Swearing-In, Economic Development, Budget, and Education

We started the 2013 legislative session on Monday, Jan. 14. Since this was the first day of a new term, all 180 members of the Georgia House of Representatives were sworn into office and soon after cast our first vote on the House floor for the election of the Speaker of the House.

After hearing the nominations and speeches, Rep. David Ralston (R-Blue Ridge) was re-elected Speaker of the Georgia House of Representatives. Next, we elected our Speaker Pro Tem, Rep. Jan Jones (R-Milton), and other House officers.

On Thursday, Jan. 17, the House and Senate convened in the House chamber for a joint session to hear Gov. Nathan Deal give the State of the State address. This annual speech before the legislature, judiciary, special guests and the public gives the governor the opportunity to convey his or her assessment of the condition of our state government and its people.

It usually contains a strong emphasis on the state budget, but this year Gov. Deal also chose to focus specifically on economic development, public safety, and education as priorities in his remarks to the General Assembly.

Concerning economic development, Gov. Deal said the state is still strong due to growing employment numbers, increased job opportunities, revenue growth, and the expanding prestige of the state in the international market.

This positive news came on the heels of tax and regulation reforms passed by the House during last year’s legislative session, which have made the state more attractive to job creators. As a result of those reforms, which we hope to continue this year, Georgia currently has its lowest unemployment rate in nearly four years, and has been ranked in the top five for business climate by Site Selection Magazine.

For public safety, Gov. Deal plans to better use taxpayers’ dollars by emphasizing community-based, non-confinement correctional methods for low-risk offenders as an alternative to regional and state youth centers. Gov. Deal also said he will propose legislation to minimize the number of annual boating fatalities by decreasing the legal blood alcohol level permitted while driving a boat and placing age limits and educational requirements on young boat operators.

Governor Deal also addressed education during the State of the State, noting that although most state agencies have seen an average three percent budget cut, K-12 education will be awarded $156 million in additional funding for enrollment growth in K-12 schools.

While this additional funding is needed for schools, it will not solve all issues facing our state’s education system. For this reason, the governor is working with the General Assembly to modernize the way the state spends in this area, which will help stop poor education outcomes and result in more students graduating and finding a job.

In addition to starting the session and hearing the State of the State, we received our committee and office assignments for the 2013 Legislative Session. Each state representative is assigned to a committee by the Committee on Assignments.

I have been assigned to the following committees: Agriculture and Consumer Affairs; Economic Development and Tourism; Energy, Utilities and Telecommunications; Special Rules; and Legislative & Congressional Reapportionment Vice Chairman. My new capitol office address is: Suite 501 CLOB, 18 Capitol Square, Atlanta, GA 30334. You can reach me at my capitol office by calling 404-656-0178 or emailing me at susan.holmes@house.ga.gov.

Please stop by and visit me if you are in Atlanta during the legislative session.