Week Ending January 31, 2020

During the third week, we were in session for all five days of the week; the fourth week, we adjourned unexpectedly early on Wednesday, February 5^th, which I will report on in detail in next week’s newsletter.   The reason given for unexpected early adjournment on February 5^th was so that House and Senate Appropriation Committees can finish work on tweaking the current year’s 2020 budget, and to work on the Governor’s proposed 2021 budget. The Georgia State Constitution requires that the State of Georgia produce a “balance budget” {Georgia State Constitution, Section IX, paragraph IV(b)} which is a very good thing!  In fact, the only constitutional requirement imposed on the annual 40-day convening of the General Assembly is to produce the “balance budget”. Proposing, debating and enacting legislation in support of legislative priorities and a balanced budget falls to Georgia’s House of Representatives and Senate.

2021 Budget Battle Brewing

There is a budget battle brewing between Governor Brian Kemp and House Speaker David Ralston over who sets Georgia’s policy, legislative initiatives and priorities, and the subsequent state budget.

Week Ending January 24, 2020

A Message from Rep. Jeff Jones

The following report about the very important 2020 budget hearings was prepared by the House Media Office.  I am not a member of budget or appropriations committees so I was not in Atlanta during the week of Budget hearings. Like many Georgians and Legislators, I watched portions of the hearings LIVE from a link on the House official website.

This newsletter will give you important information about the 2020 budget process.

Joint House and Senate Budget Hearings Began Tuesday, January 21, 2020

The House and Senate returned to the State Capitol on Tuesday, January 21, 2020, for the second week of the 2020 legislative session, which is commonly referred to as “budget week.” This week, the House and Senate began the state budget process, which is singularly the most important responsibilities we have during the legislative session - we are constitutionally required to pass a balanced budget each year. Over the course of three days, the House and Senate Appropriations committees held a series of joint budget hearings, and Gov. Kemp presented his recommendations and priorities for the amended budget and upcoming 2021 fiscal year budget, which is set at $28.1 billion in total funding. Our second week under the Gold Dome was certainly busy as these committees worked to ensure that we efficiently allocate our state revenue to best serve the needs of all Georgians.

Week Ending January 17, 2020

On Monday, January 13, 2020 both the Georgia House and Senate returned to the State Capitol in Atlanta to begin the first full week (legislative days 1 – 4) of the 2020 session.  The 2020 session is the second year of this biennial; Georgia’s General Assembly operates each term on a two-year basis called the biennial.

As is typically the case, the first week of the 2020 session was comprised primarily of the annual official session opening procedures. A few of House committees met generally to set rules and procedures for how the committees will function.

Governor Kemp Delivers 2020 State of the State Address

Following years old tradition, Governor Brian Kemp delivered his second annual State of the State address to a joint session of the General Assembly on Thursday, January 16,2020.  I highly recommend you watch the Governor’s address by clicking on this link:  Watch Governor Kemp’s State of the State.

Gov. Kemp reminded us of the great successes that we have experienced in Georgia recently, including reaching the lowest unemployment rate in the state’s history at 3.3 percent, creating 64,000 new private sector jobs and being named the number one state to do business for the seventh straight year. Despite these successes, we have much work to do to make our state even stronger.

Week 8, Ending March 8, 2019

Thursday, February 28 this past week was that important annual legislative date we call “crossover day” in the Georgia General Assembly.  Any bills not passed by either the House or Senate have no chance of being signed into law by Governor Kemp.  Sometime that’s a good thing, except of course unless its legislation I am working on.  That is said only partially tongue-in-cheek.

A Crisis in House Leadership

Because of the stand I and others have taken publicly regarding a serious crisis in our State General Assembly leadership at the highest levels, important legislation I have been working on in behalf of the citizens of Georgia is “politically” stuck, and will not move in 2019. I could easily spend this entire newsletter discussing this issue, so much more information that the public has yet to hear, but instead please indulge me while I share one particularly inspiring, but typical, comment I received from a District 167 supporter, and then I will move on to other important state matters:

“Thanks, Jeff. And thank you for standing up for all of us in your efforts to assure that our state leaders are worthy of honor. I stand with you.”  - Mark N. Glynn County, GA

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Opening Day of 2019-20 Session

On Monday, January 14, 2019, the second Monday of the new year, the Georgia General Assembly – the House of Representatives and the Senate - convened for the first day of the 155^th Legislative Session of the Georgia General Assembly. 

