Sen. John Albers Introduces Bill to Eliminate TSPLOST Tax Penalty on Local Governments

ATLANTA (January 29, 2013) – Sen. John Albers (R- Roswell) today introduced Senate Bill 73 to reduce the financial burden on local governments who failed to pass the Transportation Special Purpose Local Options Sales Tax (TSPLOST) referendum. If passed, this legislation will effectively remove the TSPLOST “penalty provision,” which requires local governments who rejected the TSPLOST to pay more for transportation grants. Continue reading “Sen. John Albers Introduces Bill to Eliminate TSPLOST Tax Penalty on Local Governments”

Recess and Review: Georgia’s Budget

By: Sen. Jeff Mullis (R – Chickamauga)

This week, the Georgia General Assembly recessed in order to begin a series of joint budget hearings at the state capitol. During this process, members of both the Senate and House Appropriations Committees worked together on a careful line-by-line analysis of our state budget. This is a complicated process and requires a thorough account of every taxpayer dollar. In addition to setting the framework for the FY 2014 budget (the “big budget”), the FY 2013 budget (the “little budget”) must be revised to account for unexpected expenses.

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Hospital Medicaid Financing Program Act Passes Senate

ATLANTA (January 17, 2013) – Senate Bill 24, also known as the Hospital Medicaid Financing Program Act, passed the Georgia State Senate today with a vote of 46 to 9. SB 24 will authorize the Department of Community Health to establish a financial structure to protect Georgia’s healthcare system and obtain additional federal funding for the state’s Medicaid program. The bill was sponsored by Sen. Charlie Bethel (R – Dalton). Continue reading “Hospital Medicaid Financing Program Act Passes Senate”