Senate Passes Bill Revising Public School Employee Retirement System

ATLANTA (Feb. 1, 2024) – On Wednesday, Sen. Larry Walker III (R–Perry) celebrated the Senate’s passage of Senate Bill 105, which would revise the minimum and maximum allowable benefit multiplier for current and future retirees in the Public-School Employees Retirement System.

With its passage, current and future Public-School retirees will see the minimum monthly retirement payment increase to $17 — multiplied by the “member’s years of credible service.” This increase represents a jump of more than $2 per year worked as Public-School Employees before retirement, contributing a significant take-home financial increase for Georgia Public-School Employees that are currently receiving retirement benefits and those that will in the future.

“Taking charge of the retirement benefits of our Public-School Employees to make sure that those individuals can contribute and save for their futures is a key priority, and having this bill pass is a positive step,” said Sen. Walker. “Georgia school bus drivers, cafeteria workers, custodians and maintenance workers have by and large been left behind compared to everything we’ve done for teachers. I am looking forward to seeing the progression of this bill through the remainder of the legislative process and these much-needed changes made for the benefit of one of the most deserving sectors of our state.”

SB 105 passed by a vote of 49 to 1, following its favorable report from the Senate Committee on Retirement.

Read the full text of the legislation here.

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Sen. Larry Walker serves as Secretary of the Senate Majority Caucus. He also serves as Chairman of the Senate Committee on Insurance and Labor. He represents Senate District 20 which includes all of Bleckley, Dodge, Dooly, Laurens, Pulaski, Treutlen, and Wilcox Counties and a large portion of Houston County. He can be reached at larry.walker@senate.ga.gov.

Sen. Jason Anavitarte Introduces Legislation to Ban Foreign Adversaries from Possessing Georgia Land

ATLANTA (Feb. 1, 2024) – This week, Sen. Jason Anavitarte (R–Dallas) introduced Senate Bill 420, which would prohibit foreign adversaries from acquiring through purchase, lease or “any possessory interest” agricultural land or land within 25 miles of a military installation.

The bill was presented, read on the Senate floor, and will now proceed to the Regulated Industries and Utilities Committee.

“Georgia’s military installations are currently vulnerable to foreign adversaries, a crisis that could be exacerbated by a single bad actor at any moment,” said Sen. Anavitarte.  “This Bill, its regulations and penalties aims to prevent that scenario by limiting the exposure experienced by Georgia’s agricultural land and these military installations. Alongside the other 33 sponsors of this Bill, I am pleased to see it make progress toward becoming a law.”

SB 420 includes language and regulations regarding currently held interests, residential properties, and the current economic importance of agricultural product testing sites.

Read the full text of the legislation here.

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Sen. Jason Anavitarte serves as Chair of the Senate Majority Caucus. He represents Senate District 31 which includes Paulding and Polk Counties. He can be reached at 404.656.9221 or at Jason.anavitarte@senate.ga.gov.

House Majority Leader Chuck Efstration and Senator Clint Dixon Applaud Senate Passage of Mulberry Cityhood Bill

ATLANTA – House Majority Leader Chuck Efstration (R-Auburn) and Senator Clint Dixon (R-Gwinnett) applauded today’s passage by the Senate of SB 333, legislation to create the City of Mulberry in northeastern Gwinnett County. If passed in the House and signed by the Governor, SB 333 would place the question of cityhood on the spring primary ballot for residents in the proposed city.

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Senate Passes Legislation to Regulate Sports Betting

ATLANTA (Feb. 1, 2024) Today, the Georgia Senate passed Senate Bill 386 to regulate and tax sports betting under the oversight of the Georgia Lottery Commission. The measure, sponsored by Sen. Clint Dixon (R – Gwinnett), will allocate the proceeds to student financial aid programs, including the HOPE college scholarship and Georgia Pre-K programs.

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Senators Watson and Mallow Express Condolences for Fallen Soldiers in Jordan

ATLANTA (Jan. 31, 2024) – Today, Sen. Ben Watson (R-Savannah) and Sen. Derek Mallow (D-Savannah) join the nation in mourning the tragic loss of three army reservists in Jordan. Among them was Specialist Breonna Alexsondria Moffett, a selfless Georgian from Savannah, who succumbed to injuries in an unmanned drone attack on their housing units.

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