BILL YEARTA: House turns its attention to Senate bills

Following “Crossover Day,” the Georgia General Assembly’s attention has now turned to the many Senate Bills before our House body. In addition to vetting Senate bills, we are also working with our colleagues to ensure our House bills make it to the Senate floor for passage prior to day 40.

Week nine was eventful as we completed our constitutional obligation of passing a balance budget through House Bill 916, also known as the 2025 Fiscal Year Budget. The budget will go into effect on July 1 of this year, the beginning of Georgia’s fiscal year. Nothing, budgetwise, will be set in stone until receiving the governor’s final signature. Budget highlights include:

Education:

· $14.1 billion to fully fund Quality Basic Education;

· $373.6 million to increase the state base salary schedule by $2,500;

· $8.5 million for a $1,000 salary supplement for school custodians;

· $6.3 million appropriated for reading instruction grants;

· $104 million allotted for the new School Security Grants program under the Department of Education;

· $358.5 million in additional funding for student transportation;

· $9.5 million in lottery funds for the reduction of Pre-Kindergarten class sizes from 22 to 20 students;

· $1.5 million for the establishment of the David Ralston Center for Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities aimed toward addressing work force needs and gaps in serving individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities;

· $15 million for the state’s Dual Enrollment program, reflecting its growth and importance in providing high school students with access to college-level coursework.

Health care:

· $2 million toward rural hospital stabilization grants to support health care access in rural communities;

· $500,000 for infant mortality research at Morehouse School of Medicine’s Center for Maternal Health Equity and $978,639 for expanded newborn screenings;

· $1 million for supplemental illness-specific insurance for first responders suffering from PTSD.

Medicaid Allocations:

· $7.5 million for speech therapists, audiologists, physical therapists and occupational therapists; $8.4 million for primary care physicians and obstetricians;

· $392,173 for optometrists;

· $648,829 for independent pharmacists;

· $1.3 million for physical therapy assistants and occupational assistants;

· $9.6 million for dental services;

· $3.4 million for transportation reimbursement to emergency medical services;

· $301,941 for acute kidney injuries to be treated in a dialysis setting.

Mental Health care:

· $3.2 million in funding for the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities to establish the Macon Crisis Stabilization Diagnostic Center;

· $2.9 million to aid homeless Georgians through housing voucher slots, behavioral health services and rapid rehousing initiatives;

· $1 million for the Georgia Veterans Service for behavioral health services for active-duty military members and veterans;

· $1 million to expand the capacity of court-appointed special advocates to support children who have experienced abuse, neglect, exploitation and trafficking;

· $1.5 million to enhance forensic and mental health services at the state’s Child Advocacy Centers.

Economic Development:

· $1 million for the accountable housing initiative, aimed at providing stable and immediate housing solutions for homeless individuals while promoting long-term affordability;

· $3.7 million to enhance homelessness services through new federal grant opportunities;

· $6 million for the Rural Workforce Housing Initiative, which focuses on expanding and improving housing stock to meet the current work force housing needs in rural areas of our state.

Public Safety:

· $50 million for a $3,000 salary increase for law enforcement officers across 21 state agencies;

· $14.7 million to support 48 domestic violence shelters;

· $2 million for 28 sexual assault centers;

· $4 million to the CJCC for hiring a dedicated sexual assault nurse examiner coordinator.

Other:

· $260 million to provide a 4% cost-of-living adjustment for state employees;

· $2.5 million for third-party ballot-text auditing technology to enhance election verification processes and promote transparency;

· $2.4 billion to support various projects and initiatives towards our transportation systems.

Veterinary Medicine:

Our workforce within the field of Veterinary medicine will garner support through Senate Bill 410. This bill would require the State Board of Veterinary Medicine to allow those with an active veterinary license or veterinary technician license from another state to acquire a license to practice in certain shelters or clinics in our state.

Further, the board would be required to implement a process that would allow technicians in good standing with another state to qualify for a one-time, temporary six-month license to practice in government or nonprofit shelter medicine, nonprofit sterilization clinics or nonprofit mobile sterilization programs registered in Georgia. Notably, this bill should alleviate the significant backlog of spay and neutering services in veterinary practices across Georgia.

Health care

Last week saw final passage to Senate Bill 334, also known as the Helping Firefighters Beat Cancer Act. This measure ensures that firefighters who move between departments will continue to receive benefits aimed at supporting and providing them with adequate coverage in the event of accidents, injuries or illnesses, such as cancer from hazardous chemicals, incurred while on duty.

If you have questions or concerns, please feel free to contact my capitol office directly. Thank you for allowing me the honor and pleasure of serving our home under the Gold Dome. May God bless you and yours and may he continue to bless our district and the great state of Georgia.