We have passed the halfway mark – Legislative Day 20 was this week. We are now sprinting to “Crossover Day,” the last day by which a bill must pass either the House or Senate to stay alive for the session (with some special exceptions!). Read below for the latest bills of interest to pass the House, an upcoming townhall, and more!
Special Visitors at the Capitol
This week I had the pleasure of having Greer Hanlon serve as my legislative page. Greer is a student at the Howard School. She is following in the footsteps of her older siblings in paging at the Georgia House of Representatives. It was a pleasure to have her!
I also had a visit from my niece Alanna Godfrey who was at the Capitol with the Family, Career, and Community Leaders of America chapter from Ringgold High School. Always fun to see her and others from my alma mater! .
Mark your Calendars- Town Hall
We will be having our second town hall of the 2024 Legislative Session on March 7th, at 7pm! State Senator Sonya Halpern and I will bring you the latest news from the Gold Dome post-Crossover Day and answer any of your questions. Please register here for this virtual event.
New transportation app “ATL Rides”
A new app made by the Atlanta Region Transit Authority (ARTA) is aimed at assisting Atlanta commuters. This free app will help streamline the travel planning process allowing you to simply select a start and end location within Atlanta and be offered different travel routes and times to help plan your trip. All public transportation methods are utilized and the app even provides an option to view wheelchair accessible routes. It will also provide real-time trip information about delays and closures across the 13 counties spanning Atlanta and the 6 agencies under ARTA. “ATL Rides” was recently released into the App Store and Google Play and is available to download now.
Passed in the House
Regulated Industries
HB300 would require solar power facility agreements to provide procedures for the decommissioning of a solar power facility. I voted yes.
Healthcare
HB576 would prohibit certain healthcare providers and facilities from discriminating against potential organ transplant recipients due solely to the vaccine status of the potential recipient. There is no evidence this is actually occurring. We also need to leave the difficult decisions of how to allocate scarce organs to the medical professionals. There are many factors that go into these decisions and I do not think the legislature should mettle further. I voted no.
HB809 would allow occupational therapists to perform dry needling. I voted yes.
Finance
HB461 would update current law relating to the imposition of regulatory fees by local governments to require the proceeds of regulatory fees collected by a local government to be used for the related regulatory activity and not the general operations of the local government. This bill would eliminate the ability for a local government to impose a fee for construction projects classified as renovation based on the cost of the project and instead would require the use of square feet for the calculation of a fee for an “extensive renovation project,” which is defined as a project valued at $75,000 or more to renovate an existing structure. I voted yes.
Judiciary
HB1033 or the “Utility Worker Protection Act,” would add enhanced penalties for the protection of utility workers harmed while acting within the course/scope of their employment or while performing official duties. These enhancements would apply to all offenses committed on or after July 1, 2024. I voted yes.
Education
HB282 would provide for a minimum course of study in career readiness education for students in grades six through 12 to include instruction and training experiences focused on employability and career readiness skills. I voted yes.
Public Health
HB1010 would modify paid parental leave for state employees to six weeks, doubling the amount of time state employees currently receive. If both parents are state employees, they would each be entitled to six weeks of paid leave, with the flexibility to split these weeks over a twelve-month period. This is a wonderful family-friendly measure. I voted yes.
Friends don’t let friends be uninformed
Help your neighbors stay informed and encourage them to subscribe to the newsletter. You can check the boundaries of District 57 here to find friends who may want to keep up with the goings on under the Gold Dome. Anyone (in the district or not) can subscribe to this newsletter by visiting my website and filling out the form on the front page. Each one reach one.
As always, it is an honor to represent you under the Gold Dome. Please continue to reach out to me with your questions and thoughts on legislation. Also, please remember I’m here to help with issues you may encounter with state agencies.