Since Monday marked the first day of the new 2019-2020 term, every member of the Georgia House of Representatives took the oath of office and was formally sworn in.  As I hope you have learned about me over the past four years of legislative service, and prior to my entering the legislature, I take this oath and my commitment to serve honorably and honestly seriously.  Thank you again for trusting me to represent your interests at the state level for another two-year term.

As I have explained in previous newsletters, the first week of the opening of Georgia General Assembly is dominated by procedural and ceremonial activities as the session officially convenes.

On Thursday, February 15, we completed the 22^nd day of the 40-day 2018 session. “Crossover Day”, which this year is on February 28^th, is also the 28^th of the 2018 session. This date, which can vary from session to session, is the cut-off date for legislation that has any chance of being signed into law by Governor Deal.  For bills to move ahead in the legislative process, they must have passed out of each respective legislative body – the House of Representatives, in my case, or the Senate - by the end of the session day on “Crossover Day.”

For several challenging bills I am sponsoring (HB-66-Cash Wire Transfers; HB-484-Changing Driver’s License for Certain Persons; HB-879-Coal Ash Dewatering Public Notice; HB-880-Coal Ash Landfill Storage Public Notice) it means I have seven legislative days left to: 1) get the bills voted out of sub-committee, then 2) voted out of full committee. Next, 3) I have to work on the surviving bills to get them added to what we call the “Rules Calendar” by the Rules Committee; the Rules Calendar is the calendar of bills that have a chance of being voted on by the full House of Representatives. Whew! Makes me tired thinking of all the work still to be done. But I do not give up easily on legislative matters that I, and many others in our state, believe are important.

Welcome constituents, friends and supporters to our first newsletter of the 2018 legislative session of the Georgia General Assembly - House of Representatives, which convened on January 8^th. Thanks for taking a few minutes to let me catch you up on Georgia law-making activities. The first two weeks (6 session days) were primarily ceremonial, “session opening” activities, including Governor Deal’s State of the State address. Georgia’s economy continues to grow, and our state was once again named the number-one state in which to do business. Governor’s Deal education initiatives continue to reap great rewards. We are a state on the move.

On Monday, January 22, 2018, we convened week three and as of January 29, we completed over one-fourth of the way through our 40-day session.  This session week was considerably busier and productive, and the pace has noticeably picked up as House committees met more frequently to consider and vet proposed legislation.  Remember, the majority of debate and discussion about legislation occurs in committee hearings well before bills reach the House floor for a vote.

By Representative Jeff Jones

This week completed week five, and the 20th day of the session. With “cross-over day”, the 30th legislative day looming and only 20 session days remaining until adjournment, the pace of committee hearings and legislative activity increased dramatically.

Spencer Pass Law - HB 767  (I voted YES): - The House voted to add utility service vehicles and workers in the fields of electric, natural gas, water, waste-water, cable, telephone, or telecommunication services to the list of those covered under Georgia’s Spencer Pass Law, also known as the “Move Over Law.”

By Rep. Jeff Jones

The House reconvened on Monday, February 1 to start our fourth week of the 2016 legislative session. With a month of session behind us, we are hard at work in the General Assembly passing legislation that will hopefully have a positive impact on all Georgians.  Numerous bills have been approved and passed out of their respective committees and many made their way to the House floor this week for a vote before the entire House of Representatives. I discuss a variety of these bills later in this newsletter.

We returned to the Gold Dome on Monday, January 25 for the third week the 2016 legislative session. This week brought more exciting and important work for my colleagues and I in the House. Several House committees and subcommittees met throughout the week to take up legislation, and the full body of the House unanimously passed our first two pieces of legislation of the session. Chief Justice Hugh Thompson also delivered the annual State of the Judiciary Address this week to a joint session of the House and Senate.

Following last week’s budget hearings, the House successfully passed the amended fiscal year (AFY 2016) budget, or the mid-year adjustment of state spending through June 30, 2016. The amended budget, HB-750, is very similar to Gov. Deal’s recommendations, consisting of $1.1 billion, or 5.3 percent, in “new” funds, bringing the total appropriation for AFY 2016 to $22.9 billion with education and transportation funds account for approximately 85 percent of the new appropriations. As a result of the diligent work of the members of the House Appropriations Committee and the staff in the House Budget and Research Office, HB-750 passed the House on Thursday, January 28, 2016 by a vote of 176-0.