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The ADVANCE, January 17, 2024/Page 5A
2024 Session: Week 1 Update
By Leesa Hagan
R-Vidalia
(District 156, Georgia House
of
Representatives)
Last Monday, the
157th Georgia General
Assembly convened at
the Capitol for the 2024
legislative session, which
marked the start of the sec
ond year of our two-year
term. With only 40 legis
lative days to accomplish
the people’s business, my
colleagues and I did not
waste any time this week.
In addition to convening
in the House Chamber
each day, Governor Brian
Kemp gave his annual
State of the State address
before a joint session of
the House and Senate.
On Thursday, we wel
comed Gov. Kemp as he
presented his assessment
on the current condi
tion of our state govern
ment. This event provides
a unique opportunity for
our governor to reflect on
the progress of the state, as
well as present his legisla
tive priorities for the year
ahead. This year, those
include implementing tax
cuts, fostering a strong
workforce through en
hancing educational op
portunities, and maintain
ing safe, effective learning
environments for all Geor
gia students and teachers.
Over the last year,
Georgia’s government has
provided nearly $5 billion
of direct relief to taxpayers
in the form of tax refunds,
gas tax suspensions, and
homestead tax exemp
tions. The governor ap
plauded the state’s work
to maintain a Triple-A
bond rating, while simul
taneously creating more
than 171,000 new jobs.
To build on this growth
and economic prosperity,
the governor announced
his plans to speed up the
implementation of the
largest tax cut in state his
tory. This proposed tax cut
would decrease our state
income tax to 5.39 percent
starting this year and rep
resent a savings of $3 bil
lion for Georgia taxpayers
over the next decade.
In his address, Gov
ernor Kemp discussed his
desire to prioritize school
safety across the state.
The governor pointed out
that since 2019, Georgia’s
government has invested
heavily in all Georgia
schools to help ensure the
highest level of safety. To
build on that investment,
the governor is proposing
a permanent appropria
tion in the state budget
for school security. With
these funds, schools will
be able to determine how
to use that money to best
meet the security needs of
their individual schools.
Not only is school
safety a primary issue for
the governor, but public
safety also remains a top
priority. He stressed the
importance of supporting
our law enforcement offi
cers as they sacrifice their
lives every day to protect
us. Last year, the governor
signed a budget that in
cluded a $6,000 pay raise
for all state law enforce
ment officers. This year, he
intends to work with the
General Assembly to pro
vide a pay raise of $3,000
for state law enforcement
officers and state correc
tional officers.
Similarly, the gov
ernor urged us to follow
through on last year’s ef
forts to pass legislation for
the peace officer loan re
payment program. Peace
officers play a vital role in
supporting the safety and
security of Georgia’s resi
dents. The governor also
plans to continue efforts
to combat human traffick
ing in Georgia. Under the
leadership of the GRACE
Commission, eight pieces
of legislation that target
traffickers, while also sup
porting victims, have been
signed into law. These ef
forts have enabled Geor
gia’s GBI HEAT unit to
investigate 369 cases of
human trafficking since its
creation. I will update you
throughout the session of
any legislative action re
garding these two impor
tant initiatives.
Finally, Gov. Kemp
discussed his plans to
bolster retention and re
cruitment efforts across
the state by proposing pay
increases for state employ
ees and teachers. In his
remarks, he highlighted
the importance of main
taining an efficient state
government, while staying
ahead of Georgia’s con
tinued economic growth
- none of which would be
possible without the dedi
cation and workmanship
of Georgia’s state employ
ees and teachers. To that
end, Georgia’s state work
ers and teachers would see
a four percent pay increase
under the governor’s pro
posal. In addition to sup
porting Georgia’s current
employees, the governor
intends to allocate $500
million to shore up the
state retiree fund, ensuring
our state keeps its promise
to our retirees and main
tains solid financial foot
ing. The governor closed
his remarks by applaud
ing Georgians for being
strong, hard-working, and
full of potential.
In addition to hearing
Gov. Kemp’s State of the
State Address on Thurs
day, the House voted to
adopt House Resolution
779, our annual adjourn
ment resolution, to set
our calendar for this ses
sion. Each session is com
prised of a maximum of
40 non-consecutive days.
This year, our final day of
session will be Thursday,
March 28. We have an
aggressive schedule and
much work to do prior to
the final swing of the gavel.
