By: Sen. Larry Walker (R – Perry)
Long committee meetings and long days in chamber are staples of the end of session, and last week was no exception. We heard a total of 56 pieces of legislation on the floor this week, and next week we will adjourn Sine Die on Thursday, March 29.
On Monday of last week, I carried House Bill 792 which would extend the sunset on solid waste disposal fees and would allow local governments to increase the solid waste disposal surcharge. There are several solid waste disposal facilities in and around district 20 and this is a good measure to ensure that our state and community do not become a dumping ground for waste from other states.
Our state, and particularly middle Georgia, have huge timber operations that bring in billions in revenue. The forestry industry is a vital part of the economy of rural Georgia and is important to the construction of more urban areas. We passed two measures this week that directly address regulations placed on this industry. House Bill 876 would prohibit local governments from restricting the use of wood as a construction material as long as the minimum state and federal building codes and Georgia State Fire Code have been met. Some cities in the metro Atlanta area have put restrictions on the use of wood in building apartments, which has an adverse and unjust effect on our state’s timber producers. This legislation helps to combat that by requiring local governments to abide by state and federal standards and allow the use of wood if the contractor so chooses.
Another bill that will positively impact the agriculture industry is Senate Resolution 989, which encourages the federal government to withdraw regulations currently in place through electronic logging devices. These devices hurt the agriculture industry and removing these regulations will allow for a more efficient process of moving produce, livestock and other ag products.
There were two pieces of legislation that would directly benefit those in our military community. House Bill 700 would open up educational opportunities for those in the National Guard by adding graduate level classes to those covered by service cancelable educational loans. House Bill 718 would grant a maximum of five excused school day absences per year for military events for children whose parents or legal guardians serve in the United States Military or National Guard. These are great measures that will allow military members to expand their education and allow families who might not get to see each other that often to be able to spend a little more time together.
One of the bills I have most looked forward to carrying is House Bill 843 which would expand ‘less developed’ areas eligible for certain tax credits to include census tracts in counties containing a federal military installation of at least 5,000 personnel and a government-operated industrial park. This is great news for our district as less developed areas around Robins Air Force Base and county and city industrial lands would be eligible for tax credits, increasing the incentives for economic development.
The final bill I carried last week was House Bill 782. It would remove certain regulations placed on prescribers who access the prescription drug monitoring program (PDMP) database. This bill would allow two prescribers per shift to access the PDMP without the license and registration requirements currently in place. This makes the PDMP database more accessible, in turn helping to curve the opioid epidemic in Georgia. The bill also creates the Commission on Substance Abuse and Recovery and an Executive Director of Substance Abuse, Addiction and Related Disorders and prohibits patient brokering.
One of the most important pieces of legislation to come before the Senate this week was House Bill 684, which is the General Fiscal Year 2019 budget. This year’s estimated state budget is $26 billion, the biggest in state history, and funding areas including education, criminal justice, public health, cybersecurity and transportation. The bill was assigned to a conference committee to work out any disagreements between the Senate and House.
Thank you again for the opportunity to serve you. If I can ever be of service to you, please do not hesitate to let me know.
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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 404.656.0081 or by email at larry.walker@senate.ga.gov.