Official Press Releases
By State Sen. Greg Goggans
Recently several prominent national figures including former House Speaker Newt Gingrich have expressed the opinion that individual states are so severly burdened by debt caused by the Great Recession that states declaring bankruptcy may be the only feasible way out of their economic crisis. Continue reading “South Georgia at the State Capitol”
ATLANTA (January 31, 2011) – State Sen. Curt Thompson (D-Norcross) released the following statement after being named Vice-Chairman on the Working Families Legislative Caucus for the 2011 General Assembly. The caucus works to author and monitor legislation for the protection and support of families around the state of Georgia.
“As lawmakers our top priority must be supporting the hard-working families of our state and their best interests and needs.” This caucus invites legislators from all parties to join together and act as a watchdog to ensure our elected leaders are fulfilling their obligations to the people who they represent. It is truly an honor to be chosen to help lead the efforts of the Working Families Caucus. I look forward to partnering with my colleagues and doing all I can to uphold the values and core beliefs we all share.”
– State Sen. Curt Thompson
Sen. Curt Thompson represents the 5th Senate District which includes portions of DeKalb and Gwinnett counties. He serves as Chairman of the Senate Special Judiciary Committee. He may be reached by phone at 404.463.1318 or by e-mail at curt.thompson@senate.ga.gov.
PRESS RELEASE
For Immediate Release:
January 31, 2011
For Information Contact:
Matt Colvin, Broadcast Director
matthew.colvin@senate.ga.gov
404.656.0028
ATLANTA (Jan, 31, 2011) – A bill that aims to help doctors and pharmacists curtail the abuse of illegally prescribed drugs in Georgia and aid law enforcement by improving their technological capabilities was introduced at the State Capitol Monday. State Sen. Buddy Carter (R-Pooler) authored the “Patient Safety Act of 2011” which would create an electronic database of all controlled substance prescriptions dispensed in Georgia. The database would be accessible only to medication prescribers and dispensers for their own patients or law enforcement if they are investigating an open case, which would require a subpoena for access. Continue reading “Sen. Buddy Carter Introduces Patient Safety Act in Senate”
ATLANTA (January 31, 2011) – With the first week of the 2011 General Assembly completely turned upside down due to the ice storm that paralyzed much of north Georgia, State Sen. Jim Butterworth (R-Clarkesville) still had plenty of duties to fulfill. Butterworth, who is beginning his second term in office, officially started work as one of Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle’s appointees to the Senate Committee on Assignments, which governs the Senate’s day-to-day operations.
“Very quickly after arriving in the Senate in 2009, Senator Butterworth established himself as a hard working, knowledgeable leader. His colleagues and I look to him for insight on issues from water to economic development and value his wise counsel and deliberate nature,” said Cagle. ”A fierce advocate for his constituents and respected by his colleagues, Jim is somebody that the citizens of the 50th Senate District and all Georgians can count on to deliver for them. I look forward to working closely with him during this upcoming session to ensure all of Georgia has access to a reliable water supply, to encourage a business friendly economic climate that allows the private sector to create jobs, and to balance our state’s budget without raising taxes.”
Butterworth was also one of three senators appointed to serve as Governor Nathan Deal’s Floor Leader.
“Using common-sense, conservative principles when crafting legislation is essential, especially as Georgia’s economic recovery begins to take hold. Governor Deal and I are committed to these ideals and to seeing our economy flourish. I look forward to working with him and his staff to put Georgia on a path to prosperity and growth,” said Butterworth.
Butterworth is currently the chairman of the Senate Higher Education Committee. He will also serve as Vice Chairman of the powerful Senate Banking and Financial Institutions Committee and sit on the Appropriations, Economic Development, Natural Resources, and State and Local Governmental Operations committees for the 2011-2012 Term.
Sen. Butterworth resides in Habersham County with his wife Amy and their four children: Blake, Claire, Jack and Cate. He is a pilot for Delta Air Lines. Sen. Butterworth proudly represents the 50th Senate District, which includes Towns, Rabun, Habersham, Stephens, Banks, Franklin and Hart counties along with a portion of White County.
Sen. Jim Butterworth serves as chairman of the Higher Education Committee. He represents the 50th Senate District which includes Towns, Rabun, Habersham, Stephens, Banks, Franklin, and Hart counties along with a portion of White County. He can be reached by phone at 404.651.7738 or by email at jim.butterworth@senate.ga.gov.
PRESS RELEASE
For Immediate Release:
January 31, 2011
For Information Contact:
Kallarin Richards, Deputy Director
Katie Wright, Communications Manager
katie.wright@senate.ga.gov
404.656.0028
ATLANTA – (January 28, 2010) State Senator Bill Heath (R-Bremen) has Co-Sponsored Senate Resolution 20 – “Taxpayer Protection Act of 2011”. The proposed Constitutional Amendment would limit how many tax dollars the state of Georgia can spend in any given year.
“We have cut the state budget by billions of dollars over the last three years. We need to make sure it never again grows excessively. We need to replenish the rainy day fund and most importantly we need to ultimately cut the income tax rate. This is why I am proud to co-sponsor the Taxpayer Protection Act,” said Senator Bill Heath.
“Senator Heath is a champion for protecting the taxpayer of Georgia. I appreciate his support on this important issue. The Taxpayer Protection Act will protect future generations of Georgians from government growing too large.”, said Senate Majority Leader Chip Rogers, the sponsor of the Resolution.
Senate Resolution 20 would restrict the state from spending any money in excess of the previous year budget adjusted for inflation and population. Any additional revenue beyond the spending limitations would be required to go into the Rainy Day fund until it reaches a point of 10% of the previous year spending. Once the rainy day fund is at 10% additional revenue would be used to slowly phase-out the state income tax.
The Amendment was approved Wednesday by the Senate Finance Committee in a unanimous bi-partisan vote.
Sen. Bill Heath represents the 31st Senate District which includes portions of Paulding, Bartow, Haralson, and Polk counties.
PRESS RELEASE
For Immediate Release:
January 28, 2011
For Information Contact:
Natalie Strong, Director
Natalie.Strong@senate.ga.gov
404.656.0028