education overview lunsford

Under the Gold Dome

State Representative John Lunsford's Weekly Capitol Update

Education Overview of Session

May 5, 2008

 

Since qualifying time is past, and I was fortunate enough not to get an opponent I wanted to start in a series of press releases about what occurred this year in the general assembly by subject matter. Over the next few weeks or months I will update each department of the state as to changes made or improvements. Much of the information will be gleaned from others who either chair the respective committees such as Jan Jones education appropriations, or state agency’s themselves. Many have called this year the session without substance but I think after reading you may view differently. I wanted to let people know we are their staunch advocate and partner in creating a brighter future for their children.  I wanted to let them know what I know – The House of Representatives was relentless throughout the budgeting process in assuring our schools and our children are taken into account.

 

 

We succeeded in creating a budget that meets the educational needs of Georgia’s public school students. Together, we crafted a strong and sound state education budget that will directly benefit our states future. 

           

Even more, we accomplished it in spite of a softening economy; revised revenue projections ($245 million less); and competing needs.  

 

K-12 Education

 

·         Held firm on a 2.5% pay raise for teachers ($160 million).  This pay raise is in addition to 3% salary increases awarded to more than half of teachers through normal progression on the teacher salary schedule. Georgia consistently ranks #1 in highest average teacher salary in the Southeast – and this pay raise will ensure that Georgia maintains this ranking. Also note that according to the John Locke Foundation, Georgia ranks #2 nationally in average teacher salary when adjusted for cost of living, pension contribution and teacher experience.

 

·         Added $50 million for austerity restoration. This funding equates to an additional $31 per student. The General Assembly was able to reduce the remaining austerity reduction from $143 million to $93 million. The remaining austerity represents 1% of the total QBE budget.  Total spending on education exceeded the inflation rate.

 

·         Fully funded the per student funding formula for 1.23% growth of public school students ($200 million).  Note: The per student funding formula (QBE) for new student growth has been and continues to be fully funded (with no austerity reductions).

 

·         Added 2,500 slots in the Georgia Virtual School ($1.8 million).  Students will have 6,500 class slots offered through this state program so they can take 75 Advanced Placement and other courses online that are not offered or not convenient at their local school.  Public and non-public school students are eligible.

 

·         Fully funded growth in Equalization grants.  This grant program serves 134 school systems each year to level out funding for less wealthy systems.  The $110 million was split between the FY09 and Amended FY08 budgets.

 

·         Continued to fund $100 classroom cards for teachers to purchase classroom supplies the week of the sales tax holiday.  Added classroom cards for new teachers and new media centers.  The total cost comes to $11 million.

 

·         Fully funded bonds to pay for school construction and renovation ($300 million).  It was split between the Amended FY08 and FY09 budgets.

 

·         Funded a new Mentor Teacher program to provide $500 stipends for those who mentor new teachers ($200,000).

 

·         Created 11 new math mentor positions to work with schools struggling with math. Schools will be selected to receive services based on low math test scores and achievement ($1.3 million).

 

Pre-K

 

·         Funded a 1% increase for operations for public and private Pre-K providers ($700,000).  This is only the third operational funding increase since Pre-K was created 15 years ago.  Last year’s 2.35% operations increase was the second.  

 

·         Added 1,000 Pre-K slots ($6.4 million). Currently, 56% of all four year olds attend Pre-K, which is funded through the lottery.  Total children attending lottery – 79,000.

 

Lunchroom workers, Bus Drivers and Custodians Retirement

 

·         Increased retirement benefits.  Means a $0.50 higher rate raising it from $14.25 to                                                $14.75 per month per year of service ($2.7 million).

 

NOTE: The attached spreadsheet lists school systems alphabetically.  The figures show the actual funds your school system(s) will receive because of initiatives we placed into the budget.  I encourage you to share this information with your neighbors.

