At Your State Capitol

GOVERNOR CALLS FOR $813 MILLION BOND PACKAGE FOR FY 14

An important part of the Governor's Budget plan released last week was the $813.4 million bond package. The Governor's bond package will largely be spent on K-12 and higher education projects, and renovations and upgrades for existing programs. The state would pay $72.9 million in debt service (6.7% of prior year net treasury receipts) for FY 14. Below are some of the highlights of the Governor's bond package:

• $237.8 in bonds for K-12 Education Facilities including $25 million for the purchasing of new school buses state wide.
• $193 million for the University System of Georgia, including funding for a new Cancer Research Building for Georgia Regents University, a new law school and humanities facility for Georgia State, as well as $10 million for the Health Center at Georgia Southern University.
• $57.9 million for Technical College System of Georgia, which includes $28 million in new facilities for Altamaha Tech in Brunswick and Camden County.
• $50 million to the Ports Authority for the deepening of the Savannah Harbor.
• $26.5 million to the Department of Natural Resources for facility upgrades as well as the acquisition of new lands for wildlife management.
• $10.7 million to the Juvenile Justice Department for the improvement of current facilities and new units at various YDC's.
• $25.2 million for reservoir projects through the Department of Community Affairs and Georgia Environmental Finance Authority.
• The House and Senate will be adding $50 million each to complete the bond package.

PASSED THE HOUSE AND IN THE SENATE

•  HB 55 - Allows warrants issued for wire taps and pen registers to apply statewide, instead of only in the jurisdiction of the judge who authorized the warrant. Passed the House with a vote of 164-1.

BILLS INTRODUCED IN THE SENATE IN THE FIRST TWO WEEKS

• SB 10 - Requires continued testing of the competency of nurses to maintain their license.
• SB 62 - My Senate bill creates a legislative overview committee to allow the Legislature and the Department of Community Health to work together to explore innovative solutions for health care.
• SB 63 - I introduced this measure to limit the Legislature's authority to spend tax dollars for government health care until the implementating agency makes a report to the Legislature.
• SB 74 - Allows people between the ages of 18 and 21 to obtain a firearm carry permit if they have previous military or coast guard training.
• SB 84 - Prohibits those who have been convicted of sexual crimes or crimes against minors from obtaining a class P or S driver's license in the state of Georgia.
• SB 85 - Expands the authority of pharmacists and nurses to administer vaccines in addition to the Influenza Vaccine.
• SB 86 - Provides greater protection to victims of family violence, by allowing police officers to intervene on the behalf of victims if they have probable cause to believe someone is violating a family violence order.
• SR 72 - This Resolution would create my Fair Tax Study Committee to examine if the Fair Tax is an appropriate alternative to Georgia's current tax code and how best to implement it at the state level.

Legislative Schedule