Rep. Ron Stephens
Guest columnist
The Georgia General Assembly returned to the State Capitol for the final two days of the 2023 legislative session this past week and then, on Wednesday, March 29, the session came to an end as the House and Senate completed Legislative Day 40, which is also known as “Sine Die.”
During these two eventful days, my colleagues and I worked late into the night to vote on legislation that will impact communities across our state. I will share some of the bills that we voted on from the Rules calendars, as well as highlight a few House bills that received final passage this week. Now, all of the bills that received final passage before we adjourned Sine Die will go to Governor Brian Kemp for his final consideration.
The state legislature approved a Conference Committee Report for House Bill 19, or the Fiscal Year 2023-24 (FY 2024) budget, fulfilling our one constitutional obligation of the session. Effective July 1, this final version of the FY 2024 budget is set at a revenue estimate of $32.4 billion. More than 50 percent of this state budget is dedicated toward funding our state’s K-12 and higher education systems and includes $13.1 billion to fully fund the Quality Basic Education program for our local grade and high schools and an additional $50.2 million in lottery funds to bring the HOPE factor rate for scholarships and grants up to 100 percent of last year’s tuition costs. I am also excited to announce that certified teachers and school employees would experience a $2,000 increase to the state base salary schedule through this budget.
Nearly a quarter of the FY 2024 budget would go toward health and human services, and within this crucial budget area, we included $42.2 million for Medicaid reimbursement rate increases for providers. To ensure the House’s public safety priorities are reflected in this budget, this conference committee report includes $23.5 million for a total compensation increase of $4,000 for more than 3,900 law enforcement officers across 12 state agencies; front-line state officers would receive an additional $2,000 salary adjustment in certain departments. Finally, almost 10 percent of the FY 2024 budget would go toward economic development and general government services, and seven percent of the budget would support transportation infrastructure improvements. This robust budget is full of bipartisan initiatives, and now, has been sent to the governor for his consideration.
We passed a Senate bill to help standardize the process for children who may be taken into the state’s custody. To help avoid placing children in foster care unnecessarily, Senate Bill 133 would clarify several of Georgia’s code sections to improve juvenile court proceedings for children who are in need of services, also known as “CHINS,” or for child delinquency or dependency proceedings. Under this bill, prior to placing a child in the custody of the Georgia Division of Family & Children Services (DFCS), the court would first consider what state services have been provided to the child or the parent/guardian or what services may be available to allow the child to remain in their home.
We also unanimously passed a measure that aims to prevent drowning accidents during swim lessons. Senate Bill 107, or Izzy’s Law, would require the Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH) to develop a model safety plan for private swim instructors to utilize by January 1, 2024. This safety plan would include minimum standards for student-to-instructor ratios, secondary supervision recommendations, parent or legal guardian attendance, as well as the use of cardiopulmonary resuscitation certification.
Private swim instructors would be required to use DPH’s model aquatic safety plan or have their own water safety plan in place by April 1, 2024.
House Bill 414 would create the Veterans Mental Health Services Program, a grant program that would fund behavioral health services to service members, veterans or family members through non-profit community behavioral health programs; the Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities would administer this competitive grant program.
House Bill 538, or the Georgia Early Literacy Act, would require schools’ systems to teach high-quality literacy instructional materials approved by the State Board of Education in grades kindergarten through third grade based on the science of reading. The Georgia Department of Education would develop and provide training to these teachers, and teachers who are licensed or commissioned by the state to teach literacy instruction would be required to receive training by July 2025.
In conclusion, thank you for allowing me to serve you in our Georgia General Assembly. I encourage you to please let me know of issues that are important to you in Bryan County and Chatham County. I am in office 226 of the State Capitol. My office phone number is 404) 656-5115 and my email is ron.stephens@house.ga.gov. I look forward to the next session and to serving all of you.
While we have adjourned, continue to let me of know of new initiatives and during the adjournment, let me know if you would like to meet to discuss the current or future legislation.