Newspaper Page Text
gfre Aiiuantg
The ADVANCE, February 10, 2021/Page 3A
BPC
continued from page 1A
BPC. She anticipates
great success for the stu
dents and envisions BPC’s
“nursing students will
be the most sought-after
nurses by hospital recruit
ers in the state.”
BPC Provost Dr. Bob
Brian offered high praise
for the new nursing direc
tor. “Only on-field since
January 1, Debbi Bryarly
already has proven to be a
valuable colleague, a natu
ral in the role of nursing
director with an innate
sense and enthusiasm for
the complex work of start
ing a nursing education
program.” He added, We
are blessed to have her
at the helm of a program
that in turn we believe will
bless the community in
the region that we serve.”
Originally from Cali
fornia, Bryarly currently
lives in Dublin with her
husband.
The nursing program
Tillery: Week Four Highlights
at BPC has developmental
approval from the Geor
gia Board of Nursing. The
next step will be to acquire
initial approval from the
Board of Nursing to start
the program. The program
start-up is anticipated in
the Fall of 2022. The pro
gram begins in the junior
year so potential students
would currently be fresh
men who are registered as
pre-nursing students.
Brewton-Parker Col
lege is the only accredited
four-year Christian college
south of Macon and north
of Jacksonville, Florida.
As a comprehensive Geor
gia Baptist institution,
Brewton-Parker College
provides liberal arts and
professional programs in
a learning community of
shared Christian values.
By Sen. Blake Tillery
(R-Vidalia)
ODDS
&E
NDS
Conference—
Lott's Creek
Church of God, 1617
N. Old River Rd„ Mt
Vernon, will host a
Kingdom Focus Con
ference February 15-
17. at 7:00 each
night. There will be
different guest
speakers.
Everyone is in
vited to attend.
Find what
you're
looking for!
The Classifieds have it!
ahc A j
ntt
This week the Senate passed
several bills of note. We also passed
the Amended Fiscal Year 2021
(AFY21) budget out of the Ap
propriations Committee and I ex
pect it reaches the Senate Floor
next week. We also saw a flurry of
elections bills for the first time. I
told our readers last week to expect
them soon. Let me go over each of
these topics with you in a review of
our week.
The Senate passed two bills of significance to many
of our readers this week. Senate Bill 6, the Tax Credit
Return on Investment Act of 2021, seeks to analyze the
return our citizens see on various tax credits in our state.
Georgia is home to a number of tax credits; some are well
known - like the film tax credit. Others, like the tax break
on manufacturing energy, are less known. Like their pop
ularity, tax credits’ return on investment to our state is
not equal either. SB 6 forces a closer look at our state’s
tax credits to make sure each one has a positive financial
impact on our state’s economy and that we’re maximizing
on our return on your state dollars or proposing the cred
it for elimination. I support this idea and have heard from
many of you who do so too. The bill passed the Senate
51 to zero and now goes to the House for consideration.
The Senate also passed Senate Bill 20, which would
bolster the Child Advocate Advisory Committee, a key
group in protection of Georgia’s most vulnerable foster
children and those with family issues at home. The bill
passed 48 to zero.
Thursday, Senate Appropriations members met as a
full committee to pass out the AFY21 budget; a $26 bil
lion budget with priorities that mirror those of the state
- education and public health. In agreeance with the
Governor and the House, the Senate adopted many of
the proposals I have discussed with you before:
• $650 million additional funds into education.
• $38 million to purchase 500 school buses that not
only transport our kids, but have also helped distribute
lunches and served as a Wi-Fi hotspot when schools
weren’t physically meeting.
• Fund a 10% pay raise for guards within the Depart
ment of Corrections and the Department of Juvenile Jus
tice, where turnover has reached as high as 90%.
• $35 million towards the state’s Disproportionate
Share Hospital (DSH) formula to match funds for pri
vate deemed and non-deemed hospitals within the indi
gent care trust fund.
The Senate, in our substitute, was also able to find
savings in other sections to add back even more money
into the areas that need them the most.
• A redirecting of bonds allowed us to add $11 mil
lion to the Department of Public Health to provide, with
other funds, an integrated system for online vaccine
scheduling, vaccine management and distribution, and
an upgrade to our immunization tracking system. Pub
lic frustration with find
ing vaccine appointments
has reached a fever pitch.
