Loading...Georgia Chamber of Commerce Legislative Update: March 1
The General Assembly remains in recess until Monday, March 8th. For a list of bills being tracked by the Georgia Chamber of Commerce this year, contact information for elected officials, or to learn about the Chamber's policy positions in key issue areas visit www.gachamber.com.
Budget
The House and Senate Appropriations Committees met jointly throughout last week, hearing from various state agencies and departments to discuss both additional budget cuts and potential new sources of revenue. This work will continue during the coming week and likely through the end of this year's session.
Education
The House of Representatives is expected to vote on Senate Bill 84 when they reconvene next week. This bill, based on the recommendations made by the Commission for School Board Excellence, would ensure that school systems throughout the state benefit from the leadership of high-quality school boards through improved training and clarified roles and responsibilities. Georgia is one of only two states to see a school system at risk for losing its accreditation in recent decades and the Georgia Chamber wants to ensure that this does not happen again.
Transportation
The House Transportation Committee will meet this week to discuss both Governor Perdue's transportation funding proposal and that of Democratic leaders. While both bills rely on regional SPLOSTs to fund local projects, they differ in key ways, including how regions are defined and how projects move forward. The Georgia Chamber continues to work with leadership at all levels on this critical economic development issue.
Water
The House Natural Resources Committee is expected to vote this week on the Governor’s Water Stewardship Act of 2010. This Georgia Chamber continues to work with legislators to make sure this bill will help address Georgia’s water needs without interfering with the ongoing tri-state water negotiations.
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