Capitol Update

January 24, 2015

Friends of Brett Harrell

P.O. Box 1135

Snellville, Georgia 30078

404-966-5804

Budget Week - Governor proposes $21.8 billion state budget

Budget docs here.

The General Assembly took no official action during our

second week of the 2015 Session. The Senate and House met in Joint Session to begin the process of reviewing the Governor's budget proposals for the Amended FY 15 and FY 16 fiscal years.

The Governor's FY 16 budget proposes over one half billion dollars in new education spending and approximately five million dollars for cannabis oil clinical trials for children with certain seizure disorders. While the proposed FY 16 budgets continues a strong focus on education and required healthcare investments, the House and Senate will be considering adjustments to fund transportation improvements.

Chosen to Chair the Ad Valorem Tax Subcommittee of House Ways & Means

I was very pleased that House Ways & Means Chairman Jay Powell selected me to Chair the Ad Valorem Tax Subcommittee. The Ways & Means Committee is the chief tax-writing committee in the House and derives a large share of its importance from our state Constitution that declares "All bills for raising revenue shall originate in the House."

The Ad Valorem Tax Subcommittee typically considers bills dealing with property issues. As a staunch advocate for your private property rights, I am especially pleased to Chair this subcommittee.

Next Week

The House is in session Monday - Thursday next week and committees will hold their organizational meetings. Bills will be assigned to committees and members will begin research and review of the various proposals in anticipation of beginning legislative hearings the following week.

Committee calendars

House committee meeting calendar:

http://calendar.legis.ga.gov/Calendar/?Chamber=House

As always, I remain appreciative that you allow me to serve as your state Representative. I encourage you to contact me with any comments or questions you have about the legislation being considered at the state Capitol. You can reach me at my Capitol office at 404-656-0254 or on my cell at 404-966-5804 or via email at [email protected].

Thank you,