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2014 General Assembly Legislative Update


The 2014 session of the General Assembly adjourned Sine Die at midnight on Thursday, March 20. We were in session for the full 40 legislative days. Those days were very busy and productive, but we were still able to conclude the session at the earliest calendar date in many years.
 
It was a productive and successful session for me. I am happy to report that two very important pieces of legislation that I sponsored were approved by by both chambers and are now on the Governor's desk. HB 176 and HB 348 are explained below.

The economy of the state is improving, and state revenues are beginning to increase. During the recent years of declining revenues that were brought about by the "Great Recession", many tough cuts in funding had to be made by the General Assembly and the Governor. Total cuts of approximately 20% were made in state spending. Cuts were made for all state agencies. Among those cuts were education, and QBE, in particular. There has been a lot of questions and some misunderstanding about this. It is important to keep in mind that education, including K-12, the university system and technical education makes up well over half of all state funding. Also, although state spending was cut approximately 20% during those years, funding for education was cut approximately 8%. I have more information on my website at: http://www.donparsons.org

The following are some highlights of 2014 legislation

HB 176 streamlines the permitting process for the siting of cell towers. The snow and ice storms this winter illustrated the need for cellular bandwidth. The demands on cellular continue to rise with more smartphones and ever increasing amount of data downloaded and uploaded. Cellular bandwidth is critical for public safety, economic development and the use of wireless data for daily commerce and everyday life. This legislation was approved by both chambers and is on the Governor's desk for his signature.


HB 348 provides an income tax credit for the purchase of certain commercial vehicles that use alternative sources of fuel. Alternative fuels such as compressed natural gas (cng) are produced in the US, are less expensive and produce no to low pollutants. The tax credit is capped at $5 million over two years. This legislation was approved by both chambers and is on the Governor's desk for his signature.

HB 744, the Fiscal Year 2015 budget. The total state amount appropriated is $20.8 billion, an increase of $602.5 million more than the amended Fiscal Year 2014 budget. This reflects increasing state revenue due to rebounding state economy. 72% of this new money went to education. $314 million is appropriated to K-12 schools as "no string attached" new money. It can be used to reduce teacher furloughs, restore 180 days, give raises, or whatever the local Board of Education deems the smartest use of the funds. The budget was approved by both chambers and is on the Governor's desk for his signature.

HB 60 This important legislation clarifies where licensed owners may carry firearms. Among the highlights: Allows K-12 schools who cannot afford resource (police) officers the option to train and arm a staff member, using similar firearms training to law enforcement. The bill  makes a lesser penalty for someone who inadvertently brings a weapon to security at the airport but immediately surrenders it. It will be more difficult for mentally ill people to get access to weapons. Firearms will remain prohibited from churches unless the church membership opts-in to allow them. This bill was approved by both chambers and is on the Governor's desk for his signature.

SB 167 This legislation, known as the "common core" bill passed the Senate but was not approved by the House Education Committee. Among other things, the legislation would have prohibited testing based on national Common Core standards. It would have also prohibited state education agencies from entering into any commitments relating to the federal Race to the Top program, required hearings and public input prior to adoption of state-wide competencies and content standards.

HB 965 This legislation provides immunity for individuals who, in good faith, seek medical assistance for either themselves or another person believed to be experiencing a drug overdose. When an individual overdoses on illegal drugs, it is common for those persons with him or her to hesitate in contacting emergency medical services for fear that they will be arrested and prosecuted for drug possession and use. HB 965 provides the protection necessary to ensure that individuals engaging in drug use are protected from prosecution should they seek to assist another who has overdosed. This legislation can give drug abusers a second chance at life, while enabling bystanders to do the right thing without fear of punishment. This legislation passed both chambers and is on the Governor's desk for his signature.


HB 998 Revises the powers of the Georgia Board for Physician Workforce (GBPW) as it relates to scholarships to empower the GBPW - with approval of both the Commissioner of the Department of Community Health and the Commissioner of the Department of Public Health - to place primary care physicians in regional areas of the state composed of rural counties where an unmet need for these specialties exist. At its core, this legislation is about the health of our Georgia families. This bill seeks to ensure that no matter where Georgians live – be it metro Atlanta or rural Georgia – they have adequate access to critical primary care specialties. This legislation was approved by both chambers and is on the Governor's desk for his signature.