 

System	Earnings	Restoration	(Bonds)
Butts	943,959	100,946
Henry	12,514,169	1,177,563	17,430,347
Newton	14,181,450	552,456	8,490,605
Fayette		700,066
Spalding	7,078,716	317,643
Lamar	728,791	71,219	1,518,723
Rockdale	2,591,698	458,149
Clayton	26,822,320	1,489,941	5,465,428
Fulton		2,459,012	21,522,719
Coweta	3,754,230	631,356

 

 

 

 

.  I am honored to be your Representative. I will keep you informed through weekly updates. 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) 656-7573 or write me at: State Rep. John Lunsford, 401, State Capitol, Atlanta, GA  30334 or e-mail me at    john.lunsford@house.ga.gov

 

 

Final Final wrapup lunsford

Under the Gold Dome

State Representative John Lunsford's Weekly Capitol Update

Final Wrap up of session

April 22, 2008

 

In coffee shops, diners, and community meetings, much has been debated about the 2008 Georgia General Assembly session that concluded two week ago.  Some have criticized, some have ballyhooed, some jumped for joy, while others registered indifference.  The reality is that it was a successful session. The question that always begs to be answered is did we get everything done?  (The answer is no we didn’t)   But we did a lot and here are some highlights.  

 

Let’s start first with the fact that we passed a balanced Fiscal Year 2009 budget and amended the 2008 budget in a time when revenue projections for the state have been downsized.  We returned $50 million in austerity cuts to education and we gave teachers, state employees, and law enforcement officers pay increases.  We also funded eight new or expanded libraries, funded Georgia’s first dental school, and additional new community health centers.  Close to 50 hospitals received increased funding for indigent care and set aside $10 million for land conservation.

 

One of the most important bills passed was Senate Bill 342, a bill designed to help alleviate future water problems by developing and expediting the building of additional water reservoirs. 

 

We protected our children by passing Senate Bill 1, a bill that prohibits sex offenders from photographing minor children without parent or guardian consent.  We also passed a bill, S.B. 474, which would provide greater protection for children from sexual predators using the internet to try and lure our children.  We also cracked down on habitual drunk drivers by making their fourth DUI conviction  a felony with the necessary penalties.

 

We helped protect our 2^nd Amendment rights by allowing Georgians licensed to carry concealed weapons in parks, historic sites, recreation areas, wildlife management areas and prohibiting employers from searching employee vehicles and conditioning employment on regulation of firearms.  This was done through House Bill 89.

 

We passed a major reform of our medical care system by passing S.B. 433.  The Certificate of Need reforms relaxed outdated regulations that limited health care options available to Georgia citizens by increasing access and competition.  The bill also allowed for a new state-of-the-art cancer hospital to open within 25 miles of the Atlanta airport.

 

We continued our  effort of bringing transparency to our state government by passing S.B. 300 creating a free, publicly accessible website providing information on state expenditures.  With our efforts to reform the Department of Transportation, we passed two bills that will make them more accountable to the citizens of Georgia.  The first bill, House Bill 1189, will require the Department of Transportation to report on a Statewide Strategic Transportation Plan.  The second bill, S.B. 417, will require DOT to develop and publish benchmarks to provide a time frame for the completion of transportation projects. 

 

We passed House Bill 948 which continues the popular back-to-school sales tax holiday set for July 31 through August 3 and the energy efficient products sales tax holiday set for October 2-5. 

 

We passed H.B. 1019, ( lunsford)  a bill that allows communities to fund new road construction using the newly created Georgia Transportation Infrastructure Bank.

 

 We created a law in H.B. 1159 9 (lunsford) that will give families a $2,000 tax credit for adopting a child in the Georgia foster care system. We allowed home school or private school children to qualify for the HOPE scholarship as well as military or GED recipients

And many many more issues of local or state wide importance.

 

With these remarkable legislative initiatives passing the General Assembly, with too little fanfare in our media, I think many of us would say that this session was a success.

