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PAGE 2A PICKENS COUNTY PROGRESS THURSDAY. MARCH 11.2021
METAL ROOFING
Report from the Capitol
By State Representative Rick Jasperse
I haven’t written about it a
lot in these articles, but work
on next year’s budget is mov
ing right along. The commit
tee chairmen who work on
the budget focus almost en
tirely on this for weeks, and
the committee members of
these subcommittees work
alongside the chairman mak
ing sure we are spending
your money wisely and care
fully for Georgians. I can’t
tell you how many hours go
into the work to create a
budget to meet the needs of
Georgians, but it is a lot.
On Friday we voted on
our version of the 2022
budget. House Bill 81 was
passed with overwhelming
and bipartisan votes. It takes
the chairman of the Appro
priations committee about
two hours to go over the
budget in detail and answer
questions. There are usually
not many questions due to
the opportunity of all of us to
attend the many meetings
that are held to go over every
part for weeks. I could easily
write 2000 words on the
budget but I will hit a few
high points; and if you want
more, I can send you a more
detailed description of what
the House passed and sent to
the Senate for their input be
fore going to the governor for
his signature; just ask.
This comprehensive
budget covers July 1, 2021
through June 30, 2022, and is
set at $27.2 billion, which is
an increase of $1.34 billion
or 5.2 percent over the cur
rent fiscal year budget. Our
state is doing well since we
opened for business so early
in 2021 after the pandemic
closed so much of the state.
Nearly 90 percent of this new
funding in the FY 2022
budget would go towards ed
ucation and health and
human services agencies. Ed
ucation is the largest single
expenditure in the state’s
budget, totaling $10.2 billion,
and it was good to restore 60
percent, or $567 million, of
the reductions made to K-12
education funding formulas
in the Fiscal Year 2021
budget.
HB 81 adds more than
$58.5 million for the Depart
ment of Behavioral Health
and Developmental Disabili
ties, including $2.7 million to
provide addictive disease
services to an additional
2,100 people; $6.5 million to
provide mental health serv
ices to an additional 5,200
people; $12.3 million for a
rate increase for intellectual
and developmental disability
providers; $7 million for a
first-in-the-nation behavioral
health crisis center for indi
viduals with intellectual and
developmental disabilities;
$2 million to expand the
Georgia Apex Program in 59
additional schools as well as
additional funding for suicide
prevention training in schools
Clyde opposes “for the politicians act”
WASHINGTON, D.C. -
Rep. Andrew Clyde issued
the following statement in
opposition of H.R. 1., the
“For the Politicians Act,”
after speaking on the Floor of
the House of Representa
tives:
“H.R.l is nothing but an
attempt by Speaker Pelosi
and the Democratic Party to
make their slim majority in
Congress permanent. This
self-serving piece of legisla
tion does nothing to address
concerns regarding election
security shared by millions of
Americans across the coun
try. In fact, it would likely ex
acerbate them.
While Democrats here in
Washington seek to usurp the
Constitutional rights of states
to determine their own elec
tion administration, lawmak
ers in my home state of
Georgia are working to make
smart and targeted reforms to
our state’s election laws, in
cluding picture identification
for absentee voting. These re
forms are critically impor
tant.
H.R. 1 would not only
nullify the efforts of Georgia
lawmakers, but it would also
mandate that all states pro
vide no-excuse absentee vot
ing with absolutely zero
safeguards.
I read the bill to figure out
what I needed to do in order
to obtain and cast an absentee
ballot under H.R. 1, and I
was shocked to learn that I
needed nothing. No witness
signature. No form of picture
identification. Nothing.
The state reinforces trust
by taking steps to verify that
all votes are legal and are cast
by eligible voters. That is
why we must verify citizen
ship and require picture iden
tification for all voting.
I commend our Georgia
lawmakers for strengthening
the integrity of our elections
and I am proud to support
their efforts by voting no to
the federal takeover of our
elections. No to the ‘For the
Politicians Act.’”
Clyde represents the
eastern portion of Pickens
County as part of his 9th
district.
as well as a youth suicide
prevention specialist; as well
as additional funding for the
988 National Suicide Preven
tion Lifeline, suicide preven
tion services, and one suicide
epidemiologist. This budget
also recognizes $39.5 million
for the new Rural Innovation
Fund and $10 million to es
tablish a broadband infra
structure grant program for
rural communities.
The House passed a hand
ful of bills this week to cut
your taxes and spur eco
nomic recovery for busi
nesses and create new jobs
across our state. We unani
mously passed House Bill
593, or the Tax Relief Act of
2021, to cut income taxes
during the tax year 2022 by
increasing the standard de
duction for taxpayers that are
single and heads of house
hold from $4,600 to $5,400
and increasing the standard
deduction for a married cou
ple filing jointly from $6,000
to $7,100. The standard de
duction for those who are
married but file individually
would increase from $3,000
to $3,550. HB 593 would
save Georgia taxpayers ap
proximately $140 million in
this time of need and allow
taxpayers to keep more of
their hard-earned money.
Of course, we did a lot
more during the week but
space won’t let me go over it,
and all of these bills are sub
ject to the Senate and gover
nor’s approval. It you have a
question on this or any of the
bills you may have heard
about, let me know, and we
will send you the summary I
make up each week.
I greatly appreciate any
feedback I receive from my
constituents, and I welcome
you to contact my office for
questions or concerns about
the legislative session. My
Capitol office is 404-656-
7153, home 770-893-2039,
and email
rick.jasperse@house.ga.gov
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