HB 943 Georgia Healthcare Freedom Act (originally HB 707) This bill firmly establishes that neither the State of Georgia nor any of its departments will use money or human resources to advance the voluntary expansion of the state’s eligibility for medical assistance in furtherance of the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare).   The measure also prohibits the State of Georgia from creating an insurance exchange in compliance with the ACA. This legislation was approved by both chanmbers and is now on the Governor's desk for his signature.

HB 990 – Medicaid Expansion Limitations This bill prohibits any department, board, or representative of the State from expanding the eligibility requirements for Medicaid without legislative approval.  Without this important protection in place any future Governor could unilaterally commit the state to billions of dollars in Medicaid expansion costs without going through the legislature.  This is simply unacceptable given our commitment to responsible and balanced budgets. This legislation was approved by both chanmbers and is now on the Governor's desk for his signature.


HB 128 – Georgia Downtown Renaissance Fund Act This bill establishes the Georgia Downtown Renaissance Fund within the Department of Community Affairs to provide local governments, downtown development authorities, and other organizations with financing to encourage economic and small business development, public improvements, and historic preservation projects.  This legislation demonstrates Georgia’s commitment to supporting not only local economic development initiatives but also small businesses, many of which are concentrated in downtown areas, by offering low-interest loans for downtown businesses. This legislation was approved by both chanmbers and is now on the Governor's desk for his signature.

HB 697 – Establishing the Zell Miller Grant This legislation expands the Zell Miller Scholar designation to the HOPE Grant program for technical college students. The Zell Miller Grant Scholar is awarded the difference between the HOPE grant amount and the current academic year’s tuition. Eligibility is determined on a semester or quarterly basis.  Expanding the Zell Miller Scholar program to our technical schools is a clear statement the cost of higher education should not be a barrier to success both for traditional and non-traditional Georgia students. This legislation was approved by both chanmbers and is now on the Governor's desk for his signature.

HB 863 - Animal Cruelty Explanation Act This bill clarifies offenses involving animal cruelty by expanding the meaning of what constitutes “animal cruelty” and adds new activity which qualifies as “aggravated cruelty to animals.”  The bill also elevates a conviction of “aggravated cruelty to animals” to a felony.  Finally, the bill provides for circumstances that justify injuring or killing an animal. This legislation was approved by both chanmbers and is now on the Governor's desk for his signature.

SB 364 – Juvenile Justice Reform Clarification This bill represents the third phase of Criminal Justice Reform measures recommended by the Georgia Council on Criminal Justice Reform involving Georgia’s adult and juvenile correction systems.  This bill acts primarily as a clean-up to previous Juvenile Justice Reform measures.   It clarifies exclusive original jurisdiction, requires a guardian ad litem in a termination of parental rights proceeding, and protects biological fathers through enhanced notification procedures.  The bill clarifies the timing of continued custody hearings and when the court shall inform the parties of the hearing.  The bill also clarifies when a bench warrant may be issued requiring a child’s presence and what facilities may be included to give credit for time served. This legislation was approved by both chanmbers and is now on the Governor's desk for his signature.

SB 320 – Establishing a Veteran’s Court Division  This legislation establishes a Veterans Court Division specializing in the treatment of defendants who are veterans in order to ensure their successful reentry into society.  Veterans Courts would operate veterans’ treatment programs that include judicial supervision and drug and mental health testing to rehabilitate veterans based on their unique needs.  Veterans who complete such programs would be eligible to have their sentence reduced. This legislation was approved by both chanmbers and is now on the Governor's desk for his signature.

SB 382 – Retail Refund Fraud - This bill makes illegal the practice of using a false name or address for the purpose of obtaining or attempting to obtain and return goods in order to gain store credit.  It also makes illegal the practice of using a driver’s license not issued to such person, a driver’s license with false information, an ID of false information, or an altered ID card, to attempt to obtain a refund from a retail establishment. This measure helps retail stores better police this activity known as “refund fraud.” This legislation was approved by both chanmbers and is now on the Governor's desk for his signature.


885 Known as the "Medical Cannabis" bill, this legislation sought to provide a legal means for parents of children who suffer from seizures, many of whom suffer from hundreds of lengthy and heartbreaking seizures a day, to obtain a form of cannabis in pill or liquid form that has been shown to dramatically lessen the number of those seizures. This bill was approved by the House overwhelmingly but failed due to another bill being attached to it in the Senate.






 
 









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