2016 Legislative Session
It is hard to believe that we are already 16 days into the 2016 Legislative Session. With 24 more days to pass a balanced budget, vet legislation and welcome special guests, the Georgia General Assembly is hard at work ensuring the work of the people is conducted responsibly and timely.
This week, the Gold Dome hosted special guests from across the state, including members of our outstanding Georgia Firefighters Association. It was nice to welcome these men and women and to thank them for their service. We also celebrated the third annual Jackson-Butts County Day, a day dedicated to celebrating Jackson-Butts County’s growing economy and tourism.
On Tuesday, the Senate unanimously passed Senate Bill 193, a bill changing penalty provisions for family violence battery. This legislation defines “household members” and treats a first conviction for family violence battery as a second conviction for this offense if the defendant has a prior felony conviction in Georgia or elsewhere.
Last year, I was honored to be selected as Chairman of the Banking and Financial Institutions Committee and will continue serving in this role. On Tuesday, we held our first full committee meeting and passed Senate Bill 283. This legislation creates the multibank pooled method for depositories. Senate Bill 283 ensures that all banks participating in the multibank pool secure deposited public funds.
On Wednesday, I was honored to recognize a very special constituent from our district. We honored Dr. Benny Tate as Chaplain of the Day. Dr. Benny Tate is the Senior Pastor at Rock Springs Church where my family and I attend services regularly. The Senate was blessed to have an inspiring leader like Dr. Tate serve as Chaplain. I thank him for his dedication to serving others, our community and for serving as Chaplain of the Day every year since I have been in the Senate.
On Thursday, I was joined by the City of Jackson Mayor Kay Pippin, the Butts County Partners for Smart Growth, Butts County Commissioners, and the Butts County Chamber of Commerce to celebrate Jackson-Butts County Day. It was an honor to have so many friends and familiar faces at the state capitol as we recognized the truly special happenings in middle Georgia. I am honored to showcase the community where I was born and raised. Thank you to the community leaders, public safety officials and citizens for making our community one of the top 20 safest places to live in this great state.
We will return to the Gold Dome on Monday, Feb. 8 for Day 17 of the Legislative Session. I remain committed to supporting policies that promote business growth and get Georgians back to work. It remains a pleasure to serve you, the constituents of the 25th Senate District. If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact my office at 404.656.0082 or via email at burt.jones@senate.ga.gov.
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Sen. Burt Jones represents the 25th Senate District which includes Baldwin, Butts, Greene, Jasper, Morgan and Putnam counties and portions of Bibb, Jones and Walton counties. He may be reached at 404.656.0082 or via email at burt.jones@senate.ga.gov.