Newspaper Page Text
Page 6B, The Lee County Ledger, Wednesday, July 6,2022
Under the Gold Dome - Rep. Bill Yearta
SUMMER
DOCO DRIVING SCHOOL
s SZ CAR CAMP
Camp! Mondays
July 11 £r 25, 2022
Teens learn about car safety and car care
before they get out on the road!
Day camps for teens age 14 & up.
Driving simulator, videos, hands on!
July Camp, 7/11 & 7/25, 10am - 2pm,
$50 per session. Lunch included & popcorn!
Pre-registration required. Space limited.
207 Cedric Street, Leesburg
Special to the Ledger
While most Georgia
citizens take the op
portunity to slow down
during the summer
months, our state gov
ernment works frantical
ly to ensure that we are
prepared to step into our
new fiscal year, which
begins July 1. A brand-
new fiscal year means
we begin anew where
government funding is
concerned. Fortunately,
our economy did not
suffer near the blow of
many sister states during
the pandemic, allowing
us to continue our track
record of stable eco
nomic growth. Despite
the many challenges,
our unemployment
rate remains low, at
3.1 percent, we experi
enced record-breaking
commerce, trade, and
investment numbers and
we continue to hold our
title as the No. 1 state to
do business. Further, our
fiscal conservatism has
allowed us to put over
$1 billion dollars back in
the pockets of hardwork
ing Georgians. We were
also able to bring much
needed relief to Georgia
families by suspending
the Gas tax.
This year’s 2023 fiscal
year budget is an esti
mated $30 billion. Be
low is a detailed report
of how we are working
to address issues of
importance over the next
year through various
budget allocations.
Education
Education plays a
pivotal role in attracting
new businesses as we
work to better prepare
Georgia’s workforce
through various partner
ships, opportunities, and
initiatives.
• $2,000 pay raise to
our K-12 teachers, assis
tant teachers, and pre-k
teachers.
• $1.4 billion in direct
funding for our K-12
schools
• Restores $388 million
in both fiscal years to
eliminate the austerity
cuts that were made at
the start of the pandem
ic.
• $79 million to fund
program growth to allow
the HOPE programs to
cover at least 90 percent
of tuition at the state’s
public institutions.
• Restores more than
$271 million in austerity
cuts that were previous
ly made to our higher
education systems.
• $35 million for the
State Commission Char
ter Schools supplement
to recognize a 23.79
percent increase in en
rollment at state charter
schools.
• $85 million to fully
fund enrollment growth
in our higher education
programs.
Healthcare
Did you know that
close to 3.6% of adults
in Georgia live with
serious mental health
conditions such as
schizophrenia, bipolar
disorder, and major de
pression? To lessen the
impact of mental illness,
and provide quality care
to all citizens, we have
implemented the sec
ond largest allotment of
budget spending towards
healthcare initiatives.
• $24 million to imple
ment the state’s reinsur
Submitted Photos
LCES third graders relaxed in the sun while
reading their choice book.
ance program and online
health insurance portal
to keep insurance plans
and premiums more
affordable.
• Adds $85 million for
improved provider rates
to stabilize the state’s
Medicaid system.
• $33.5 million to
fund the state’s mental
health crisis networks
and services that benefit
individuals with behav
ioral and developmental
disabilities.
• $27.8
million to
provide a
10 percent
provider rate
increase,
which would
offset the
rising costs
of caring for
our state’s
foster chil
dren.
• $39.5
million to
automati
cally enroll
children in Medicaid
services as part of an
application for food
assistance or TANF
benefits to guarantee that
more children receive the
health benefits for which
they are eligible.
• $8.5 million for the
Georgia Trauma Care
Network Commission.
Public Safety
The only reason our
government exists is
to protect our citizens.
Our commitment to the
safety of Georgians is
reflected through our
public safety budget
allocations.
• $1.6 million to estab
lish a gang prosecution
unit in the attorney
general’s office and
expand the state’s human
trafficking unit.
• $5,000 Raise for State
Law Enforcement and
State Employees
• $3.2 Million for an
Additional Trooper
School Class
• Add Law Enforce
ment and Criminal Jus
tice Degrees to High-De
mand Career Initiatives
• $10.3 million dollars
for the Georgia Bureau
of Investigation’s medi
cal examiners and foren
sic services, which have
experienced backlogs
in processing criminal
evidence.
• $600 million to
purchase a newer prison
facility and build a 3,000
bed facility to house me
dium and high-security
prisoners.
Rural Initiatives
It was not long ago
that the rural areas of
our state were thriving,
healthy communities.
Sadly, in recent years,
those areas have been
adversely impacted by a
Bill Yearta
m
RUUD
changing economic land
scape. We have made a
commitment to assist our
rural communities by
ensuring they have the
resources and infrastruc
ture needed to grow and
prosper. I have no doubt
that with positive poli
cy changes and growth
initiatives currently in
place and to come, these
areas will once again
become the beating heart
of Georgia.
• $1.8 million for the
Georgia
Agricultural
Trust Fund
generated
through
agricultural
tax exemp
tion fees
to provide
funding for
the mainte
nance and
operations of
state farm
ers’ markets
and mar
keting and
promotion of Georgia
agricultural products.
• $2.5 million for 136
residency slots
• $1 million to Mercer
University to address ru
ral physician shortages.
• $41 million in our
state parks to renovate
and expand facilities
across Georgia to attract
tourism to our wondrous
natural resources
Infrastructure
Few realize the import
ant role sound infrastruc
ture plays within our
state. As the economic
landscape of Georgia
continues to change,
so must our efforts to
improve the condition of
our roadways and infra
structure. Streamlining
transportation systems
throughout the state is
priority when discussing
the budget and future
projects. Infrastructure
is a key component
to our state’s success,
impacting every citizen
which we see magnified
through current supply
chain issues. To see a de
tailed report of transpor
tation projects scheduled
throughout the state,
we encourage you to
visit the Department of
Transportation website,
dot.ga.gov.
• $48 million for the
Department of Trans
portation to reflect FY
2021 motor fuel revenue
collections.
• $20 million for the
Transportation Trust
Fund for transportation
projects.
• $8 million for the
Georgia Transit Trust
Fund for transit projects.
• $80 million dollars
to complete the renova
tion and expansion of
the Savannah-Georgia
Convention Center to
continue to attract large
convention delegations
to the state and further
invest in Savannah’s
tourism industry.
If you have questions,
concerns, are interested
in learning more about
our budget process or
capital projects happen
ing in our area, please
feel free to reach out to
us directly. As always,
thank you for allowing
me the honor of serving
as your voice under the
Gold Dome. May God
bless you and keep you,
may He continue to bless
the great state of Geor
gia.