Under the Gold Dome
State Representative John Lunsford's Weekly Capitol Update
Second Week of the session
February 5, 2010
Following a full week of session, the legislature adjourned on Friday for our thirteenth legislative day. The session is quickly picking up and we are anticipating many more important discussions regarding the House version of the budget as we continue to work through this difficult budget year. The amended 2010 budget will be ready within the next two weeks and then we can center our attention on balancing the 2011 "big" budget. Many bills passed by the House of Representatives this week centered on education which is a main focus for legislators.
Legislation was passed out of the House this week related to education. The members of the House passed several pieces of legislation this week to amend the Quality Basic Education Act. This change involve the organization of middle schools and removes the current legislation which states, if a school housed one of the middle school grades in another building, they would lose funding. The House passed House Bill 907 to revise and correct this problem. Also passed was House Bill 923, another revision of the Quality Basic Education Act. This bill extends the time period for those teachers currently in a leadership program, although they have not yet completed the program, to be able to receive and become eligible for earnings under this Act. Another change we passed, House Bill 905, involves extending the original sunset provision within the Act for Capital outlay projects for school systems. The legislators chose to make these changes in part due to the stress many of our local school systems are experiencing with their budgets and this will allow them more time and flexibility. In an effort to save money, the House passed House Bill 910, to allow the Department of Education to send the participation rate by gender for sporting activities in electronic format to the members of the General Assembly, thus saving on printing expenses.
In an effort to protect our children and our animals against the effects of consuming antifreeze, we passed House Bill 219 by a vote of 142 to 25. One of the concerns that was brought to our attention is that because of the sweet taste of antifreeze, it could potentially be mistaken for something else by small children. It is common for animals to consume antifreeze because of the sweet smell and taste, also. By requiring that manufacturers, packagers, distributors, recyclers, or sellers add a substance called denatonium benzoate to antifreeze; this will make the substance taste bitter and will hopefully prevent people and animals from consuming it by alarming them by taste. It is our hope that this precaution will save lives.
Legislation was also passed this week that regarding retirement. To clarify existing legislation, the House passed House Bill 916. This legislation requires that state employees who have not reached the normal retirement age on the date of their retirement are required to wait two consecutive months before returning to work. The House unanimously passed House Bill 54 which will allows the members of the Georgia Judicial Retirement System to receive spouses benefits although the member had previously rejected it. By doing this it allows an individual to reapply for the benefits by contacting the Board of Trustees and paying a specified amount. The restriction is that the member must have had at least 10 years of membership. Your opinions and concerns are important to me and I consider it an honor to serve you at the state capitol and in our district. If you would like to reach me, please call me at (404) 656-0213 or write me at: State Rep. John Lunsford, 508 Clob, State Capitol, Atlanta, GA 30334 or e-mail me at john.lunsford@house.ga.gov
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