 

 

In conclusion, it has been my privilege to serve as your state representative carrying your needs and beliefs to our state’s capital.  I am honored to be your public servant. I will keep you informed through weekly updates. 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) 656-7573 or write me at: State Rep. John Lunsford, 401, State Capitol, Atlanta, GA  30334 or e-mail me at    john.lunsford@house.ga.gov

 

 

 

legislative wrapup lunsford

Under the Gold Dome

State Representative John Lunsford's Weekly Capitol Update

 

April 18, 2008

 

The Georgia General Assembly concluded the business of the state at midnight on Friday, April 4.  Day 40 if viewed from afar would resemble chaos, but up close, was a fairly well orchestrated attempt to pass meaningful legislation.  I will be the first to admit, some very good legislation didn’t make it.  The reasons are many but the reality of the General Assembly is consensus.  It takes a majority to pass legislation in the House and in the Senate and sometimes those bodies, filled with independent thinking men and women, fail to reach a consensus.  But often they do.

 

Some of the highlights from the last day of the session included some very important legislation.  Much of the day was filled with agrees and disagrees, the process where we agree to the modifications or amendments that the Senate has placed on the legislation.  There also was legislation that managed to be debated on the last day after going through the required vetting at the committee level.

 

One of the more important bills debated allowed for more construction of Public Water supply reservoirs.  Senate Bill 342 funds up to 20% of the cost of obtaining permits for and constructing improvements to any dam that was originally constructed or financially assisted by the Natural Resource Conservation Service.  The bill also funds up to 40% of the cost of obtaining a permit from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.  The bill passed 111-59.

 

We also passed S.B. 406, a bill that strengthens our penalties for dealing in pirated recorded materials.  The bill increases the penalties for reproducing or distributing recorded materials with the first offense of a minimum fine of $500 and up to $25,000.  The second offense would set a minimum fine of $1,000 and requires a minimum of 48 hours of prison, with the third and subsequent offenses with fines at a minimum of $2,000 up to $250,000 and a prison term of two to five years with at least six days served.  The bill passed 143-9.

 

One bill that passed shows the methodical process of passing meaningful legislation is Senate Bill 433.  This bill basically became the culmination of four years of work on the certificate of need (CON) issues for medical providers.  The bill is a compromise measure agreed to by most of the stakeholders and worked out by the legislators who had authored and carried CON legislation.  S.B. 433 includes the unanimous and majority recommendations of the Commission on the Efficacy of Certificate of Need, in addition to, the allowance for a destination cancer hospital within 25 miles of the Atlanta airport.  The bill passed overwhelmingly by a margin of 138-17.

 

We also passed S.B. 474, a bill that will provide greater protection for children with regard to the use of the internet.  The bill establishes parental controls over internet access to children and enhanced the penalties for failing to report certain information      to the Cyber Tip line at the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.  The bill passed 153-1. 

 

We passed a bill that will allow our outdoorsmen and women by lowering the fee for hunting and fishing license renewal so that Georgia residents receive the same financial benefit as non-residents who purchase temporary licenses.  The bill, S.B. 382 passed 162-1.

Last week the Governor signed into law three very important bills each having been worked on for a number of years (CON certificate of need for medical care), (State transportation infrastructure bank) and  a (state wide reservoir plan) .

 

In the Next few weeks, I will provide a recap of the legislative highlights from this year’s Georgia General Assembly. Including what the Governor signs into law and what he veto’s   I will keep you informed through weekly updates. 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) 656-7573 or write me at: State Rep. John Lunsford, 401, State Capitol, Atlanta, GA  30334 or e-mail me at    john.lunsford@house.ga.gov

 

 

 

lunsford weekly update

Under the Gold Dome

State Representative John Lunsford's Weekly Capitol Update

 

April 4, 2008

 

The end is near for the 2008 Georgia General Assembly session.  By the time many of you read this, the session will be completed and we will have adjourned Sine Die.  In the next few weeks I will provide you with the highlights of the session, but for now, this is what happened in the final week.  Most of the debate these final days is based on the amendments that have been added to some bills as they have gone to the Senate for their approval.  The committee process allows the Senate to make changes to the bills that we have passed and they send them back to us.  We then have a choice to “insist” on our position or to disagree with the Senate position.  We also are working on some high-profile legislation that has taken a while to be properly vetted by the committee process.

