Rep Alan Powell: 2023 Legislative Newsletter – Week Five

By State Representative Alan Powell, HD 33

Monday, January 30, marked the start of the fourth week of the 2023 legislative session.

Several House committees met throughout the week to consider legislation, including the House Rules Committee, which determines what bills should be debated and voted on the House floor, once bills have passed out of their respective committees.

Each session the Georgia General Assembly is constitutionally required to pass a balanced state budget, and on Thursday, we passed House Bill 18, the Amended Fiscal Year (AFY) 2023 budget.

Due to revenue collections being higher than expected, the AFY 2023 budget recognizes approximately $2.36 billion in additional revenue, or 7.8 percent more than the initial FY 2023 budget, and brings the total appropriation for the AFY 2023 budget to $32.56 billion.

This is the second year in a row that the state has experienced such a large growth in revenue for an amended budget, and with this increase in funding, the House was able to provide additional one-time investments to keep Georgians safe, healthy, and prosperous over this coming year. This legislation will undergo the same consideration process in the Senate, and the House will shift its focus toward creating a full budget for the upcoming fiscal year.

On Wednesday, my House colleagues and I took time to recognize the 49th anniversary of the Consulate-General of Japan in Atlanta. Our relationship with Japan has produced nearly $8 billion in imports and exports, and nearly 600 Japanese-affiliated companies employ more than 40,000 Georgians in our state. Consul General Mio Maeda joined us in the House Chamber to celebrate this strategic partnership between our governments, and noted that our relationship is not limited to economics:

• Nearly 1,000 Georgia public school students are studying the Japanese language
• Eight Georgia colleges have Japanese language programs
• 534 Georgians have participated in Japan’s Japanese Exchange and Teaching program since 1987.

House Committee action that has taken place since the last report:

• Judiciary Committee: HB 77 Dougherty Judicial Circuit; superior court; provide for a fourth judge
• HB 80 the ‘Uniform Unsworn Declarations Act,’ permits unsworn declarations to have the same effect as sworn declarations in circumstances in which a declarant is making an unsworn declaration while being physically located within or outside the boundaries of the United States.
• Banks & Banking Committee: HB 55 is the annual revision of Title 7 of the Code, relating to banking and finance, by the Georgia Department of Banking and Finance. Superfluous/redundant language is clarified and removed, the terminology is updated, and language is added to conform Title 7 to other parts of the Code.
• Public Safety & Homeland Security: HB 35 gives authority to Georgia Ports Authority (GPA) employees designated as security personnel and peace officers the responsibility of preserving and protecting GPA properties or projects.

As we move through the session, the pace will pick up and days will become longer.

I encourage you to visit me at my capitol office or call me if you have any questions or concerns regarding the state budget bills, the legislative process, or any other measures considered under the Gold Dome. My capitol office number is 404-463-3793. My email is [email protected].

As always, thank you for allowing me to serve as your state representative.