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Days continue to be busy as the Legislative Session continued the week of March 18th, completing Day 35 on March 22th.
I am always honored to represent Alpharetta, Johns Creek, Roswell and Greater North Fulton , on March 21st I enjoyed welcoming some folks to the Capitol and talking issues that impact our state.
Please continue to use the
Daily Legislative Reports
link in the right panel of this email to see the daily work and reach out to me with your thoughts or if I can be of assistance.
Some other bills of interest that passed the House the Week of 3/18//2019:
- SB 67 to support our local schools and fills funding gaps passed teh House with unanimous support on Monday. This legislation would particularly support southwest Georgia public schools that were impacted by Hurricane Michael last fall. SB 67 would allow school systems which have experienced damage from a fire or natural disaster to immediately qualify for regular state capital outlay funds, regular advance capital outlay funds and low-wealth capital outlay funds to repair these damaged school facilities. To help our public schools rebuild and foster greater learning environments for Georgia students, these funds could also be allocated to repair or update portions of a building that were not damaged from a natural disaster if that building is more than 20 years old.
- SB 170 honors our country's fallen military service members with the passage of Senate Bill 170. Inspired by the nationwide effort to pay tribute our country's heroes, SB 170 would designate the Honor and Remember organization's flag as the state's official emblem to remember the service and sacrifice of members in the armed forces who lost their lives in the line of duty. Starting this July, the bill would allow for the dedicated flag to be displayed by any local government, state-owned military memorial and any other state-owned business or location. Displaying this special flag would be reserved for military holidays, such as Armed Forces Day, Memorial Day, Flag Day, Independence Day, National POW-MIA Day, Veteran's Day, Gold Star Mother's Day and when a member of the armed forces who is a resident of Georgia loses his or her life in the line of duty. This legislation recognizes the tremendous sacrifice that our fallen service members have made to our state and our country, and this flag would serve as a visible reminder of the appreciation for those who have made the ultimate sacrifice.
- HR 259 is in response to the recent deaths of two young Georgia athletes caused by heat-related injuries, the House adopted HR 259, which creates the Johnny Tolbert III House Study Committee on Heat-Related Injuries, Cardiac Injuries and Other Sports-Related Injuries. Throughout the remainder of this year, this study committee will meet with area experts to examine and determine a legislative course of action to address youth injuries due to cardiac arrest, heat stroke and other related injuries from practicing or competing in sports. Currently, the leading cause of death among young athletes is sudden cardiac arrest, and in recent years, there have been several deaths of adolescent athletes due to heat-related conditions in Georgia.
- SB 167 passed the House on 3/21 to further protect one of Georgia's most vulnerable populations. To continue in our efforts to improve our state's foster care system, SB 167 would enhance court proceedings regarding the custody of children in foster care. This legislation would increase the amount of preference given to foster parents when the court has exhausted its options for a child to be placed with a family member or relative. Our state and federal governments believe in keeping families together if it benefits a child, and for this reason, the Department of Family and Child Services (DFCS) includes relatives or fictive kin during their search to house a child. After the state informs these family members of the opportunity to provide a permanent home for the child, the relative would be given six months to respond to the notice and demonstrate an interest and a willingness to take custody of the child. If a relative fails to express an interest or take any steps towards permanent placement within those six months, the court could overrule DFCS from considering the relative as a permanent placement. Similarly, the court may presume that continuation of the child's placement with current caregivers is in the best interest of the child if the court finds that the child has been living in a stable home environment for 12 months and that removal of the child would be detrimental to the child's well-being. This bill would place greater emphasis on the importance of the child being placed with a caregiver that tends to their emotional and physical needs and the best interests of Georgia's precious foster children.
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My hope is that The Capitol Express will be an asset for you as citizens of the 49th District. Please spread the word, forward the email, and let me know the items you'd like to see highlighted.
Please encourage your friends and neighbors to go to www.martinforgeorgia.com to learn more and to join our list for legislative updates by clicking the link "Join Our Mailing List" in the frame on the right of this email.
We will convene for Legislative Day 33 on Monday, March 18th and will remain hard at work for you, focused on delivering results for Georgians.
If I can be of service please contact me via the information below.
Yours in Service for Georgia,
Representative Chuck Martin
District 49
E-mail: [email protected]
On the web: www.martinforgeorgia.com
Phone: (404) 656-5064
Address: 417 Capitol Building, Atlanta, GA 30334
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Focusing on the Details with Help from Citizens
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Each day on the House Floor we are faced with various measures that on the surface seem simple and in practice are much more complicated.
We each have the opportunity to ask questions in an effort to determine if the entire measure is in the best interest of our citizens. Appreciate the input I get from citizens and use it to formulate my questions and that helps me represent you.
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Great opportunity to hear about Georgia College and State University from President Steve Dorman
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Great to see and speak to Dr. Steve Dorman of Georgia College and State University.
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The University System of Georgia is a great asset to our state and citizens, in my position as Chair of the House Higher Education Committee I look forward to the opportunity to work with all the professions at USofGa to provide Georgia students the best opportunity to learn, grow and achieve.
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Thankful for the Help of Ms. Cierra Brown
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So good to have Alpharetta High School's own Cierra Brown down to the Capitol to be a House of Representatives Page on Thursday, March 21st.
Look forward to taking her up on the invitation to visit the Alpharetta High Raiders soon.
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