Rep. Alan Powell: 2023 Legislative Newsletter – Week Ten

By State Representative Alan Powell, HD 33

My colleagues and I passed out more than 50 bills and resolutions on crossover day.

We continued to convene on the House floor throughout the week, where we heard Georgia Supreme Court Chief Justice Michael P. Boggs deliver the State of the Judiciary address.

On March 9, we recognized and commended the Elbert/Franklin/Hart/Madison County Unit on being named the Georgia Forestry Commission 2022 North Georgia Unit of the Year. We also passed a balanced state budget for the next fiscal year, FY 2024:

House Bill 19, the FY 2024 budget, will go into effect on July 1, and set a revenue estimate of $32.4 billion, which is 7.4 percent more than the Fiscal Year 2023 (FY 2023) budget. This budget reflects many of the House’s priorities that focus on keeping Georgians safe, healthy, and prosperous:

• $1.25 million to open a Georgia State Patrol satellite post in Buckhead that would house up to 20 troopers from the motor unit and Nighthawks DUI Task Force
• $2.7 million for a new GBI cold case office, $2.5 million for sexual assault nurse examiners and $1.5 million for more forensic crime staffers to help clear evidence backlogs
• $120 million more in spending on mental health and substance abuse programs, including millions more for treatment slots,
• $10 million to increase wages at state psychiatric hospitals, and $2.25 million more for suicide hotline management
• $13 billion on K-12 schools in 2024
• $26.7 million to the budget to give 54,000 state government pensioners a $500 boost next year
• Retired teachers and University System of Georgia employees in the Teachers Retirement System pension program get 3% annual cost-of-living increases
• $628 million for new construction projects, including $33 million for a research tower at Georgia State University in Atlanta, $30 million for the second phase of a modernization project at the University of Georgia, and $27.5 million for a science, technology, engineering and math education building at Kennesaw State University
• $1.7 million to renovate a building at Georgia Southern University’s Savannah campus for the Medical College of Georgia to set up a new medical school campus

We also passed House Bill 196 to provide a better pathway for Georgians struggling with chronic diseases to have access to medical cannabis products. HB 196 would resolve some of the issues to help spur the production of this vital medicine so that eligible patients can start getting the treatment that they need.

House Bill 462, or the “Raise the Age Act,” would expand the jurisdiction of the state’s juvenile court system to include 17-year-old Georgians charged with a crime. As of 2021, 47 states had amended their laws to treat 17-year-olds as juveniles in their criminal justice systems, and the Raise the Age Act would align Georgia’s laws with nearly every other state in the nation.

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.