny last week, Georgia legislators were greeted on Monday of this week by a bout of ice and snow flurries, which resulted in all Georgia Legislative activities being canceled for the day.

The legislative Session resumed on Tuesday with the passing of Senate BIll 18. SB 18 allows the Technical College System of Georgia (TCSG) to accept prior work experience and skills learned through the Military for academic credit. SB 18 passed by a vote of 53-0. SB 18 also ensures that members of Georgia’s military have the opportunity to apply the knowledge gained through their service to their academic careers. Our military men and women have made vast sacrifices for our country, and deserve to be credited for the skills and knowledge they have gained through their service.

SB 58 passed with unanimous support on Wednesday, and would allow each member of the General Assembly, along with the Governor and Lieutenant Governor, to recommend one high school student every year for an ROTC program in Georgia’s university system. SB 58 would encourage qualified Georgians be selected for the leadership education and military service training courses. This is a wonderful opportunity for Georgia’s young people to become involved in Georgia’s ROTC programs.

SB 3, the Supporting and Strengthening Families Act, was passed by the Senate last week, and states that parents may delegate power of attorney and authority regarding the care and custody of a minor child to another adult for up to one year. As a freshman Senator, I am pleased to see the success of legislation like SB 3 that will improve the lives of children and families in Georgia.

The passing of SB 8, also called Rachel’s Law, last Thursday was a huge step toward ending child sex trafficking in Georgia. SB 8 establishes the Safe Harbor for Sexually Exploited Children Fund and Commission, which will offer medical treatment, counseling and other assistance programs to victims of child sex trafficking. This legislation will extend the statute of limitations for actions relating to childhood sexual abuse, provide state regulation of certain adult entertainment businesses and will require anyone found guilty of sexually exploiting a child to be registered in the State Sexual Offender Registry.

Senate Resolution 7 was also approved by the Senate last Thursday and works alongside SB 8. It would permit the General Assembly to provide penalties or fees when a person is found guilty of keeping a place of prostitution, pimping and other types of sexual exploitation of children. Being a father of two, I am pleased to see that the General Assembly is making strides to protect the precious lives of Georgia’s children by passing legislation like SB 8 and SR 7.

With this cold weather lingering over Georgia, I hope everyone stays safe and warm. Remember to bundle up when you go outside! I don’t know about you, but I am looking forward to a warm spring soon.

I am humbled you have placed your faith in me to represent District 9’s interests at the Georgia State Capitol. Please feel free to contact my office at any time to talk about pending legislation or address other concerns in our district – my door and phone lines are always open. I encourage groups who are interested in visiting the Capitol to call my office at 404.656.3933 to set up a date and time. I look forward to personally welcoming you to the Capitol!