Newspaper Page Text
PAGE 6A
BARROW NEWS-JOURNAL
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 25, 2017
Rainy Day Fund
should be increased
Last week, the Georgia
General Assembly was
not in session, but the
House and Senate Appro
priations Committees
held two days
of joint budget
hearings.
The Gover
nor kicked off
the hearings on
Tuesday. Jan.
17, noting how
well the State
is doing com
pared to just a
few years ago.
We also heard
from Georgia
State Fiscal
Economist Kenneth J.
Heaghney, who develops
the annual tax revenue
forecast for the State’s
budget. He said tax col
lections are on track to
cover projected spending
for the upcoming year.
While Georgia’s econ
omy is on solid ground
again, I’m nevertheless
going to stay a little
reserved when it comes
to spending. I guess hav
ing been a retailer for so
many years and continu
ing to run a small busi
ness, it’s just my nature
to always be concerned
about what could be
around the corner.
So as House Appropri
ations Chair, I personally
remain committed to con
servative budgeting and
to building even more for
our Rainy Day Fund that
currently stands at just
over $2 billion.
Yes. that is a lot of
money. But as we saw
during the Great Reces
sion just a few years
ago, it really isn’t. Our
$1.5 billion we had set
aside at the time quickly
dwindled to $116 mil
lion, which was only
enough to cover about
two days of government
operations. So I support
the Governor’s goal of
increasing the Rainy Day
Fund over the
next two fiscal
years to $2.5
billion.
On the other
hand, I fully
support con
tinued funding
of important
reforms Gov.
Deal has begun
in the areas
of Criminal
Justice, Pub
lic Safety, and
Child Welfare. Georgia’s
Criminal Justice Reforms
have received national
attention for their effec
tiveness. And we have
seen good results in terms
of hiring and retention
of state law enforcement
officers since the Gov
ernor last fall proposed
20-percent pay raises and
improved training.
What hasn’t received
quite as much atten
tion is another area of
reform that began three
years ago, when Gov.
Deal appointed a Child
Welfare Reform Council
to examine a really seri
ous problem with staff
retention in the Division
of Family and Children
Services.
As a result of the coun
cil’s work, we have fund
ed 628 new positions and
reduced the caseloads of
case managers from as
many as 100 down to an
average of 19. One thing
we haven’t done, though,
is raise the really sub
standard salaries for peo
ple in those high-stress
jobs. Last year, more than
a third quit.
That is why Gov. Deal
is recommending 19-per
cent pay raises at a cost
of $25.9 million during
FY2018.
In addition, the Gov
ernor is recommending
higher per-diem rates for
foster parents, who typi
cally drop out after only
two years. With the num
ber of children in fos
ter care almost doubling
since 2013. I don’t think
we have a choice.
Over the next few
weeks, the subcommit
tees of the House Appro
priations Committee will
pore over these and other
areas of recommended
spending in the Gov
ernor’s proposed mid
year budget for FY2017
and his new budget for
FY2018. I will bring
more details to you as we
go along.
Thank you for allow
ing me the opportunity to
represent District 116. If
you have any questions
or concerns, feel free
to contact me at terry @
terryenglandforgeorgia.
com or at 404-463-2245.
May God bless you and
your family, this wonder
ful county, and our great
state.
Rep. England has
served in the Georgia
House since 2005. Dis
trict 116 includes most
of Barrow County. In
addition to chairing the
House Appropriations
Committee, he is an
ex-officio member of the
Ways & Means Commit
tee and a member of the
Agriculture and Consum
er Affairs Committee, the
Education Committee,
the Industry and Labor
Committee, and the Nat
ural Resources and Envi
ronment Committee.
Getting down to business in 2017
The 2017 legislative ses
sion is off to a fast and
busy start. I was appoint
ed to serve as chair of the
Natural Resources and
Environment
Committee and
vice chair of
the Regulated
Industries and
Utilities Com
mittee. I will
also be serving
on the Appro
priations and
Transportation
Committees.
So far, the
Senate has
moved forward
in this session with due dil
igence and we have been
busy at work. Along with
committee appointments,
we voted on a couple of
Senate Resolutions, set the
adjournment schedule and
voted on Senate Bill 13 as
part of the Senate Local
Consent Calendar.
When this measure came
up for a vote, after care
ful consideration, I had to
vote against the bill. SB
13 provides for a nonbind
ing advisory referendum
that would allow electors
of a particular county to
decide if their County
Commission Board would
have authority to levy an ad
valorem tax to pay for their
county hospital.
My vote against the bill
was not a vote against the
hospital. I firmly
support local hos
pitals and the ser
vices they provide
for their local com
munities. At the
same time, I do not
believe that a ref
erendum is always
necessary. I do not
want to see Georgia
become a state like
California where
everything is left
up to a referendum.
One main reason is that ref-
erendums require elections
and they are very costly
for the entire community.
Additionally, local officials
are elected by the people
to represent them and their
interests. Elected officials
should have the ability to
make the best decisions for
day to day operations. We
are fortunate enough to five
in a country that allows us
to elect people to represent
us. Living in a Republic like
this grants us these privi
leges and I don’t believe
they should be undermined.
There are issues, such as
Constitutional ones, where
a referendum is necessary
but other matters should
be left to the representa
tives whether it be at the
local, state or national level.
