ATLANTA (March 22, 2010) – The Georgia State Senate today voted unanimously to give teachers and schools financial relief during the state’s worst economic crisis since the Great Depression. Under legislation authored by Sen. Lee Hawkins (R-Gainesville), the number of professional learning units (PLU) teachers are required to earn in order to keep their teaching certificate will be cut in half.
Sen. Lee Hawkins
By Sen. Lee Hawkins
ATLANTA (Feb. 19, 2010) – The Senate and House have passed the Fiscal Year 2010 Amended budget, which outlines our spending plan until July 1. We have only $15.5 billion to spend over the next six months, which is $4.6 billion less than we had in 2009. These sobering numbers reveal the dire budget crisis our state is in as revenues continue to fall. The numbers for FY11 look even worse, and we want to ensure that every taxpayer dollar is spent as efficiently as possible. In order to produce a fiscally responsible budget, the legislature has decided to recess for two weeks to give lawmakers and budget writers time to analyze where efficiencies can be found while protecting core areas of government like education and public safety.
By Sen. Lee Hawkins
ATLANTA (Feb. 12, 2010) – Fiscal responsibility is key at a time when so many Georgians are unemployed and the state is struggling just to provide core government services. Anything we can do to reduce costs, burdens and regulations on citizens, businesses and government agencies must be put into practice.
By Sen. Lee Hawkins
Sen. Lee Hawkins
ATLANTA (Feb. 1, 2010) – The Georgia General Assembly is in the first few weeks of the 2010 Legislative Session, and we are already working to tackle the big issues we’ll face this year. Of course, balancing the state budget will be our most important and difficult task, as state revenues continue to decline and the governor has projected a $1.4 billion shortfall for the Fiscal Year 2010 budget. He’s proposed a $15.5 billion spending plan in state general funds for the remainder of this fiscal year, which ends June 30. Right now, the FY11 budget stands at $16.8 billion.