Legislative Report from State Representative Eddie Lumsden
Week Two
This week, the General Assembly began what is arguably one of the most important weeks of our 40-day session, otherwise known as, “budget week.” This second week of session, the joint House and Senate appropriations committees and subcommittees held hearings to begin the arduous budget process. We also convened on the House floor to continue taking up important business. Our second week under the Gold Dome was a busy one and resulted in significant progress.
Each session we are constitutionally required to pass a balanced state budget, and this week, the House and Senate appropriations committees and subcommittees met for a series of joint budget hearings to review Governor Nathan Deal’s budget proposals and begin crafting two budget bills: the Fiscal Year 2017 (FY2017) budget and the Amended Fiscal Year 2016 (AFY2016) budget. The full fiscal year budget uses a projected state revenue estimate to guide state spending from July 1 to June 30 of the following fiscal year. The amended budget uses a more accurate estimate of state revenue and accounts for any discrepancies between the projected estimate and actual revenue obtained.
Gov. Deal released his budget recommendations last week, and this week, he presented those recommendations in detail before the joint House and Senate appropriations committee to kick-off the week. This week’s joint budget hearings allowed us to closely examine the governor’s recommendations, while also hearing testimony from the various state agencies competing for state funding.
Our state has seen substantial economic growth in recent years, which is evident in both Gov. Deal’s amended FY2016 and FY2017 budget proposals. We have seen an increase in state revenues each of the past three years, but perhaps the most astonishing growth we have seen is in our state’s population. Between 2000 and 2015, Georgia’s population grew by more than two million, making us the eighth largest state in the nation. Due to this revenue and population growth, we are able to allow for “new” funding to account for adjustments in the AFY2016 budget, including $109,913,685 for K-12 education for a mid-term adjustment growth. Additionally, the AFY2016 budget proposes an increase of $1,651,892 to support the information technology applications utilized by local school systems. The governor also proposed an adjustment of $14.9 million in this year’s amended budget to provide grants to local school systems to improve internet connectivity and for live online instruction and other digital resources for students and teachers. In the digital world that we live in, it is important that our students have access to the technology and resources necessary to be successful in life.
The AFY2016 budget proposal also makes funding adjustments in education, impacting students planning to attend our colleges and universities. Since 2012, the number of Zell Miller Scholars at both public and private universities increased by more than forty percent. To account for this increase in eligible individuals, the governor has allocated an additional $30.3 million for AFY2016 and $59.1 million for FY2017 for Zell Miller and HOPE Scholarship recipients. I am pleased to see the addition of these funds in both the amended and full budget recommendations. Many students rely on these scholarships, and I hope that by attending college in Georgia, those students will also eventually continue to live and work in our state.
In his State of the State Address last week, the governor announced that the FY2017 budget proposal is the largest budget in Georgia’s history at $23.7 billion, approximately one billion dollars more than the total FY2016 budget. The governor listed his funding priorities, and as one would expect, education remained a top priority for 2017.
As a result of revenue increases, the governor has recommended an investment of$300 million for K-12 education to allow local school districts to give salary increases, eliminate furlough days or increase instruction days. The budget recommendation also includes an additional $26.2 million in funding for Pre-K teachers for salary increases up to three percent, as well as increasing salaries for assistant teachers. Georgia’s future depends on attracting and retaining high-quality educators, and our educators should be rewarded for their hard work and commitment to their craft and to our youth.
While advancements in education are undoubtedly important, we have made noteworthy progress in other key areas as well, namely our state’s criminal justice reform system. State juvenile justice facilities have seen a twenty-five percent decrease in population since the implementation of reforms, and Gov. Deal’s FY2017 budget calls for an additional $3.8 million towards the accountability courts to rehabilitate offenders and juvenile incentive grants aimed at providing community alternatives, as a proven alternative to sentencing. Gov. Deal has also allocated an additional $4.3 million in FY2017 to support educational initiatives in the state prison system. This includes operational costs for two charter high schools and expansion of GED fast track, vocational, and general education programs. These programs will give individuals the tools they need to succeed and transition into re-entry with a skill set and a purpose, and these reforms will ultimately keep more Georgians safe.
The last portion of the FY2017 proposal that I would like to highlight is the inclusion of hundreds of millions of new transportation dollars. As a result of legislation passed last session, House Bill 170, Gov. Deal’s budget proposal for FY2017 appropriates over $800 million to help maintain and improve the state’s roads and bridges to keep freight and our commuters moving safely and efficiently. This major funding source for our state’s transportation infrastructure will benefit Georgians in many ways and will be felt throughout the state for many years to come. I am proud of my colleagues in the House for their leadership on HB 170 last session and to Gov. Deal and the Georgia Department of Transportation for executing these projects.
Finally this week, the House and Senate voted on an adjournment resolution that set the legislative calendar for the remainder of the 40-day session. Day 40, the final day of the 2016 legislative session, or “sine die,” will be Thursday, March 24. We have a very aggressive and busy schedule from now until then, and as we continue through this legislative session, I encourage you to reach out to me with your questions and concerns.
As your state representative, I want to know what issues are most important to you, and I welcome the opportunity to discuss them with you. I also encourage you to visit your State Capitol, where you are always welcome to visit me at my capitol office, located at 612-A Coverdell Legislative Office Building. You may also call my capitol office at 404-656-0325, or reach me via email at Eddie.Lumsden@house.ga.gov.
As always, thank you for allowing me to serve as your representative.
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