Legislative Report by Eddie Lumsden

Week Seven

Tuesday, February 16 marked the beginning of our seventh week of the 2016
legislative session. With “Crossover Day” rapidly approaching, we are
passing crucial pieces of legislation each day that we are in session. This
week, we passed several bills, and among those was one of our most
important pieces of legislation of the year: House Bill 751, the Fiscal
Year 2017 (FY2017) state budget.

The General Assembly has one constitutional obligation each year: to pass
a balanced state budget. This budget will serve as a spending guide for the
state beginning July 1, 2016 through June 30, 2017. The FY2017 budget is
the largest budget in our state’s history at $23.7 billion, which is an
increase of $673.9 million, or 2.9%, over the amended FY2016 budget. The
House was able to secure funding for several of its priorities, including:
education funding, additional funding for transportation as a result of the
Transportation Funding Act of 2015, health care and economic development
funds.
 
Education spending accounts for more than half of the annual budget each
year. As a result of revenue increases, the FY2017 includes a $300 million
appropriation for K-12 education for local school boards to give salary
increases, eliminate furlough days or increase instruction days for
education. The House version of FY2017 also includes $5.1 million for a 3
percent pay raise to teachers in Agriculture Education and Tech/Career
Education programs, school bus drivers, lunchroom workers, nurses, and
Regional Education Service Agency (RESA) employees. The budget provides an
additional $28.6 million in funding for Pre-K teachers for salary increases
up to three percent, as well as increasing salaries for assistant teachers.
During his State of the State address, Governor Deal noted that in the past
three years, 94 percent of school systems used this additional funding to
reduce or entirely eliminate furlough days, and with the funding from the
FY2017 budget, teacher furlough days should be a thing of the past.

The FY2017 budget also provides funding for higher education initiatives
in our state, including the HOPE and Zell Miller Scholarships. Since 2012,
the number of Zell Miller Scholars at both public and private universities
has significantly increased, and to account for this increase in eligible
scholars, HB 751 allocates $59.1 million for FY2017 for Zell Miller and
HOPE Scholarship recipients. FY2017 also appropriates $29.4 million in
funding to the Move on When Ready dual enrollment program and an additional
$1.2 million to the North Georgia Military Scholarship Grants program.
Additionally, the budget establishes two new service loan programs of
$100,000 each for large animal veterinarians and the Georgia National Guard
to address the need for skilled individuals in those fields. Finally, HB
751 includes $44.4 million for formula earnings based on enrollment and
increased square footage at both the University System of Georgia and the
Technical College System of Georgia. College students will not experience a
tuition increase next fall due to the diligence of the Board of Regents to
keep college affordable and the work of the governor and General Assembly
to provide adequate formula funding. I am proud of the hard work that has
gone into this process to ensure that our students in our state’s higher
education institutions will not pay more for tuition next fall.

Our state has seen a tremendous growth in our state population in recent
years, and as our population grows, we must guarantee that all Georgians
have access to proper healthcare. As a result, FY2017 has allocated $66.7
million to offset Medicaid enrollment growth in our state. In order to see
that all Georgians are in close proximity to quality healthcare, the House
version of the FY 2017 budget includes several initiatives to ensure that
basic services are available in underserved areas. This includes $200,000
to maintain the rural dentistry loan program; $100,000 to establish a loan
repayment program for physician assistants and advance practice registered
nurses; $100,000 for the Georgia South Family Medicine Rural Residency
Training Program; and $200,000 for OB/GYN physicians who want to return to
practice in underserved areas. FY2017 also provides a one-time start-up
grant of $250, 000 for the Champions for Children program, also known as
the “Katie Beckett waiver,” which provides grants to families with
medically fragile children who do not qualify for Medicaid. Quality
healthcare should be available to all of our citizens, and I was proud to
see funding for these initiatives included to provide increased access for
Georgians statewide. 

Georgia has been at the forefront of criminal justice reforms, and since
the implementation of these reforms, state juvenile justice facilities have
seen a 25 percent decrease in population. To maintain this progress, FY2017
includes an additional $3.8 million to expand the state’s accountability
courts, which are aimed at providing community alternatives, as proven
alternatives to sentencing, to rehabilitate offenders and juveniles. In his
State of the Judiciary, Chief Justice Hugh Thompson credited accountability
courts with reducing crime by 45 percent, and with saving the state more
than $51 million in prison costs in 2015. FY2017 also allocates $5.6
million to support educational initiatives in the state prison system,
including operational costs for two charter high schools and expansion of
GED fast track, vocational, and general education programs. By providing
these individuals with beneficial skills, it will make their transition to
re-entry more seamless and reduce their chances of recidivism. Georgia’s
recidivism rate is at its lowest in 30 years, and I am proud of the work we
have done in the General Assembly to give our citizens a second chance.