This past week, two
new bills that I am spon
soring and a couple that
I am co-sponsoring were
filed:
HB 909 - First Of
fender Act Moderniza
tion. The First Offender
Act (1968) was Georgia’s
original Second Chance
law. It was enacted to pre
vent an isolated mistake
from creating a lifetime
of barriers. With certain
offenses, not including
violent crimes, sex crimes,
crimes against law en
forcement or DUI, upon
completion of their sen
tence, a defendant is ex
onerated of guilt without
impact to their rights or
liberties. However, court
records can still appear
on private background
checks due to information
being found online. This
bill would require sealing
of GCIC and court records
at sentencing. If passed,
private background check
companies cannot report
successful First Offender
cases, which would pro
vide defendants with a
true second chance.
HB 927 - The Blaze
Pink Bill. This bill would
authorize fluorescent pink
to be worn on hunting
outer garments in addi
tion to fluorescent orange.
In states where fluores
cent pink has been added,
hunting license sales have
increased significantly. At
a time when the white
tailed deer population is
incredibly high, encour
aging more Georgians to
hunt is necessary.
HB 936 - Requires
that multiple occupancy
restrooms or changing
rooms in a public school
or local school system
will be used exclusively
by individuals of the bio
logical sex for which the
room is intended. This bill
would also require that
only members of the same
biological sex may sleep in
the same room on school
overnight outings.
HB 942 - Increases
the penalties for “sextor-
tion.” In addition to what
is included in the current
Code, a first offense would
require a psychological
evaluation at the expense
of the defendant and
would require commu
nity service. Added to the
current Code, second and
subsequent convictions
would require one to five
years imprisonment and
registration with the state
sex offender registry. If the
actions lead to the suicide
or death of the victim, five
to ten years imprisonment
would be required. Also,
the defendant would be
required to pay court costs
and other fees upon con
viction.
Now that the 2024
legislative session has be
gun, I will spend most
of my time over the next
several weeks at the State
Capitol. After we observe
the Martin Luther King,
Jr., holiday, my colleagues
and I will begin our work
on the most important
piece of legislation of this
session: the state budget.
The House and Senate Ap
propriations committees
will hear directly from the
governor, other statewide
elected officials, and state
agency heads to discuss
their recommendations
beginning Tuesday morn
ing. The Appropriations
committees will continue
to meet throughout the
coming weeks to discuss
budget requests, and I
look forward to sharing
updates with you about
the process.
As our House com
mittee meetings get un
derway throughout the
session, you can attend
these meetings in person
or watch live streams of all
official House committee
and subcommittee meet
ings on the House website.
To find a link and viewing
instructions, visit Leesa-
HaganforGeorgia.com/
constituents. I welcome
you to reach out with
your thoughts and opin
ions on issues or policies
as we move throughout
the 2024 session. You may
email me directly at Leesa.
Hagan (a)house.ga. gov.
Thank you for allowing
me to serve as your state
representative for House
District 156.
From the Record
THE BLOTTER
These are the reported
arrests from the Toombs
County Sheriff's Office,
the Vidalia and Lyons
police departments,
and the Montgomery
County Sheriff's Office
for the past week.
Incidents are taken
directly from police
files. All suspects are
innocent until proven
guilty.
In Lyons...
The City of Lyons
police report was
unavailable at press
time.
In Toombs
County...
The Toombs
County Sheriff's De
partment police re
port was unavailable
at presstime.
In Montgomery
County...
The Montgomery
County Sheriff's De
partment police re
port was unavailable
at presstime.
In Vidalia...
• Antionio Bar-
row, of Vidalia, was
arrested on January
10 and charged with
Terroristic Threats.
• Martenana
Smith, of Vidalia, was
arrested on January
11 and charged with
Theft by Receiving
Stolen Property / Pos
session of Firearm
During a Crime / Pos
session of Marijuana
With Intent to Distrib
ute.
• Charleston Vic
toria, of Vidalia,was
arrested on January
11 and charged with
Theft by Receiving
Stolen Property / Pos
session of Firearm
During a Crime / Pos
session of Marijuana
With Intent to Distrib
ute / Obstruction of
an Officer.
• Marshall Hunt,
of Vidalia, was ar
rested on January 11
and charged with
DUI (3rd Offense).
• Pamela Tail-
man, of Mt Vernon,
was arrested on Jan
uary 12 and charged
with Theft by Shoplift
ing.
• Karina Rodri
guez, of Vidalia, was
arrested on January
12 and charged with
Suspended License /
Speeding.
• Brooke Powell,
of Vidalia, was ar
rested on January 13
and charged with
Possession of Mari
juana / Speeding.
