[March 11, 2024] | Whew, Crossover Day is past us, and this week we turned our attention to passing the House version of the 2025 budget. All of us who are on the Appropriations Committee have been meeting with dept. heads and staff for weeks preparing the big budget.
I'll have to tell you our staff works on it just about year-round, keeping track of spending, seeing what's not being spent, where that money can be spent better, and looking at new ideas and programs the House or the Governor may have in mind. When I look at a budget like this, I always think about the incredible amount of work that has gone into it. You have probably never seen one, but it is down to the penny on what a department can spend and exactly what they can spend it on. There's very little leeway.
I will not spend a whole lot of time going over what we proposed, because it will now go to the Senate, and they will spend the next 2 to 3 weeks working on it and putting their touches on what the Governor thought. They will produce their budget and pass their version. Then we get together and figure out what both sides are willing to pass. That will be in two weeks.
That is a pretty hard discussion because both sides have ideas and desires of what they would like to do in our state. If you were curious and want to know what's in the House version, I can send you a summary. Just ask for it through the information below.
Our committees have been very busy hearing Senate bills. These are the bills that passed over on or before Crossover Day, and we are also very busy presenting our House bills to the Senate committees. These times can get pretty tense, as House and the Senate have different priorities. Yes, sometimes feelings get hurt, and tensions get pretty high. We generally work through that and know we've got to get this done in the next three weeks for us to have the best state in the country.
A couple of bills of interest we passed this week were Senate Bill 334, the "Helping Firefighters Beat Cancer Act." This legislation would make it simple for the transfer of benefits granted to eligible firefighters when they transition to another fire department within Georgia. This measure would ensure that firefighters who move between departments could continue to receive access to crucial benefits aimed at supporting and providing them with adequate coverage in the event of accidents, injuries, or illnesses, such as cancer from hazardous chemicals, incurred while on duty.
Well, I am out of space again.
Please take advantage of calling my office or emailing me if you have a question or concern about a bill, you may have heard about in the news or online or in the grocery store line. We will do our best to answer you. My Capitol office number is 404-656-7153. My email is rick.jasperse@house.ga.gov.
As always, thank you for allowing me to serve as your State Representative.