By: Sen. Larry Walker (R – Perry)
This past week, the Senate experienced one of the longest and most critical days of the legislative session – Crossover Day. In this marathon voting session, the Senate considered over 45 pieces of legislation over the course of roughly eleven hours. The work did not end there, however, as we convened for three additional legislative days this week, concluding with Day 31 on Friday.
On Wednesday, Governor Brian Kemp signed House Bill 910, the amended budget for 2022, into law. This budget prioritizes investments in the areas of public safety, education and healthcare while also returning nearly $1 billion back to Georgia’s taxpayers through refundable tax credits. Additionally, the $30 billion midyear budget also ensures that our teachers and other state employees receive a $5,000 bonus for their critical work in maintaining our state’s most basic functions, even during a global pandemic. Work also continued throughout this week on the general budget for 2023, with Appropriations subcommittee hearings taking place. While work on these budgets is long and arduous, it is necessary to ensure that taxpayer dollars are spent in a fiscally prudent manner.
Later in the week, the Senate passed House Bill 1302, a measure we previously discussed as being incorporated into the budget. HB 1302 provides a one-time tax credit for all eligible taxpayers while filed a return in both 2020 and 2021. Single filers would be eligible for a tax credit of $250, those filing jointly will be eligible for a credit of $500 and those filing as a head of household would be eligible for a $375 credit. Taxable nonresidents who would otherwise qualify for the credit would be prorated based on the ratio of taxable income to Georgia. This is another example of Georgia passing along our economic surplus back to the people of Georgia.
On Thursday, the Senate granted final passage to an urgently needed measure to bring relief to all Georgians. With skyrocketing gas prices from the lack of domestic oil suppliers and because of the ongoing conflict in the Ukraine, Georgians are in desperate need of financial relief just to travel to and from work, school or to receive medical care. In an effort to ease the financial pressure placed on our citizens, the Senate passed House Bill 304, which would suspend the collection on the state excise tax on gasoline until May 31, 2022. While this will not bring down gas prices overnight, it will provide some degree of relief for those impacted by the unacceptably high cost of gasoline.
We only have nine legislative days remaining and, with Crossover Day behind us, we have our work cut out for us over the next few weeks. While we can no longer introduce Senate Bills with the hope they become law this year, there are still countless pieces of legislation awaiting action in both the Senate and the House. If you have any questions or concerns about any of these bills, please do not hesitate to reach out to my office.