• Travis Badie, of
Vidalia, was arrested
on January 14 and
charged with Bur
glary / Possession of
Tools for the Commis
sion of a Crime /
Fleeing and Eluding /
Simple Obstruction.
In Wheeler
County...
No report avail
able.
TCSO Receives HVE Grant
Courtesy of the Governor's
Office of Highway Safety
Toombs County Sher-
ifF’s Office is pleased to
announce it has received
a $31,100 High Visibil
ity Enforcement (HVE)
grant from the Governor’s
Office of Highway Safety
(GOHS).
Funding for this
grant is provided by the
National Highway Traf
fic Safety Administration
(NHTSA) and is awarded
based upon the partner
ship with GOHS in help
ing to reduce crashes and
prevent injuries and fa
talities across the State
of Georgia. High Visibil
ity Enforcement combines
highly visible and proactive
law enforcement to target a
specific traffic safety issue
designed to change unlaw
ful and dangerous driving
behaviors that contribute
to most of the fatal and se
rious-injury traffic crashes
on our roads. Law enforce
ment efforts are combined
with visibility elements
and public notification on
the enforcement campaign
to educate the public on
traffic safety and promote
voluntary compliance with
the law.
“The Governor’s Of
fice of Highway Safety and
our partners continue to
implement programs de
signed to save lives and
promote safe driving be
haviors,” Allen Poole, Di
rector of the Governor’s
Office of Highway Safety
said. “We can ask everyone
to help our state and nation
reach zero traffic deaths by
driving safe speeds, always
wearing a seat belt, keeping
the focus on the road and
not the phone, and never
operating a vehicle under
the influence of any sub
stance that impairs your
ability to drive.”
“Traffic Safety on ru
ral roads is a particular
concern in rural Georgia.
While only 19 percent of
Americans live in rural ar
eas, 47 percent of motor
vehicle fatalities occur on
rural roads. Even with re
ductions in the number of
fatalities on the roadways,
fatality rate in rural areas is
2.4 times higher than the
fatality rate in urban areas.”
stated Sheriff Alvie Kight,
J r -
Captain Jordan Kight
added, “We are very
pleased to receive the HVE
grant this year. We want to
keep our citizens and visi
tors safe.”
As law enforcement
partners in the Operation
Zero Tolerance DUI and
Click It or Ticket seatbelt
campaigns, the Toombs
County Sheriff’s Office
will also conduct mobi
lizations throughout the
year in coordination with
GOHS’s year-round waves
of high visibility patrols
and multi-jurisdictional
sobriety checkpoints.
The grant will contin
ue through September of
2024.
Congressman Allen
Announces Youth Summit
on Thursday, February 29, are encouraged to register
2024. Schools may send on Congressman Allen's
up to six students and two website no later than Fri-
chaperones. Participants day, February 9.
Courtesy of
Congressman Rick Allen
Congressman Rick W.
Allen (GA-12) today an
nounced that registration
for the 2024 Youth Leader
ship Summit is now open
for junior and senior high
school students in Geor
gia’s 12th District.
"The Youth Leadership
Summit, which I proudly
host every two years, brings
together some of our dis
trict's brightest young stu
dents to hear from speakers
who have demonstrated ex
ceptional leadership quali
ties in their communities,”
he said. “The goal of the
summit is to equip and in
spire the next generation
of leaders by helping them
hone their leadership skills
as they prepare for the fu
ture. I am looking forward
to this year's event and am
eager to hear from our stu
dents and speakers."
The 2024 Youth Lead
ership Summit will be host
ed at the Columbia County
Student Support Complex
Your O
Mind ®
ONLINE
Got a complaint? Got a
compliment? Call Your
Mind On Line at 537-6397
and let us know what's
on your mind, Quotes are
printed exactly as they are
called in and are not nec
essarily factual, but rather,
callers' opinions. Libelous,
slanderous, personal at
tacks, and unfounded ac
cusatory or lengthy com
ments will not be printed.
Two calls per week per
caller, and calls should
not exceed 30 seconds,
please.
“What’s going on
with the Montgomery
County School Sys
tem? How do you
have so many com
plaints on a principal,
but instead of deal
ing with the issue, you
give him a promotion
at the board office?
Help me understand.
We really need to get
away from the good
old boy system, and
we need a whole
new board because
this one is just not
right."
“If Biden and the
Department of Justice
is successful in de
stroying Trump and
gets reelected, he will
use the DOJ to go af
ter all political oppo
nents, and then he
will hire those thou
sands of IRS agents
he wanted to go af
ter all citizens who
don't fall in line with
their aaenda."