Public health workers
and medical providers are
further stretched by a vac
cine ordering and records
system they’ve called
“cumbersome.” Medical
providers need to be able
to order and track vac
cine shipments online so
they can better schedule
patients for shots. Overall,
the Governor and legis
lature are adding roughly
$41 million total to rem
edy these frustrations and
help Georgians wanting a
vaccination to find one.
• $150,000 to the
Georgia Board of Nursing
to expedite the temporary
licensing of nurses to help
with COVID-19 vaccina
tions.
• Funding for two more additional positions within
the Department of Public Health to assist with Informa
tion Technology and federal funding, respectively.
• $7.5 million to the Governor’s Emergency Fund to
provide the flexibility to acquire and distribute more vac
cines once more become available.
• The Senate budget also created a new position
within the Department of Labor (GDOL) to oversee
and assist with unemployment matters and financial au
dits. I’ve heard from many of you still waiting to hear an
swers since Spring on pending unemployment claims so
you can buy food and pay rent. We want to provide the
GDOL with the management and resources to answer
your claims.
The AFY21 budget has shown that Georgia, despite
the challenges of the pandemic, is resilient. However, this
feat would not be possible without the hardworking tax
payers who have worked long days and even later nights
to serve Georgia and our communities. Thank you for all
that you do and the benefit you have given this state.
Since the start of the legislative session, I have dis
cussed with you, both here and in the district, concerns
about the recent election cycle. I told you last week I
expected a dozen election related bills to be filed. There
were exactly that many. Here’s a brief overview of a few
and the different subject areas they touch:
• Senate Bill 29 - would require submission of iden
tification with an absentee ballot request and again with
an absentee ballot.
• Senate Bill 62 - would enact a wide range of absen
tee voting reform to strengthen security mechanisms and
prevent fraud by adding holographic security devices,
printing the name and precinct on top of each ballot, and
maintaining a chain of custody.
• Senate Bill 67 - would require an elector request
ing an absentee ballot by mail to include a driver’s license
number or personal identification card number. This is
already a requirement for online request forms.
• Senate Bill 68 - would eliminate the use of drop
boxes but allow for personal delivery of a ballot to regis
trar or registrar staff.
• Senate Bill 69 - would require people applying for
a driver’s license or identification card to affirmatively
state their desire to register to vote. This no longer makes
it an automatic process when applying for or renewing a
license.
• Senate Bill 70 - would prohibit a person from vot
ing in a U.S. Senate or House runoff election if they voted
for that office in a different state during the same election
cycle. This would stop non-Georgians from coming into
the state just to cast a vote.
• Senate Bill 71 - would limit absentee voting to
those absent from precinct, with a physical disability,
with certain jobs they could not leave (military, hospi
tals), or over the age of 75.
• Senate Bill 72 - would require county registrars to
review coroner and funeral home records to remove de
ceased voters.
• Senate Bill 73 - would stop outside 3rd party
groups from mailing absentee ballots requests.
• Senate Bill 74 - would make clear each political
party may appoint two poll watchers in tabulating cen
ters who shall be given access to all areas where ballots
and election results are received and processed.
• Senate Bill 89 - would create the position of a chief
elections assistance officer to evaluate election manage
ment practices and identify “low-performing counties,”
to address any issues that may come up on-site.
I expect we will see more election bills filed next
week. Next week I also expect the entire Senate to vote
on the AFY21 budget. Typically, after this vote, the
House and the Senate appoint a conference committee to
discuss our differences and reach a conclusion. Once that
occurs, we’ll move on to the general FY22 budget. For
any questions about that, election legislation, unemploy
ment, COVID-19 vaccine questions or any other matters
related to our area, don’t hesitate to reach out. Thank you
for allowing me to serve you; I wouldn’t be here without
you.
Sen. Blake Tillery serves as Chairman of the Senate
Appropriations Committee. He represents the 19th Senate
District, which includes Appling, Jeff Davis, Long, Montgomery,
Telfair, Toombs, Treutlen, Wayne, and Wheeler counties and a
portion of Liberty and Tattnall counties. He can be reached by
email at blake.tillery@senate.ga.gov.
MILLION PINES COMMUNITY BANK
We’re here for all your banking needs.