 

One of the bills that we hope to pass that will make your state government more transparent is Senate Bill 300.  This bill provides for the creation of a free, publicly accessible website to provide state expenditure information.  The bill passed unanimously.  Another bill that passed unanimously would revise and streamline the ways Georgians may “give the gift of life” by being an organ donor.  S.B. 405 updated and more importantly, harmonized the giving rules with other states to make the laws more “uniform.”

 

We also passed unanimously, S.B. 196, a bill that provides free scholarships to children of our Soldiers, Sailors, Marines, and Airmen who died of combat wounds or were injured suffering a 50% or greater disability.  This was a great way for us to help Georgia citizens who have paid the ultimate sacrifice in the Global War on Terror.

 

One bill we passed is designed to create three student loan programs that will allow students to apply for low interest financial aide programs.  S.B. 169 will have three programs which will allow for a 1% need-based loan that will act as a bridge gap for financial aid the student may receive in that the primary financial aid doesn’t quite cover the costs.  The second program, called Graduate On Time loan, has an interest rate that would be no higher than the prime rate.  If the student graduates with a grade point average of 2.0 or higher and completes school in four years, the loan gets a reduced retroactive rate of 1 percent.  If the student graduates in five years and with a 2.0 GPA or better, they would get a 2 percent rate.  The third program creates a loan for people who want to work in community service, they would receive a 1 percent rate if the spend between 5 and 15 years in public service.  S.B. 169 passed 158-1.

 

S.B. 1 is a bill we passed that would make it unlawful for sexual predators from photographing minors without the consent of the minor’s parents or guardian.  This would apply only to registered sex offenders and the bill passed 133-32. 

 

S.B. 374 amended a number of lien laws. The bill basically updates the state lien laws that are used in building or renovating homes and commercial structures.  The bill passed 160-3.

 

We easily passed legislation urging the state Department of Audits to closely examine the use of state-issued credit cards by continuing to audit certain accounts to ensure that transactions are authorized, legal, and ethical.  The resolution passed 155-2.

I will keep you informed through weekly updates. 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) 656-7573 or write me at: State Rep. John Lunsford, 401, State Capitol, Atlanta, GA  30334 or e-mail me at    john.lunsford@house.ga.gov

 

weekly update lunsford

Under the Gold Dome

State Representative John Lunsford's Weekly Capitol Update

 

March 28, 2008

 

By the end of this Friday, we will have completed 36 days of the 2008 General Assembly session.  The following week we will conclude the session, most likely adjourning sine die on Friday.  This has been a short week as we were in session only two days as a whole house but 3 days were spent in committees  to allow our colleagues in the Senate time to finish their Fiscal Year 2009 budget work.  As directed by the state Constitution, all budget matters must begin in the House of Representatives, so the Senate was waiting on us before they began.

 

One high interest bill we passed is Senate Resolution 845.  The legislation would authorize a regional sales tax to pay for highway improvements in congested areas.  It would create several regions across the state, known as special transportation districts, where local governments could agree to hold a referendum for voters to approve or reject a local one-cent sales tax.  The key to this resolution is voter choice.  In our version, the money collected would be kept entirely by the region for local road projects.  The Senate version would require that 20 percent of the sales tax proceeds go to the state Department of Transportation.  This bill will go to a conference committee to work out the differences.  We approved this bill 136-35.

 

The Fiscal Year 2009 budget has been discussed but I haven’t really outlined some of the highlights of the spending bill.  First, as has been widely reported, revenue estimates for FY 2009 will be down by $245 million.  Our state’s net growth is expected to be $635 million or 4.26%.

 

The biggest news in education was that we restored $90 million to the “austerity cuts” that were in the Governor’s budget.  We also restored $1.3 million to Math Mentors – the Superintendent’s #1 priority based on the overwhelming success of the Science Mentor program that the House of Representatives created to raise test scores.  We also have added $305 million across the two budgets to fund K-12 school construction and equipment needs.  We added $114 million in additional funds to fully fund the Regents formula for our colleges while creating a $60 million bond to start the construction of a new dental school – the only one in the state – to ensure an adequate supply of dentists trained in state-of-the-art procedures.

