By: Sen. Larry Walker (R – Perry)
With Thursday’s adjournment signifying the end of our 18th legislative day, we are quickly approaching the halfway point of the 2022 Legislative Session. This week, a total of fifteen bills and resolutions passed on the Senate Floor, many of which carried bipartisan support. Now that the budget is in the Senate’s hands, that, too, has become one of the key fixtures of our work this week.
Last week, the House passed their version of the Amended Budget for the 2022 Fiscal year in the form of House Bill 910. Early in the week, much of the Senate’s time was dedicated to subcommittee hearings of the Senate Appropriations Committee. These subcommittees hearings allow us to hear from Georgia’s agencies themselves, what their budgetary needs look like for the remainder of the fiscal year and how those may differ from what was originally anticipated. This way, we can true up any discrepancies between what we originally budgeted for, versus what funding was actually necessary. After our hearings, additional meetings were held to iron out the final details of the Senate’s proposed budget, which should be passed out of the full committee and on to the Senate floor in the next week or two.
A major theme of our legislative calendars this week was public safety, as we passed several measures aimed at providing additional financial security for our officers and imposing harsher penalties on those who carry out the most detestable of crimes. For instance, we passed Senate Bill 84, which would add communications officers to those eligible to enter into the Peace Officer’s Annuity and Benefit Fund. Senate Bill 461 would make it even more difficult for someone convicted of human trafficking to be bailed out by elevating that authority to a superior court. Additionally, the Senate saw a need to address a growing issue in our schools: cyberbullying. Senate Bill 316 would require parents and students be notified that certain acts of cyberbullying may be considered stalking. This is such an important step to take to thwart the unsettling rise in mental health struggles among our student population. As a final bill dealing with public safety, we took up this week, SB 360, known as “Colton’s Law,” would increase penalties against those who are convicted of cruelty against a disabled minor. Each of these bills are intended to make our state a safer place and one that is more supportive of our law enforcement.
Next week, we will convene for only two legislative days, but will have plenty of committee work to keep us occupied all throughout the week. If you have any questions about any of the bills we have discussed to this point, or about the budget, please don’t hesitate to reach out to my office.
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Sen. Larry Walker serves as the Majority Caucus Vice Chairman and Chairman of the Senate Agriculture and Consumer Affairs Committee. He represents the 20th Senate District, which includes Bleckley, Houston, Laurens and Pulaski counties. He may be reached by phone at 404.656.0095 or by email at larry.walker@senate.ga.gov.