[February 09, 2015] | The legislature is in high speed starting our 4th week. Legislators are writing bills and entering them daily, and the respective committees are hearing about those bills. The budget hearings are going on now, too, and there is lots of work to be done on that big project.
I must apologize that this is the first article I have put out. I had shoulder surgery, and it was on my right one. That has slowed my writing down a lot. Due to good timing, I only missed one day of Session. My dear wife, Marcia, has been helping me. Feel sorry for her! I do.
This session of the General Assembly, I have added a new committee to my work. It is Public Safety (and Homeland Security). I was appointed Chairman of the subcommittee to review legislation for the Public Safety committee last week. I am also the Vice-Chairman of Health and am a member of Agriculture, Appropriations Education, and Human Relations and Aging committees.
This year I was honored to be chosen to be a ?Whip? for the majority party. This important position is one where members can go to the whips to find out information on all bills! Whew! Glad I like to read!
In the Governor?s budget we did see where he cut the dollars that went to part-time school employees? health care premiums. I believe we will find the dollars to replace this cut elsewhere in the budget. I drove a school bus for many years for our 4-H Club and know our drivers and lunchroom ladies well. I know that these fine folks do these critical jobs for very low wages and for those health care benefits. I will keep you updated on this.
There have been lots of folks from our area at the Capitol during the past few weeks. Dentists, nurses, judges, school folks, mothers, fathers, Tea Party members, hospital leaders, students of technical schools and some colleges, Ga. Baptist Assn., county officials, law enforcement, and optometrists to name a few. The House of Representatives is often referred to as ?the People?s House.? I hope you feel that that is true.
If you do come down to the gold dome, please give me a warning so I can look for you. You can e-mail me at rick@rickjasperse.org or call the Capitol office at 404-656-0188. Also use those contact numbers to tell me what you think about an issue or if you want more information about something you might have heard on the news or radio. Or, like today, stop me in the grocery store as I think nine folks did. That?s okay; really, I hope you feel comfortable doing that. Your questions and feelings on issues are important to me.
Next week we will talk Transportation, and I?ll fill you in on what?s being discussed to fix our aging transportation infrastructure.