ATLANTA (July 17, 2019) | Sen. Emanuel Jones (D – Decatur) was recently appointed to the Senate Study Committee on the Financial Efficiency Star Rating by Lt. Governor Geoff Duncan.
“The Financial Efficiency Star Rating system is an important measurement of how school districts allocate their funds on a per-student basis and how that relates to academic performance,” said Sen. Jones. “However, the potential for disparities exist, especially when comparing schools with varying sizes. I look forward to working with other members of this study committee to find potential solutions to addressing this oversight. I want to thank Lt. Governor Duncan for appointing me to serve on this committee and I am eager to get to work.”
The Senate Study Committee on the Financial Efficiency Star Rating was created through the passage of Senate Resolution 452, sponsored by Sen. Jones, during the 2019 Legislative Session. The committee is composed of five members of the Senate and will study the state’s Financial Efficiency Star Rating process and suggest any potential changes. The committee is required to submit their findings by December 1, 2019.
After the
Fourth of July, many people across our state are left with some unused
fireworks. It’s pretty common to hear fireworks in the weeks after, to see
children playing with sparklers during the summer months, and – in some areas –
hear them many times throughout the year. The Fourth is a time of fun and
celebration, a reminder of our freedom, but the weeks after beg the question,
“how free am I to shoot a firework whenever I like?” This column is dedicated
to answering that question and ensuring we’re all up-to-date on our firework
usage knowledge.
First and
foremost, you should never light fireworks under the influence of drugs or
alcohol as it is a misdemeanor offense. Additionally, it is illegal to shoot
fireworks within 100 yards of a hospital, nursing home, prison, nuclear power
plant, gas station, oil refinery or state park during any time of the year.
According to
state law, the usage of fireworks is allowed from 10 a.m. until 11:59 p.m. on
any day, as long as no local noise ordinances make the noise produced by
fireworks illegal. Last year, we passed a bill that allows the use of
fireworks, regardless of any local noise ordinance on the following days: the
last Saturday and Sunday in May, Labor Day, July 3rd and 4th,
December 31st and January 1st from 10 a.m. until 11:59
p.m. This legislation also allows the use of fireworks on January 1st
from 12:00 a.m. until 1 a.m. Your local government noise ordinances will
determine what is allowed on any days other than the aforementioned. These
ordinances do not specifically ban the use of fireworks, but rather, the noise
they create. If a local government is proposing a change to the local noise
ordinance, a meeting notice addressing this proposal must be posted for 72
hours on the city or county website and at least 15 days in advance of the
meeting. This should give you plenty of time to voice your opinion on the noise
ordinance, should this issue arise.
Of all the
parameters we’ve discussed above, there is one I want to highlight, and that is
the aspect of local control. In general, I believe the fewer mandates from Atlanta, the better. Something I feel is very important to the
“small government” ideology that I follow is the use of local ordinances to
allow the local governments to best tailor their laws and regulations for their
citizens. Your local elected officials know best the environment and community
you have, and their judgement is what we defer to in this case and several
others. For example, densely populated cities in and around Atlanta have vastly different noise
ordinances than places in more rural parts of the state. There’s good reason
for that as their local elected officials know that the noise fireworks produce
would affect entire neighborhoods of people. Local control works, it’s a
principal myself and my colleagues defer to often and one that has proved
effective in a state with many different types of lifestyles and regional
needs.
If you have
any further questions on fireworks, or when and where you can shoot them,
please do not hesitate to reach out. If you’re looking for your local noise
ordinances, you can contact your local county or city government and ask for
local noise ordinances. They should be able to get you any information you
need. Thank you again for the opportunity to serve you!
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Sen.
Larry Walker serves as Caucus Vice Chairman for the Majority Party. 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
