New Jobs, Tax Reform, Heroes Honored
We returned to the Gold Dome on Tuesday, Feb. 21, after learning some exciting news for the future of Georgia’s economy.
On Friday, Feb. 17, Gov.Deal announced that Caterpillar Inc. will bring over 1,400 jobs to Georgia with the construction of a new manufacturing plant in Athens. In addition to these jobs at the new plant, Caterpillar’s suppliers and increased retail sales are expected to create another 2,800 jobs.
The announcement proves that Georgia is an internationally competitive market, as Caterpillar will actually relocate Japanese production of small excavators and backhoes to the new Georgia plant.
I was encouraged to see this positive news after all the work my colleagues and I have put into restoring Georgia’s economy and promoting job creation. Last year, we started the process of implementing meaningful tax reform that would encourage small business growth and investment.
While we continue to work on tax reform, this year we are also working to eliminate unnecessary government regulations through the Red Tape Watch initiative. This initiative allows us to hear directly from small business owners from across the state, which helps us identify burdensome and unnecessary government regulations that prevent Georgia small businesses from thriving.
Through these combined efforts, I am confident that many more businesses will follow Caterpillar in moving production to Georgia.
Also, I am proud to let you know that the Georgia House approved House Bill 879. This legislation improves safety for diabetic students by requiring public schools to have personnel who are trained to care for diabetic students. Now that we have passed this bill, it must receive approval from the Senate and Gov. Deal before becoming law.
In addition to passing legislation this week, we also took time to recognize the brave Georgians in uniform who protect our great state and nation. Wednesday, Feb. 22, was Georgia National Guard Day. On this day, we honored the sacrifice of our 45 fallen heroes who were killed in Iraq and Afghanistan and welcomed their families to the capitol.
We also recognized our current National Guard troops who serve and protect us. It was an honor to recognize these incredible solders and airmen at the State Capitol. We are forever grateful for the sacrifices that they have made for our freedom.
As we move forward into our eighth legislative week, I encourage you to contact me with any questions or concerns you may have regarding our state, as well as our local community. I always welcome your comments, because they help me understand how to better serve as your state representative.
You can call my capitol office at 404-656-0177 or email me at susan.holmes@house.ga.gov. Thank you for allowing me to serve as your representative.
Rep. Susan Holme