 

With trauma care being one of the most important topics here at the capitol, our budget contains $5.5 million for equipment and $53,402,769 for distribution to aid existing trauma hospitals.  Also on the health care front, over $80 million was added as provider increases for hospital, home health personal support, maternity, well-child care, ambulance, pharmacists, nursing homes, therapeutic resident care and dental services.  This is for the 1.6 million Georgians receiving Medicaid and PeachCare services.  We put in $2 million for four new Community Health Centers, which provide primary care access in underserved areas of the state.  These centers are the best deal in health care, as the state provides $250,000 to start-up in federally designated areas with significant access issues and then fully funds the on-going operations; this is for four start-ups and four existing centers adding mental health services. 

 

 

We provided just over $1 million for the Meals on Wheels program.  Funds are needed to replace federally withdrawn funds (Paper Plate Initiative) from the Nutrition Services Incentive Program.  Meals are served in-home and congregate places such as senior centers.  This will provide over 200,000 meals to at-risk seniors and disabled persons.  In the realm of public safety, we added $20 million to continue the House’s initiatives last year to retain and recruit public safety officers, as well as prevent the compression of salaries in between pay grades.  This annualizes last year’s increases for law enforcement officers in Public Safety.

As always in the general assembly the bulk of the large legislation will seek final passage in the last week as most complicated issues are being worked out.

 

I will keep you informed through weekly updates. 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) 656-7573 or write me at: State Rep. John Lunsford, 401, State Capitol, Atlanta, GA  30334 or e-mail me at    john.lunsford@house.ga.gov

 

 

 

 

lunsford weekly update

Under the Gold Dome

State Representative John Lunsford's Weekly Capitol Update

March 21, 2008

We have completed 34 of the no more than forty days of the 2008 Georgia General Assembly.  As allowed by the state’s constitution, the only item we must complete is enacting a balanced budget for the operations of the state.  We completed that this week and now the Senate will consider it.  (Just a quick civics lesson, all tax and budget legislation must begin in the House of Representatives.) 

 

The budget is a $21.2 billion budget for the new 2009 fiscal year beginning July 1.  It includes 2.5 percent pay raises for state teachers and employees, $50 million for reservoirs and related water management projects aimed at Georgia’s future water needs, and $90 million in school formula funding replacing the austerity cuts.  We also included $10 million for land conservation.  The FY 2009 budget passed 166-1.

 

We also passed the FY 2008 Supplemental Appropriations bill by a margin of 167-2.  This is the bill that redirects funding mainly to education and Medicaid shortfalls that are mandated by the federal government.  This is the Conference report and we have transmitted the bill for the Governor to sign or veto.  He has six days to decide.

 

In other legislative action this past week, we passed Senate Bill 350, a bill that further strengthens our laws regarding driving on a suspended license.  The bill adds to the requirements for people arrested for driving with a revoked or suspended license that they will be fingerprinted and a fourth conviction within five years will result in a felony with imprisonment up to five years and a fine up to $5,000 or both.  That bill passed 99-68.  We also passed legislation that will allow District Attorneys to request the death penalty if jurors are in favor by a margin of 10-2.  Current law requires a unanimous verdict for the death penalty to be implemented.  That bill, S.B. 145 passed 112-55.

 

We passed S.B. 359, a bill that would require the Georgia Department of Economic Development to create and implement a “Made in Georgia” program to promote products made in our state.  That bill passed 161-1.  We also passed S.B. 444 a bill that will allow the Department of Transportation to dispose of surplus property.  As part of the streamlining process being adopted by the DOT, S.B. 444 will allow the DOT to sell excess property not needed for public roads to the highest sealed bidder.  The bill passed 164-0. 

 

We passed a fairly comprehensive bill that determines how the Georgia Bureau of Investigation can use DNA samples for evidence and how that information obtained from evidence is exchanged.  The bill, S.B.430 passed 130-40.  Another bill dealing with the GBI would allow them to investigate identity fraud cases and grant them subpoena powers.  This bill, S.B. 388, passed unanimously.

