By: Sen. Larry Walker (R – Perry)
May 8th, 2018, marked the final time Governor Nathan Deal signed and vetoed bills in his last term as governor. This year, over 250 pieces of legislation became law with the governor’s signature and Gov. Deal vetoed 21 pieces of legislation, releasing statements addressing the reasoning behind each veto, sometimes encouraging the General Assembly’s reconsideration of legislation he saw fit to delay for another year at least.
Now that the dust has settled and we’ve had time to review what is becoming law, I wanted to review a couple of the highlights and accomplishments we’ve had this session. Arguably, one of the biggest victories of this session was the Adoption Bill, or House Bill 159. This bill updates the nearly 30-year old adoption code in Georgia by simplifying the adoption process not only for birth mothers, but also for adopting families. In addition, one of the key parts of the bill is the ability for a single parent to assign a proxy caregiver, such as a family member, close friend or faith based organization temporary custody of their child or children. This is wonderful news as sometimes, parents aren’t able to be around due to a medical crisis, job transfer or military service. This bill allows them to place their child with someone they trust while they are away, without being forced to place them in state custody.
Another point of pride for the General Assembly as a whole was the passage of the biggest tax cut in state history since the inception of the income tax. House Bill 918 updates Georgia’s Income Tax Code by substantially lowering the top income tax rate for individuals and corporations from six percent to 5.75 percent by 2019 and to 5.5 percent by 2020, if approved by the General Assembly. It also doubles the standard deduction for filers of all statuses. To break it down even further, a family of four with $30,000 in annual household income would pay 32 percent less in taxes. This is not just a tax break for some, it is tax relief for all. This bill received bipartisan support and will result in over $5 billion in relief for Georgians over the next five years, giving you more money in your pockets to spend or save.
My new committee assignment as a member of the Appropriations Committee has been both interesting and informative as I was able to help the local delegations in our district secure funding for various projects through the allocation of the Fiscal Year 2019 General Budget. Included in the budget is $900,000 for the planning, design and engineering for renovations on two of the oldest buildings at Middle Georgia State University’s Cochran campus and $4 million for the VECTR (Veterans Education Career Transition Resource) Center in Houston County. The FY19 budget also contains an additional $167 million for the Department of Education for K-12 schools and eliminates austerity cuts. The budget also secures the Teachers Retirement System, allocates new spending for school safety and funds the purchase of an additional 200 school buses for use at our state’s public schools.
There are several pieces of legislation that I think all Georgians should be aware of as they will have a substantial impact on their everyday lives. Of the most significant is HB 673, also known as the ‘Distracted Driving Bill’. Under HB 673, a person operating a vehicle would not be permitted to hold a communication device. This means that in addition to not using your hands to read or type out something on your device, you will not be able to hold your phone up to your ear, or use your shoulder, for example, as a way to support your phone to your ear. It will also be illegal to watch or record video while operating a motor vehicle. This legislation has been signed and will take effect on July 1, 2018, so be sure to invest in a hands-free device now to save yourself from getting a ticket and to keep yourself and your fellow Georgians safe!
Another piece of legislation is Senate Bill 330, which implements agriculture education standards in grades six through 12 and establishes elementary agriculture education pilot programs across the state. This is wonderful news for all of our state’s students as agriculture education emphasizes the practical application of science, technology, engineering and math and is essential to our students’ comprehension of the importance of the agriculture industry to the state.
Senate Bill 402, or the “Achieving Connectivity Everywhere” (ACE) Act, lays the groundwork for private companies seeking to expand access to broadband services into rural Georgia. Within the bill is a new community designation, which will be called “Broadband Ready.” In order to achieve this designation awarded by the Department of Community Affairs, local communities must meet a series of requirements and if they do, they will be eligible to receive grants to implement broadband expansion. This is an important bill for many in rural Georgia as it represents the start of internet expansion. I encourage communities in my district to seek this designation and welcome the impact access to broadband will have on economic development and quality of life over the next several years.
I look forward to the implementation of all of these bills and hope that you do too. These new laws will help keep Georgians safe, educated and connected, making Georgia a place everyone wants to call home. Over the next several months, I will continue to update you on new laws around the state, as well as cover some other important topics. If there is anything you would like for me to cover, please contact my office.
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Sen. Larry Walker serves as an Administration Floor Leader. He represents the 20th Senate District, which includes Bleckley, Laurens, Pulaski Counties and most of Houston County. He may be reached at his Atlanta office at 404.656.7454 or by email at larry.walker@senate.ga.gov