These are the principals
on which our country was
found.
It is a great honor to rep
resent the 47th Senate Dis
trict. and I encourage you
to continue reaching out
with comments, questions
and concerns. Thank you
for your efforts to make
sure the “American Dream”
remains alive and well in
Georgia — it is the driving
force behind my work on
your behalf at the Georgia
State Capitol.
Sen. Frank Ginn serves
as Chairman of the Natu
ral Resources and Environ
ment Committee. He rep
resents the 47th Senate Dis
trict, which includes Bar-
row and Madison counties,
and portions of Clarke and
Jackson counties. He may
be reached at 404.656.4700
or by email at frank. ginn@
senate.ga.gov.
Random Rants in Rhyme
Henry Ford’s Model T
dr. cb
skelton
It first appeared in the year of 1908,
and most folks thought the car was really great.
Few people know of the models produced before
but, in fact, there had been nineteen more.
Models A, B, C. F, K and N, R, S
had been produced and brought Ford some success.
The other letters were used for prototypes
or very special models, that were given no hype.
Ford wished to produce a car so inexpensive
its price, for a working man, was not prohibitive.
Interchangeable, spare parts were also made.
His assembly-line left others in the shade.
His “T” immediately won America’s heart,
with more than 15,000 orders from the start.
From the very start, the public was in a “tizzy,”
and affectionately called Henry’s car names like “Tin Lizzie.”
Songs were written about her, and this writer recalls
hearing one at parties where folks were having a ball:
Let me call you Lizzie, I’m in debt for you.
Let me here you rattle like all good Ford’s do.
Keep your headlights glowing and your taillights, too.
Let me call you Lizzie, I’m in debt for you.
The “T” had a quirk about which you ought to know:
gas flowed to the engine by simple gravity flow.
If you climbed a steep hill and your gas supply was low,
you’d have to turn around, and back up that hill really slow.
Henry said you could choose any color you thought you would like
as long as that color was a simple, basic black.
16.5 million cars sold in twenty-one years
made the “T.” five years ago, rank eighth among its peers.
Hats off to the “T,” the mass-produced, inexpensive automobile
that made our country and the world become truly mobile.
We doff our caps also to its producer, Henry Ford,
who gave the world a car that even poor folks can afford.
© 2017. cbs
Letter to the Editor
Trump’s cabinet picks aren’t
‘draining the swamp’
Dear editor:
So far, Trump has
picked:
•For Attorney General,
someone who’s against the
Voting Rights Act.
•For Secretary of Edu
cation, someone who’s
against public schools.
•A Health Secretary who
wants to kill Medicare.
•A Treasury Secretary
who foreclosed on the
elderly.
•For Secretary of Labor,
someone whose employees
sued him for wage theft.
•A climate denier for
Environmental Protection.
Based on his picks, we
will be a nation of unedu
cated homeless minimum
wage earners breathing
toxic air with limited vot
ing rights. And then we
will die of lung disease
because there will be no
Medicare. Now that’s
“Draining the Swamp!”
Not what you voted for?
Tweet @SenatorIsakson
and tweet @ sendavidper-
due. Tell them so.
Sincerely.
Harper Kindle
Statham
New eBooks added to county libraries
The following new eBooks
have been added to all the
Barrow County libraries
recently:
•The 4th Man: An FBI
Profiler / Detective D.D.
Warren Story, by Lisa Gard
ner
•A Bee in Her Bonnet:
Honeybee Sisters Series,
Book 2, by Jennifer Beck-
strand
•The Best Yes: Making
Wise Decisions in the Midst
of Endless Demands, by
Lysa TerKeurst
•The Debt Collector:
Sonora Blair Series, Book 4,
by Lynn S. Hightower
•Diary of an 8-Bit War
rior: An Unofficial Minecraft
Adventure, by Cube Kid
•Diary of an 8-Bit War
rior: From Seeds to Swords:
An Unofficial Minecraft
Adventure, by Cube Kid
•The End Game: Brit in
the FBI Series, Book 3, by
Catherine Coulter and J.T.
Ellison
•Field of Fire, by Marc
Cameron
•The Guests on South
Battery: Tradd Street Series,
Book 5, by Karen White
•Human Acts: A Novel, by
Han Kang
•Idaho: A Novel, by Emily
Ruskovich
•Like a Bee to Honey:
Honeybee Sisters Series,
Book 3, by Jennifer Beck-
strand
•Lucky Bastard: My Life,
My Dad, and the Things I’m
Not Allowed to Say on TV,
by Joe Buck
•The Mistress: A Novel, by
Danielle Steel
•Off the Grid: Joe Pickett
Series, Book 16, by C.J. Box
•Someone to Love: Wescott
Series, Book 1, by Mary
Balogh
•Sweet as Honey: Honey
bee Sisters Series, Book 1, by
Jennifer Beckstrand
•Talking as Fast as I Can:
From Gilmore Girls to Gilm
ore Girls (and Everything in
Between), by Lauren Gra
ham
•The Wicked City: A Novel,
by Beatriz Williams
Library patrons only need
their library card and pass
word to sign in and check out
eBooks. The libraries can
be reached at: 770-867-2762.
Winder; 770-725-4785,
Statham; or 770-513-2925.
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