Representative Pam Dickerson 
State House District 113 
 
NEWS FROM THE GEORGIA GENERAL ASSEMBLY
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Capitol Events
Discussing legislation on the House Floor with my colleagues
Georgia State Day at the Capitol with my intern Alex Hegner and fellow student Davisha and Dean of Admissions Dr. Cheryl George
Rockdale Democratic Delegation attending Democratic Party meeting last week with a legislative update
Congratulations to District IV DOT Commissioner Robert Brown on his recent election
  February 8, 2016

The Georgia Assembly met for the fourth week of session this past week, and I wanted to share with you some of the highlights and look ahead to this upcoming week.   

I am honored to serve the 113th district as your legislator, and to be a part of the House Education, Game, Fish, and Parks, Judiciary Non-Civil, Juvenile Justice, Legislative and Congressional Reapportionment, and State Planning & Community Affairs Committees.  
 
For updates throughout the year, please be sure visit my Facebook page on a regular basis and follow me on Twitter.  
 
Please feel free to contact me.

I can also be reached at 678.207.6043. 

Sincerely,
Representative Pam Dickerson 


Week Four of the 2016 General Assembly

The House reconvened on Monday, February 1, to start our fourth week of the 2016 legislative session.
 
Education is one of the General Assembly's top legislative priorities and this week we unanimously passed House Bill 801. This bill would change the GPA weighting system for HOPE Scholarship recipients who take certain science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) courses.

By providing additional GPA weight to courses where our state sees the most need, we are making strides to bridge the skills gap in Georgia without risking the scholastic fulfillment of our students.

Much like HB 801, we also passed House Bill 402 this week, which is another measure that seeks to close the skills gap in Georgia. HB 402 passed unanimously and is an effort to increase business partnerships and participation with local public school systems for K-12 work based learning programs.

Work based learning programs allow students age 16 and older to participate in a structured learning environment at an employer's job site for a portion of the school day, while also receiving academic credit.

Modeled after Georgia's drug-free workplace program, HB 402 would offer businesses that participate in the program a discount of up to five percent on their worker's compensation insurance premiums as an incentive to encourage participation.

We also passed two measures this week intended to ease the burden on our public safety officers who spend their entire careers working to protect all Georgians. The first was House Bill 421, legislation to provide enhanced disability benefits to community supervision officers employed by the Department of Community Supervision who become permanently disabled due to an act of external violence or injury incurred in the line of law enforcement duty.

Under HB 421, deputy conservation rangers with the Department of Natural Resources, parole officers with the State Board of Pardons and Paroles, probation officers with the Department of Corrections, and any community supervision officer with the Department of Community Supervision would be eligible for a monthly disability compensation of $5.00 per month for each year of creditable service.

The bill further calls for a minimum monthly disability retirement benefit equal to two percent of their monthly earnings beginning the month their permanent disability occurred until mandatory retirement age.

House Bill 690 was another bill passed in the House this week that acknowledges the brave service and sacrifices our public safety officials make for our communities and our state.

This bill allows any individual who is a member of the Uniform Division of the Department of Public Safety, a conservation ranger with the Department of Natural Resources, an officer or agent of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, a district attorney investigator paid from state funds, or an alcohol and tobacco officer or agent of the Department of Revenue to claim creditable service towards retirement if he or she previously worked for a local law enforcement agency for up to five years.

In order to be eligible to claim those retirement years, officers must be vested in the state's Employee Retirement System (ERS) for at least 10 years and ineligible for a defined contribution retirement or pension plan while employed at the local law enforcement agency.

HB 690 will allow our public safety officers to recoup their years of service, but will have a zero dollar cost to the state.

I was proud to support this legislation and show my unwavering appreciation for the public safety community in Georgia.

THE WEEK AHEAD
The General Assembly will reconvene on Monday for day 17 of the 40 day legislative session. 

I will continue to work tirelessly to represent you and make our entire state a better place to live, work, and raise families.

I hope you will look forward to my weekly newsletters updating you on the progress of the 2016 Georgia General Assembly.

I will certainly look forward to hearing from you!    

  Representative Pam Dickerson |   Contact Me  | Capitol Office Number 404.656.0314
611-E Coverdell Legislative Office Building, Atlanta, GA 30334

District Office Number 770.602.1004