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Gold Dome Update 
Highlights from the House 
Week Seven
Last week was productive on Capitol Hill as we successfully passed 40 bills and resolutions out of our House chamber. The hectic pace will only increase as we continue to pass bills prior to our Crossover Day deadline, scheduled for Thursday, March 7. Agriculture, healthcare, public safety and the budget took center stage last week as we worked for the betterment of our great state. 

Agriculture

As Georgia’s largest economic engine, we work hard to ensure our Agriculture industry and farmers receive the support they need in order to be successful. Last week, we passed two measures aimed at assisting farmers, which came in the form of House Bill 105 and House Bill 213.

We began last week with the passage of House Bill 105, which will provide further disaster relief to our farmers in South Georgia whose crops suffered greatly at the hand of Hurricane Michael. The bill, if passed, will provide an income tax exemption for income received from USDA aid programs. Further, recipients of financial aid resulting from Hurricane Michael will be tax exempt from this federal aid over the next three years in hopes this will give our farmers time to recoup losses and rebuild their businesses.

The second Agriculture Bill, House Bill 213 was introduced in response to the enactment of the federal farm bill this past December, which reauthorizes hemp production in the United States. The legislation, a result of our House Study Committee on Industrial Hemp Production, would allow for the cultivation and processing of hemp and its products in Georgia. The bill would also allow our state colleges and universities to conduct research on hemp. Further details of the bill are as follows:

  • State would allow hemp growers who meet certain criteria to obtain a license for an annual fee of $1,000.
  • Allows the state issue up to 12 permits to produce hemp
  • Department of Ag may award more permits based on the financial standing and hemp processing experience of applicants.
  • Approved producers must meet specific requirements and pay an initial fee of $100,000 for a permit / $25,000 annually to renew.
  • Department of Agriculture to oversee program and test hemp grown in-state to ensure it contains less than .30 percent THC.
 
Allowing Georgia farmers to produce Hemp, will place us with 41 fellow states already allowing growth and production. We feel confident that this measure will only increase profits for our farmers while supporting of our most lucrative industry which provides countless jobs throughout the state.  

Healthcare Measures

In keeping with our promise to increase quality healthcare access, we passed House Bill 26, which would address our state’s mental health concerns. If passed, HB 26 would allow Georgia to participate in the Psychology Interjurisdictional Compact (Psypact). This interstate compact would allow psychologists from other states, participating in the compact, to use telecommunication technology to practice in multiple states using one license. Telemedicine, a growing industry, will be a key component to servicing the less populated areas of our state moving forward.

This legislation also benefits our military spouses who practice psychology by allowing them to continue their work upon moving to Georgia. Most importantly, this bill serves as an avenue to allow greater access to mental health services in rural areas and will also be beneficial to Georgia schools that do not have full-time psychologists on staff.

Public Safety

We successfully passed House Bill 64, also known as the, Protecting Military Children Act. This bill seeks to protect our children from abuse and neglect by requiring child welfare agencies to notify a military installation’s family advocacy program when allegations of child abuse or neglect are present. If passed, this legislation would greatly assist the military in tracking these cases across state lines, creating a safeguard for our military children.

Last week, we also passed a measure to increase public safety from pimping and pandering. House Bill 281 would make the first pimping or pandering offense a misdemeanor and increases jail time from 24 hours to 72 hours. The second offense, and all subsequent offenses, would be considered a felony and allow sentencing to increase to a maximum of 10 years in prison. Currently, Georgia does not increase penalties for repeat offenders, regardless of how many times the offense is committed, leaving little incentive for offenders to cease this practice.

2020 Fiscal Year Budget

After weeks of review and discussion we have successfully passed the House version of a balanced 2020 Fiscal Year Budget. House Bill 31 budget highlights are as follows:

Economic Development and Infrastructure
  • $300,000 for the creation of the Blight Removal and Code Enforcement (BRACE) program. A program that will provide grants to communities with populations of 2,500 or less to initiate a free, neighborhood-level cleanup for dilapidated areas.
  • $38.6 million increase for transportation,
  • $2.48 million to establish the initial budget to plan and govern transit projects in the 13-county Atlanta region.
Education and School Safety
Pay raise of $2,775 for each certified teacher and school personnel
  • $483 million for the Quality Basic Education program (QBE)
  • $121.9 million to the Department of Education for enrollment growth and training.
  • $74.7 million for 22,000 additional HOPE scholarships, increasing the award amount by three percent to match the rising costs of college tuition.
  • $4.1 million through limiting dual enrollment programs to hardworking 11th and 12th graders during fall and spring semesters only.
  • $174,000 within the Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency (GEMA) to hire two school safety threat assessment trainers to work with local school systems to develop threat assessment plans.
  • $150,000 to 4-H Centers in bonds for security improvements which includes, $747,600 to contract with local law enforcement to provide security when students are present.
Healthcare
  • $78.4 million in the Department of Community Health for Medicaid growth.
  • $68.3 million to replace federal funds in the Medicaid programs.
  • $5.9 million for the Medicaid budget for gene therapy drug coverage.
  • $6.8 million for Medicare Part B premiums.
  • $3.2 million to include seven additional long-term acute care hospitals.
  • $500,000 for a Center of Excellence on Maternal Mortality to advance maternal health.
  • $1 million for additional maternal health support to screen, refer and treat maternal depression and related behavioral disorders in rural and undeserved areas.
  • $4.9 million to invest further in residential treatment of addictive diseases through the Department of Behavioral Health.
  • $29 million in behavioral health services to increase bed capacity and outpatient services.
Protective Services and Public Safety
  • $1.4 million for home-delivered meals
  • $1.3 million to fund 17 additional adult protective services caseworkers
  • $9.8 million for Out of Home Care
  • $940,000 to implement a foster care follow-up pilot program to check in on children once out of the system.
  • $563,380 to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation to assist crime lab backlog
  • $780,690 for six positions for the GBI unit at the Cyber Crime Center
  • $500,000 to implement a GBI Gang Task Force
  • $2.1 million to expand the state’s accountability courts within the Criminal Justice Coordinating Council.
In closing, I am pleased to report that we also passed House Resolution 214 which will allow the House Rural Development Committee to continue their work for another two years. This is great news as this council has significantly helped us address issues plaguing our rural communities.

As you can see, we have been busy under the Gold Dome! In the coming weeks, we will continue to work on your behalf. If you need anything at all, please don’t hesitate to contact us at any time. Thank you for the honor of allowing us to serve you before the Georgia General Assembly as we continue to work for simple, smart and effective government.


Respectfully,
Shaw Blackmon
Representative of Georgia's 146th House District

Contact:
478-918-7477
 
Representative Shaw Blackmon
District 146
Email: Shaw.Blackmon@house.ga.gov
Phone: 404.463.7853
Address: 401-K State Capitol
Atlanta, Georgia 30334


Rep. Shaw Blackmon represents District 146. He currently serves as a member of Economic Development & Tourism,Governmental Affairs, Insurance, Juvenile Justice, Rules, Small Business Development, Special Rules, and Ways & Means Committees. He serves as Chair of the Transportation Committee on Appropriations and also as House Appointee to the Joint Defense Commission.