 

As the 2008 General Assembly session winds down, the schedule for the last six days of the session will be somewhat hectic.  As usual, the most difficult issues are undergoing negotiations to determine what members of the House and Senate, as well as, the Governor can agree upon.  This includes the 2009 budget, tax reform, Certificate of Need issues dealing with the medical community, and a host of other important legislative initiatives.

 

I will keep you informed through weekly updates. 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) 656-7573 or write me at: State Rep. John Lunsford, 401, State Capitol, Atlanta, GA  30334 or e-mail me at    john.lunsford@house.ga.gov

 

 

 

WEEKLY UPDATE LUNSFORD

Under the Gold Dome

State Representative John Lunsford's Weekly Capitol Update

March 15, 2008

Your Georgia General Assembly is moving into the final quarter of the 2008 Assembly session as we have completed 31 days of the no-more-than 40 legislative day session.  The final quarter is when the tough legislation is worked out and debated.  In addition, the budgetary issues really storm to the front as the Appropriations Committee members move to submit a balanced budget that fulfills needs of federally mandated programs like education and Medicaid, as well as, universities, roads and other needed projects and programs.

 

The highlight of the week is that House members were able to reach a tenable compromise and voted to pass out a tax relief package that was defeated last week.  House Resolution 1246, which failed to pass last week, was overwhelmingly adopted this week after some modifications were made to the legislation that would allow voters to determine whether they wanted the tax relief, in the form of a constitutional amendment. 

 

The latest version of the tax relief proposal eliminates the ad valorem taxes on auto license tags, the .25 mills in property tax charged by the state on property owners (a total annual savings of $94 million), and a freeze on property tax assessments.  Because this bill is a constitutional amendment, 120 votes were needed to pass the resolution and this time it passed 166-5 and now heads to the Senate for consideration.

 

As part of the removal of the auto property tax or what we call the “birthday tax”, we implemented House Bill 1158 which places a $10 trauma charge on motor vehicle tags in the state of Georgia.  The reason we call it the “birthday tax” is that your tag renewal is tied to your birthday.  The ten dollar tag charge would be used exclusively to help fund our state’s trauma care network.  Trauma care is the hospital you need when there is an accident.  Currently this state has only 4 level one trauma care units with those being in Atlanta, Savannah, Macon, and Augusta.  Enhanced trauma care is desperately needed in all regions of the state.  There are two points I want to make about this.  First, trauma funding is essential for saving lives.  Second, most of us would gladly pay $10 dollars additional on our car tag, and NOT pay hundreds of dollars for the car tax.  This legislation, House Bill 1158, passed 164-7.

 

In an effort to enhance charitable giving to private schools, we passed House Bill 1133, a bill that provides an income tax credit to taxpayers who make contributions to  ‘student scholarship organizations” that provide 90 percent of their funding in the form of scholarships.  As with most tax credits there are additional rules.  This legislation passed 92-73.

 

In an effort to strengthen our regional areas of the state, we easily passed HB 1216 that essentially changes our regional development centers or RDCs into regional commissions.  The purpose of these commissions is to develop, promote, and assist in establishing coordinated and comprehensive land use, environmental, transportation and historic preservation planning in the state.  In addition, these regional commissions would assist local governments in planning.  Twelve regional commissions would be created.  The bill passed 134-34.

 

In an effort to separate and codify theft, we have created a new offense called “organized retail theft.”  Organized retail theft is committed when 2 or more people are involved in retail property theft in large quantities over a 180-day period with the intent to resell the stolen items.  HB 1346 passed unanimously. There were many other pieces of legislation this week such as tax credits, mail order wine, and tree farming by products legislation. We will convene again on Tuesday as a committee of the whole house but until then most committees are meeting daily trying to finish up the session.  

 

 I will keep you informed through weekly updates. 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) 656-7573 or write me at: State Rep. John Lunsford, 401, State Capitol, Atlanta, GA  30334 or e-mail me at    john.lunsford@house.ga.gov