[February 14, 2016] | It was the usual busy week in the legislature. ?Whew!? is what I was thinking until Wednesday afternoon and night when we got the news that one of our troopers was shot in the line of duty and that long pause, that evening we heard it was one of our neighbors. Our busy lives were put on hold while we took a few moments in the House of Representatives on Thursday to say a prayer for Trooper Jake Fields and for his mom, Stacey, and Dad, Ronnie, and their family. We are all so thankful he is on the road to recovery.
I hope you have been following Jake on Facebook and his recovery. If you want to send him a card, send it to Trooper Jake Fields, c/o GSP Post 9, 3993 Aviation Circle, Atlanta, GA 30336. They will be sure to get it to him.
Every day our men and women in law enforcement put their lives on the line in many different ways to protect us. Please join me in thanking them the next time you see them around your community.
I have really enjoyed being a very active member of the House?s Public Safety and Homeland Security committee. Each week we look at bills that affect your safety and the interaction between you and public safety. I have learned a lot about this area of our government and its workings. I had the opportunity on Wednesday to join committee Chairman Alan Powell to speak to the Georgia Sheriff?s Association at their annual training meeting. It was good to speak with the three sheriffs I represent who work day and night keeping all of us safe.
I was glad to see Will Bell and Matt Youngblood who came to the Capitol interviewing Georgia Secretary of State Brian Kemp for the local Pickens GOP radio show ?Political Dragon Radio.? This radio show can be heard on WYYX at 12 on Saturdays. I know they had a good interview, which is good because parking is a pain.
House committees are meeting daily. In Agriculture and Consumer Affairs, I had a bill passed out that defined the Veterinary-Patient relationship as it relates to poultry health. I also have bills in Public Safety, in Regulated Industries, and in Health and Human Services at this time.
If you were reading the legal ads in the Pickens County Progress, you saw a legal ad submitted by me. This was a notification that there was local legislation concerning the Pickens Airport Authority. This legislation will decrease the number of members of the board from seven to five on the Authority.
A few folks ask about local legislation and how it works. It is something we do occasionally. These bills come from the local government who is responsible for that particular part of government. In the case of the Airport Authority: The Authority made a motion and voted on it in their meeting and sent it to the Pickens County Commission. The commission then followed their procedure to post, read, and then vote in a public meeting to approve this change. These charters and laws are in the State Code, so the legislature (me in this case) will then enter local legislation to change the code. A good rule of thumb is that if a change affects their budget or tax revenue, they are responsible to ask for the change. We make sure they do their work in the public eye, and public votes are made, for and against.
The city Fairmount is asking for a change in city limits on State Route 411. They will go through the same process.
Following last week?s budget hearings, the House successfully passed the Amended Fiscal Year (AFY 2016) Budget, or the mid-year adjustment of state spending through June 30, 2016. The Amended Budget, HB 750, is very similar to Gov. Deal?s recommendations, consisting of $1.1 billion, or 5.3 percent, in ?new? funds, bringing the total appropriation for AFY 2016 to $22.9 billion with education and transportation funds accounting for approximately 85 % of the new appropriations. As a result of the diligent work of the members of the House Appropriations Committee (I am on the education subcommittee) and the staff in the House Budget and Research Office, HB 750 passed the House on Thursday, January 28, 2016 by a vote of 176-0. The Amended Budget has now been sent to the fine folks in the Senate for their review. I covered what was in HB 750 last week, but if you have questions, please give me a call.
In addition to passing the AFY 2016 budget, we also passed another important piece of legislation that will provide Georgia?s tax preparers and business community with more certainty when filing their tax returns. House Bill 742 is an annual Internal Revenue Code (IRC) update and makes changes to Georgia?s tax code to comply with the recently updated federal tax code. HB 742 updates Georgia?s tax code by synchronizing tax return filing dates to allow most businesses in Georgia to file state and federal returns simultaneously. HB 742 would also make permanent the $500,000 deduction in section 179 and the Research Tax Credit.
Well, that was quick; my word limit is up. Be sure to contact me if I may be of help at the Capitol, 404/ 656-7857; home, 770/ 893-2039; or work email Rick.Jasperse@house.ga.gov. Please let me know if you are coming to the Capitol so that I can see you when you come.