2024 Legislative Update: Week 5
The Georgia General Assembly House Of Representatives returned to the State Capitol on Tuesday, February 6 for a busy fifth week of the 2024 legislative session. The House assembled for four days, and our days are certainly getting longer and busier as we move further along in the session. This week, we successfully gave passage to several bills and also continued our committee work each day. Some highlights of the week include the passage of the House’s version of the Amended Fiscal Year 2024 budget (AFY 2024), among other bills, as well as the convening of a joint legislative session for the annual State of the Judiciary address.
The Amended Fiscal Year 2024 budget, or House Bill 915, is set at a revenue estimate of approximately $37.5 billion. Governor Kemp’s estimate for the amended budget includes $2 billion in surplus funds, bringing the total to $5 billion, and marking a 15.6 percent increase from the original estimate. The Amended FY 2024 budget provides substantial investments in technology, capital improvements, safety and security initiatives, economic development projects and human capital enhancements.?
In addition to voting on the amended budget this week, the House also gave unanimous passage to a legislative package aimed at providing Georgians and their families with much-needed tax relief. On Thursday, the House took up House Bills 1015, 1019 and 1021. First, HB 1015 would lower the individual income tax rate effective on January 1, 2024, from 5.49 percent to 5.39 percent, which would return another $1 billion to Georgia taxpayers. Next, HB 1019 would increase the statewide homestead exemption from $2,000 to $4,000, provided the owner resides in the home as their primary residence. Lastly, HB 1021 would increase the child tax deduction from $3,000 to $4,000. With rising childcare costs, this legislation would allow for an extra $1,000 deduction per child, which could help alleviate some of those costs for parents. Each of these measures would help foster Georgia’s economic success story by returning more dollars back into the pockets of our taxpayers.
Aside from passing legislation this week, we held a joint session of the House and Senate on Wednesday Chief Justice Michael P. Boggs delivered the annual State of the Judiciary Address to the members of the General Assembly. Chief Justice Boggs provided a comprehensive update on the state of Georgia’s judicial system, highlighting its continued strength in recent years. He reported a decline in pending serious violent felony cases alongside a notable increase in overall jury trials, indicating positive trends within the judiciary.
Chief Justice Boggs underscored the pressing challenges faced by the judiciary, including shortages in court reporters, prosecutors, public defenders, court staff and sheriffs’ deputies. He drew our attention to the concerning rise in threats against judges nationwide. Chief Justice Boggs applauded the efforts of Georgia’s law enforcement officers and highlighted a joint letter from the Conference of Chief Justices and the Conference of State Court Administrators urging federal lawmakers to enhance judicial safety measures. Chief Justice Boggs also proposed legislation, modeled after similar laws in 31 other states, aimed at safeguarding the personal information of judges to ensure their safety and security. He encouraged the House to work to expand that legislation to cover other elected officials as well.?
Lastly, Chief Justice Boggs stressed the importance of locally based lawyers in rural communities to provide essential civil legal services, particularly to survivors of domestic violence. Efforts are underway within both the AFY 2024 and FY 2025 budgets and within the Supreme Court to address the shortage of lawyers in rural areas. In conclusion, Chief Justice Boggs expressed gratitude to the General Assembly for their dedicated service to the people of Georgia and remarked that the state of our judiciary is strong overall.
The Georgia House of Representatives will resume its legislative work on Monday, February 12 to begin our sixth week of session. The pace under the Gold Dome is surely picking up as we approach the looming “Crossover Day” deadline. Crossover Day is the last day that a bill can pass out of its chamber of origin and still be eligible for consideration this session.
The Georgia House of Representatives will resume its legislative work on Monday, February 12 to begin our sixth week of session. The pace under the Gold Dome is surely picking up as we approach the looming “Crossover Day” deadline. Crossover Day is the last day that a bill can pass out of its chamber of origin and still be eligible for consideration this session. You can reach my Capitol office at 404-656-0525 and via email at [email protected].??
As always, thank you for allowing me to serve as your representative.
Stan