by J. Collins

On Monday, January 11, 2021, the first session of the 156th Georgia General Assembly officially began. While every session brings with it new faces, new chairmen and new legislative priorities, we had a few additional changes that made House proceedings look a little different this year. Specifically, Georgia, and the world as a whole, is continuing to grapple with the COVID-19 pandemic.

In order to mitigate potential risks associated with the virus around our legislative session, General Assembly members and staff are being tested at the Capitol twice a week and a robust contact tracing program has been imple­mented when positive cases arise. Additionally, our committee rooms have been socially distanced and members are required to wear masks while in the House Chamber or during committee hearings. Even with these new precautions in place, the House will not be deterred in carrying out the people’s work.

On Thursday, Gov. Brian Kemp delivered his annual State of the State Address. His message was one of resilience and strength, even in the face of adversity. While the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted economic activity across the state, we are on track to bounce back and rebound stronger than ever.

Specifically, no new budget cuts will be necessary and Gov. Kemp has called for more than $647 million in the Amended Fiscal Year 2021 budget for K-12 education, which will fully fund en­rollment growth. Gov. Kemp also elaborated on his plans for increased broadband internet access, an enhanced freight transportation network and expanding access to medical care. These proposals, and more, will be analyzed in more detail next week when joint meetings of the Senate and House Appropriations Committees will convene to hear from the heads of Georgia’s departments and state agencies to determine their current budgetary needs, as well as what their projected finances will be in the next fiscal year. These hearings will provide us with the data we need in order to craft our AFY21 and FY22 budgets before we adjourn Sine Die. I look forward to providing you with updates on the budget in the coming weeks.

As we head into the rest of the session, please know that you can contact me with any questions or concerns that you may have. We are gearing up to tackle a wide variety of legislative proposals and would love to have your input as these bills begin to make their way through the legislative process.