The final portion of the FY2017 budget I would like to highlight is the
inclusion of hundreds of millions of new transportation dollars to improve
our state’s transportation infrastructure. As a result of House Bill 170,
the Transportation Funding Act of 2015, FY2017 appropriates $825.6 million
in new state general and motor fuel funds to help improve the state’s roads
and bridges to keep freight and our commuters moving safely and
efficiently. Of those funds, $543.1 million are budgeted for capital
construction and maintenance projects; $204.7 for routine maintenance; and
$41 million in Local Maintenance and Improvement Grants (LMIG). An
additional $1 million in bonds were also allocated for the repair,
replacement, and renovation of our state’s bridges to ensure safety for all
who travel on our roadways. Prior to the passage of HB 170, Georgia’s roads
averaged resurfacing once every 50 years. As our population has grown, so
has our need for transportation investment, and with this new funding, we
will now have the ability to dedicate the essential resources to addressing
Georgia’s infrastructure needs. I applaud the Georgia Department of
Transportation for their long-term solution to our current issue, and I
encourage you to view their website and the list of upcoming projects at
www.GAroads.org. 
 
In addition to passing the FY2017 budget this week, the House passed a
number of important bills that are now being considered by the state
Senate. House Bill 34, also known as the “Georgia Right to Try Act,” was
unanimously passed by the House and would give some terminally-ill patients
faster access to experimental drugs and procedures that have passed the
first of three phases in the FDA drug approval process. Full FDA clearance
of all three phases can take as long as ten years, but with HB 34,
terminally-ill patients would have the option of trying experimental
treatments that have passed the FDA’s Phase 1, meaning the treatments have
met all safety precautions. Physicians would be required to provide written
documentation for eligible patients stating that the individual has a
terminal illness; has considered all other treatment options currently
approved by the FDA; has been given a recommendation by the physician; and
has given written informed consent for the use of the investigational drug
biological product, or device. Manufacturers of certain experimental drugs
will not be required to offer or charge for the treatment, and health
benefit plans have the option to provide coverage to investigational
products, but will not be required to cover the costs. Any medical
physician, who recommends, prescribes, or treats an eligible patient with
investigational drugs, would not be held liable by the Georgia Composite
Medical Board under HB 34. There are 24 states that have similar
legislation in place, and it is my hope that Georgia will become the 25th
state to enact this type of legislation to offer some Georgians an
opportunity at life-altering treatment.

Another significant measure that passed out of our chamber with
overwhelming support was House Bill 798. HB 798 would change some
requirements for the HOPE and Zell Miller Scholarships to consider home
schooled students and students graduating from previously ineligible or
non-accredited high schools. Eligibility would be determined by
standardized college admissions tests, such as the SAT and ACT, which are
available to all students. Home schooled students and students graduating
from ineligible high schools that score in the 75th percentile or higher
nationally would be eligible for the HOPE Scholarship. Students who score
in the 93rd percentile or higher nationally would be eligible for the Zell
Miller Scholarship. The bill also changes the Zell Miller Scholarship
eligibility for students graduating from eligible high schools by requiring
a score in the 80th percentile or higher on the ACT or the SAT, in addition
to maintaining a minimum 3.7 GPA. The HOPE Scholarship was created to keep
our state’s brightest students in Georgia for college, and this legislation
would give even more students that chance.

House Bill 879 is another education bill that passed out of the House this
week. This bill creates the “Georgia Seal of Biliteracy” to recognize high
school graduates who are proficient in speaking, reading, and writing one
or more languages in addition to English. Students may qualify to receive
the Georgia Seal of Biliteracy with a score of four or higher on a foreign
language advanced placement exam, with a score of five or higher on a
foreign language international baccalaureate exam, by completing a
four-year high school course in a foreign language with an overall GPA of
3.0 or above in that coursework, or by passing the SAT II foreign language
exam with a score of 600 or higher. The Georgia Department of Education
would provide the insignia to be attached to qualifying students’ diplomas
to indicate that the student earned the Georgia Seal of Biliteracy. Each
local school system could choose to opt-in to the program but would not be
forced to participate or expend resources. It is our duty to encourage our
students to broaden their horizons, and the Georgia Seal of Biliteracy will
not only promote the study of foreign language, but it will certify their
knowledge for future college and job applications.     

Finally, my colleagues and I unanimously passed legislation in the House
this week which would make the “adoptable dog” the official state dog of
Georgia. By naming the “adoptable dog” as the official state dog of
Georgia, House Bill 561 will promote animal rescue and adoption, as well as
responsible pet ownership. Eligible “adoptable dogs” are available through
local animal shelters, humane societies, and public or private animal
refuge organizations. According to the National Council on Pet Population
Study and Policy, by encouraging responsible pet ownership the number of
unwanted dogs who eventually end up in shelters will be greatly reduced.
This bill brings awareness to the importance of adopting animals from
shelters, where they face a high risk of being euthanized, and will help
save the lives of many shelter animals. 

Now that we have passed the annual budget and are more than halfway
through the 2016 legislative session, we will begin to vote on more
legislation under the Gold Dome. During this time, I hope that you will
contact me with your questions or concerns so that I can apply your ideas
and opinions to these last few weeks of lawmaking. You are always welcome
and encouraged to visit my office at the State Capitol. You may contact me
at my office number 404 656-0325 or email me at Eddie.Lumsden@house.ga.gov

Thank you for letting me serve as your State Representative.

Eddie Lumsden