On Monday, the House passed 48 measures during almost 12 hours of deliberations on the floor. My colleagues and I worked tirelessly on Crossover Day to ensure that meaningful and significant legislation had a chance to be heard and voted on by the full body of the House.

We saw the unanimous passage of House Bill 862 last week to update current laws that allow disabled veterans to qualify for the homestead exemption on their ad valorem taxes. HB 862 would allow an eligible disabled veteran to qualify for the homestead exemption by meeting either, rather than both, of the standards required by law.

This bill would allow any veteran given honorable discharge determined by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs as being 100 percent disabled or being compensated at the 100 percent level as unemployable to qualify for the exemption.

Additionally, any veteran entitled to receive a statutory award from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs for loss of one or both feet, loss of one or both hands, or loss of sight in one or both eyes may also qualify for the exemption.

 Prior to the passage of this legislation, the requirements for receiving the homestead tax exemption for disabled veterans were much more difficult to achieve, but by clarifying the language, we will expand the access of the disabled veteran homestead exemption to allow all of Georgia's disabled veterans to qualify. Any time we are able to give back to our military personnel, we take great pride in doing so, and we are hopeful that with its passage, HB 862 would allow many more of Georgia's courageous veterans to take advantage of this cost-saving opportunity that they have so rightfully earned.

Another bipartisan measure that passed unanimously on Crossover Day was The Fallen Heroes Bill, or House Bill 54, to honor public service officials killed in the line of duty and their families. This legislation would provide cost free college tuition to children of fallen public safety officials, supplementing the existing Georgia Law Enforcement Personnel Dependents Grant administered by the Georgia Student Finance Commission by providing additional funding to cover tuition expenses not covered by the grant.

Grants would be issued to children of law enforcement officers, firefighters, emergency medical technicians, and prison guards employed by the state or other public employer, and Highway Emergency Response Operators of the Department of Transportation who were permanently disabled or killed in the line of duty, who attend institutions of the University System of Georgia and who meet certain eligibility requirements.

This bill would allow Georgia taxpayers to voluntarily contribute to this grant program by adding a donation option to their filing forms for Georgia Income Tax forms and Georgia Motor Vehicle Driver's License forms.

Our public safety officials put their lives at risk each and every day to protect Georgia's citizens and our communities, and in some cases, public safety officials make the ultimate sacrifice in an attempt to keep our communities safer. I was proud to support this legislation to help lessen the financial burden that higher education often presents for the children of those who have selflessly given their lives to protect our great state.

I have highlighted some of the other legislation below:

 

HB 12- Would establish as a criminal offense the fraudulent representation of military service. (Passed House 170-0)

 

HB 171- Prohibits foreign law, such as Sharia, from overriding Constitutional rights or U.S. law. (Passed House 165-0)

 

HB 205- Would require a driver who refused blood alcohol concentration testing or an offender convicted of DUI with a blood alcohol concentration of 0.15 grams or higher to install and maintain ignition interlock devices on his or her vehicle. (Passed House 169-4)

 

HB 654-Requires tattoo studios to post on premises a notice that certain tattoos could disqualify the wearer from military service. (Passed House 112-38)

 

HB 722- Changes current law about low THC cannabis oil to include more conditions, such as HIV, Tourette's syndrome, autism and various terminal illnesses. It did not contain the provision for in state cultivation thus it remains illegal for patients to obtain it despite the perception that it is accessible. (Passed House 152-8)

 

HB 911- Would provide that in order to receive the state sales tax exemption (GATE CARD) for agricultural machinery and equipment, qualified agricultural producers must have produced at least $7,500.00 in product or service annually rather than the current level of $2,500.00. (Passed House 165-0)

 

HB 1036- Would enact a temporary moratorium on the use of eminent domain for construction of petroleum pipelines so that a commission of elected officials and field experts can conduct a study to ensure the exercise of eminent domain powers by petroleum pipelines is consistent with this state's essential public interests. (Passed House 165-2)

 

Full transcripts of bills may be found at http://www.legis.ga.gov/en-US/default.aspx. Simply type the bill number into the box at the top left-hand corner of the screen and specify if it is in the House or the Senate.