Legislative week four has come and gone, and the Senate has been hearing and voting on several bills. Committees are constantly meeting to ensure that the legislation that is vetted and passed will positively affect all Georgia citizens.

This past week, a number of bills were passed unanimously. The first bill to be heard on the floor was Senate Bill 101. This legislation would allow individuals who participate in the Georgia Defined Contribution Plan to buy into the Employee’s Retirement System (ERS) of Georgia. On the same day, SB 129 was also unanimously passed, which would allow former military service members to receive retirement credit from the ERS. As Secretary of the Retirement Committee, I was pleased to see that both of these bills were supported unanimously on the Senate floor. I sincerely think that our veterans are some of our state’s greatest heroes and the passage of SB 129 in the Senate reaffirms our state’s stance as a veteran-friendly place to live, work and retire.

On Tuesday, SBs 131 and 321 were presented and voted on, both of which passed unanimously. A couple weeks ago, the Senate passed the adoption bill. SB 131 also deals with adoption but allows for the stay of an adoption while an order of termination of parental rights is still pending. The other bill that passed that day, SB 321, increases the civil penalty imposed if a person commits Medicaid fraud by 10 percent, allowing the state of Georgia to recover the maximum penalty under Federal law. The money collected would stay in the state of Georgia, helping us to fund things like rural healthcare.

On Wednesday, the Senate heard Senate Resolution 502 which urges the United States Congress to further develop policies and funding methods for bring high-speed broadband access to rural areas across the United States. Although Georgia has metropolitan areas, most specifically Atlanta, many other parts of Georgia are rural and have limited or zero high-speed broadband access. In order for Georgia to continue being the number one state in which to do business, high-speed broadband access needs to be available in all areas of the state, not just our metropolitan regions.

I am honored to serve Senate District 43 here at the state Capitol. We are quickly closing in on the halfway point. If there is anything that I can ever do for you, please let me know. Please do not hesitate to visit my office if you ever find yourself near the Capitol!

Senator Tonya Anderson represents the 43rd Senate District, which includes portions of DeKalb, Rockdale and Newton counties. She may be reached by email at tonya.anderson@senate.ga.gov.