Note: the following item was provided by State Sen. Jason Anavitarte for publication. -KtE
By: Sen. Jason Anavitarte (R – Dallas)
The Senate has just completed its penultimate full week of the 2022 Legislative Session. The period between Crossover Day and Sine Die is typically composed of the most hectic action of the session with votes occurring on the floor at a record pace and this year has been no exception.
This week alone, the Senate took up and considered 20 bills and resolutions. The General Calendar (all remaining bills available for action), however, remains lengthy and while it would be impossible to vote on each and every remaining measure, we are certain to hold increasingly longer days in the Senate Chamber debating and passing legislation of most significance to the people of Georgia.
Later in the week, Governor Brian Kemp signed House Bill 1302, officially codifying the disbursement of refunds that all Georgia taxpayers will receive over the next few weeks.
The refund amount will depend on filing status, with single filers eligible for a refund of $250, joint filers eligible for $500 and $350 for those filing as the head of a household. Over the last few years, Georgia has led the way through emerging from the pandemic and now maintains a stronger financial position than we could have predicted.
This has given us the opportunity to pass those savings back on to you – the people of Georgia.
Our state is proud of its reputation as the best state in the nation in which to do business. While we are honored to have this legacy, we are also committed to making our state the best in the nation to serve in the military.
Our state contains some of the finest military installations in the world and trains some of the most professional soldiers in the world. In order to keep our service members and their families financially secure here in Georgia, we passed House Bill 1064, which would exempt up to $17,500 of qualified taxable income for military service members under the age of 62.
This measure supports our military service members and encourages them to continue to reside in Georgia.
On Friday, the Senate passed our version of the General Budget for the 2023 Fiscal Year (FY23). The FY23 budget totals just over $30 billion and targets specific areas of need including public safety, education and healthcare. One of the most significant additions in the FY23 budget are salary increases for our teachers and other state employees.
Specifically, this budget approved a $5,000 salary increase for all state employees, along with an additional $2,000 pay raise for our teachers to bring their total raise over the last two years to $5,000.
Incentivizing quality was also essential in this budget, with $5 million being added to increase capacity for our state’s skilled nursing programs and $28 million to fund an aggressive campaign to improve third-grade reading levels. To further enhance public safety, the FY23 budget allocated funds to create 66 additional positions within the Georgia Bureau of Investigation to address the backlog of cases currently facing our criminal justice system. To pass a balanced budget is no easy task, but all involved undertook this challenge with professionalism and dedication and designed a budget that all Georgians should be proud of.
We are well into the home stretch of the 2022 session, with only five legislative days remaining and Sine Die (our final day of the session) just over a week away on April 4th. While we are down to the wire, it is still not too late to reach out with any questions, comments or concerns. Your voice matters, especially now, to ensure the issues that matter most to you are considered before Sine Die.
Sen. Jason Anavitarte represents the 31st Senate District which includes Haralson, Paulding and Polk County. He may be reached via email at jason.anavitarte@senate.ga.gov
