Capitol Hill Is Hectic
Let me first start by saying thank you for allowing me to serve as your State Representative! It is humbling that you all have given me the opportunity to represent the great folks in our area as we begin the 2015-2016 legislative term.
Capitol Hill was hectic on January 12th as the Georgia General Assembly convened for the 153rd legislative session. The week was full of excitement and anticipation as to what will come from this year’s session. On Monday the House and Senate were sworn in, followed by the inauguration of Governor Deal and other state wide offices.
Wednesday, January 14th Gov. Deal delivered his annual State of the State address which covered last year’s successes, while bringing forth legislative hopes for 2015. Governor Deal also highlighted that 2015 is off to a positive start as Georgia has seen the creation of 319,000 jobs over the last four years. With many major companies moving into our state every day, that number should only increase!
In order to keep that momentum, there is no doubt that 2015 is an important year. The economic development and growth of our state hinge on many issues. Transportation and education are just a few pieces of key legislation that we will be looking at. I am confident that with the hard work of everyone in the legislature, we can have a productive year, and move our great state in the right direction.
With education as a top priority, Gov. Deal suggested a constitutional amendment that would create Opportunity School Districts. This model would authorize the state to step in to help rejuvenate failing public schools. Gov. Deal also announced that the General Assembly will continue to invest in education.
This is exciting news for our education community as, this year’s budget, and his proposal for next year’s budget, means over one billion additional dollars for K-12 education. The additional funding will go to projects such as increasing internet broadband in classrooms and decreasing furlough days while enhancing teachers’ salaries.
Transportation funding has also been an ongoing debate. Now that Georgia is the eighth most populated state in the nation, adequate transportation, and maintaining our roadways and bridges, is necessary for our citizens and Georgia’s future development.
Unfortunately, the rise of fuel efficiency vehicles has drastically cut the state’s revenue from the excise tax, a per gallon flat fee on gasoline that is used to fund transportation projects. The House and Senate will be working with Gov. Deal this session to create a plan to fill in the gaps in the state’s transportation budget.
With only a few areas passing the 2012 TSPLOST referendum, this conversation should get interesting in the weeks to come.
At the end of a very busy first week, we also received our committee assignments for the 2015-2016 legislative term.
I am very pleased to continue serving on the following Committees: Agriculture & Consumer Affairs, Energy, Utilities & Telecommunications and Economic Development & Tourism.
Agriculture is the number one industry in Georgia and we must ensure that our Ag interests are supported, appreciated and publicized to retain this first place standing. Solar and alternate power will be hot topics of the Energy committee; and with Georgia replacing New York City as the premier film capital, movie and TV production will likely take top billing!
The only thing, the General Assembly is required to do by law, is pass a balanced budget. Budget hearings begin Tuesday, January 20th, and we will all be vying for funding in our respective communities. As you can imagine, this process is extremely important. You can view the House in action with live and archived committee meeting coverage. I encourage all citizens to become active in the process and review legislation. As we all know, Government affects all of us!
I will be updating you throughout the session on everything that we are doing for citizens in our district and throughout the state. A lot can happen in 40 days! If you ever need anything at all, please feel free to reach out to me at anytime. I welcome your ideas and would love to hear your concerns. Thank you again for allowing me the honor and privilege to serve you. I promise you- I will continue to work each and every day to make our state and community, the best that it can be.
Rep. Susan Holmes- (P) 404.656.0178 (Email) Susan.Holmes@house.ga.gov
If you are in Atlanta, please come by the Capitol or my office at 501 Coverdell Legislative Office Building. And if you let me know in advance, I can arrange a great Capitol tour for you.