Georgia democratic lawmakers host legislative delegation town hall in Columbus
COLUMBUS, Ga. (WRBL) — Georgia lawmakers traded their seats under the Gold Dome, for ones at the Muscogee County Schools building for a legislative delegation town hall. It was their opportunity to show constituents their tax dollars at work.
The Georgia General Assembly session began in January and concluded on March 28. The session allows the House of Representatives and the Senate to set the state’s annual operating budget and propose laws.
Lawmakers allocated $36.1 billion for the state’s annual budget. With the additional $30 billion of federal funding, Georgia’s annual budget sits at just over $66 billion.
This budget addresses topics like education.
We’re also boosting teacher salaries this year and it’s going to raise the state based salary schedule by $2,500. There are salary increases for our school nutrition workers and bus drivers and school nurses. These are the people boots on the ground that help the schools go each and every day.
Rep. Carolyn Hugley, GA State Representative HD 141
Lawmakers also addressed concerns including crime.
We are excited to announce that right now in the budget, there is almost $6 million dollars that will go toward locating GBI office right here in Columbus that will assist our sheriff and our APD in fighting all of this crazy gang activities, get control of our streets, get things back in order so that our seniors who’ve work hard all their lives can actually sit on their front porch and watch the sun go out.
Rep. Teddy Reese, GA State Representative HD 140
Some of the bills proposed passed and some didn’t, like fully-funding Medicaid.
The data shows that it’s a good investment. We are suffering because rural hospitals are closing. There was a report that showed that there’s an additional 18 rural hospitals in danger of closing. So it doesn’t make economic sense for us to continue to not expand Medicaid. If we’re going to be the best state to live in, raise a family, and do business… we got to have healthy citizens. Whether you’re in urban areas or rural areas, your zip code should not determine the quality of your health care.
Rep. Carolyn Hugley, GA State Representative HD 141
Representative Teddy Reese described the general assembly as a marathon, with over 4,000 bills written and presented.
For more information on the Georgia General Assembly, visit their website here.
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