ATLANTA - Last Thursday, March 29, the General Assembly adjourned Sine Die.
Our last legislative week was a true marathon of debating, vetting and passing legislation, as the Senate took up 63 pieces of legislation over days 39 and 40. While I would love to tell you about every single piece of legislation taken up this past week, I’ll touch on a few highlights:
House Bill 332 creates the Georgia Outdoor Stewardship Trust Fund, which goes towards the protection and conservation of land. Under the legislation, up to half of the sales and use taxes collected by outdoor recreation establishments and sporting goods stores would be dedicated to the trust fund. The money collected from the taxes would fund individual grants to cities, counties, departments and agencies to work towards supporting the preservation of state and local parks across the state. This is a great measure to help promote the outdoors, our state public lands and the importance of being good stewards of our environment.
House Bill 635 establishes the Adult Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation Multidisciplinary Team who work with local jurisdictions to address suspected cases of abuse, neglect or exploitation of the elderly or disabled. Abuse of minors and other forms of violence are usually what dominates the news, but elder abuse is just as much of a problem and this team will help to work through the case load.
House Bill 699 eases firefighter certification by enabling the use of proof of military firefighter service to bypass required basic training. This just eliminates military firefighters from having to go through training they already have.
House Bill 703 creates the Office of Public Safety Officer Support to oversee “peer counselors” who have experience as a public safety officer and training to provide counseling for trauma or post-traumatic stress disorder incurred in relation to their service in the line of duty. This would increase the much needed support network for those coping with PTSD.
House Bill 749 exempts retirement income that is received by a family member as a result of the death of a veteran from taxable income.
House Bill 803 prohibits the trafficking of disabled adults, elders and residents, and sentences a person participating in this form of trafficking could serve one to 20 years in prison, pay a fine of up to a $100,000 or both. This protects our state’s vulnerable populations by increasing the punishment for those convicted of these crimes.
House Bill 834 allows for the termination of rental agreements in cases of family violence. The legislation also clarifies that hearings should be held no more than 30 days after filing a petition and gives courts the authority to delay dismissal of a petition for an additional 30 days. HB 834 also requires landlords to create and maintain a comprehensive list of damages to premises under his or her supervision and outlines the process of returning security deposits to a tenant. This bill does several things, however the most important are the protections now in place for those who are abused. This allows them to leave a lease early, get away from their abuser and move on with their life in a safe home.
Senate Resolution 1058, which I carried, urges the U.S. Congress to establish a resolution to restore data sharing between the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and TRICARE. This data sharing resolution would ensure that the nearly 1.75 million veterans have Medicaid coverage in addition to their TRICARE benefits.
House Bill 840 allows military members who serve in combat zones to not be penalized for failing to pay business occupation taxes. In addition, they would be allowed to pay the taxes within 60 days of their return. I am so pleased that we have taken the time to keep the best interests of our military members – our true heroes – at the forefront of our actions.
House Bill 978 allows cars that are traveling on the other side of a divided highway to continue driving when a school bus is stopped and allow for automated traffic enforcement devices to be used in school zones during certain hours. The legislation also reduces the civil offense for passing a stopped school bus to $250 and would give the Department of Revenue the authority to not renew and hold the title of drivers who refuse to pay fines.
Although the legislative session has come to an end, I am always open to hear any questions, comments or concerns you may have. In fact, I would love to hear if you have any ideas for legislation to continue improving the quality of life for all here in Georgia. The summer and fall months will be filled with study committee meetings and research so that we can be prepared to work hard during the 2019 legislative session.
Thank you for allowing me to serve on your behalf here at the state Capitol!
Tonya Anderson, a Democrat from Lithonia, represents portions of DeKalb, Newton and Rockdale counties in the state Senate. Her email address is tonya.anderson@senate.ga.gov.
