Tillery: Week Six Highlights
Tillery: Week Six Highlights As we continue to press through the 2022 legislative session, this week began with Appropriations Subcommittee hearings to discuss the amended budget for the fiscal year with Georgia’s various state agencies. I am pleased with the progress on the amended budget thus far. These subcommittee hearings are a critical component of ensuring that all taxpayer dollars are frugally spent. In addition to the many hearings this week, here is a brief summary of some of the less reported bills debated and passed in the Senate this week: Combating Unwanted Telephone Solicitations: Senate Bill 364, a bill we’ve discussed here before, passed successfully through the Rules Committee and was heard on the floor on Monday. If you recall, SB 364 is designed to target telephone harassment and misleading telemarketing calls. Regardless of if you are registered on the Georgia Do Not Call List, solicitors have still found ways to breach that boundary and reach your telephone. SB 364 will provide expansions on damages for violators. I am pleased to report that SB 364 passed unanimously on the Senate floor.
Establishing the GDAC as a Universal Agent: Imagine a foster child having to undergo an evaluation for DFCS, another at school for Dept. of Education, and still another for Dept. of Community Health and Medicaid. Wouldn’t it make more sense if the child could undergo one test and that data be shared with all agencies in charge of his or her care? Because federal law prohibits the dissemination of information outside of certain agencies, taxpayers currently pay for all three tests in the scenario presented above. Senate Bill 374 seeks to remedy this and save taxpayer money by putting the Georgia Data Analytic Center (GDAC) as a universal agent for all state agencies. That way, these tests and other data could be shared among agencies without violating federal law so long as HIPAA and other security principles are honored. It’s better for our citizens needing assistance and a wiser use of taxpayer dollars. SB 374 passed on the Senate floor with unanimous support.
Protecting Georgia Businesses and Workers Act: Some cities have begun regulating employee hours, scheduling, and output. It seems like a pretty big overreach. Senate Bill 331, known as the Protecting Georgia Businesses and Workers Act, enacts limits on the extent of which local governments may regulated the work hours, scheduling and output of their employees. As the number one state in the nation for business, it is important that we protect our employees and employees by continuing to allow them opportunities to operate efficiently. SB 331 passed on the Senate floor and now heads to the House.
Prohibiting Georgia Agencies from Entering into Contracts with China: Senate Bill 346 prohibits all agencies from entering into contracts with any company owned or operated by the Government of China. SB 346 also requires any company which bids on a contract to certify that they are not owned or operated by the Government of China. It passed the Senate and heads to the House.
I want to take a moment to highlight a bright spot in our community — this one in Appling County. Georgia is a huge aerospace state. We all know Delta, Gulfstream, and Lockheed Martin make their homes here, but many other aviation companies are scattered through our state as well. Aerospace jobs typically pay very well, and these companies see a huge shortage nationwide for workers. Savannah’s Gulfstream wants to hire 1,000 current high school students and train them to build their planes right now!
Enter Baxley City Councilwoman Santina Fryer, her non-profit Gents and Glam, and Baxley Airport Manager Van Mills. They joined together to start a program to teach Appling County youth the Federal Aviation Regulations/ Aeronautic Information Manual (FAR/AIM) and ground school these students can use toward earning their own pilot’s license.
Yes, they are train young, often at-risk, youth to fly and repair planes — six figure jobs the students can mature into and do in our area. Just last week, Middle Georgia State University sent two flight instructor students from their Eastman campus to join in on this project, and, because of their need of workers, Gulfstream joined in as well. All of this is happening in your backyard at the Baxley Municipal Airport. What an excellent example of leaders seeing a need and moving with the private sector to prepare for the next decade.
Next week, the Legislature will convene for two legislative days with Monday, Wednesday, with Friday being reserved as committee workdays. As always, it is an honor to serve you under the Gold Dome. If you have any questions or concerns or want to give feedback on any piece of legislation, please do not hesitate to call.
Sen. Blake Tillery serves as Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee. He represents the 19th Senate District, which includes Appling, Jeff Davis, Long, Montgomery, Telfair, Toombs, Treutlen, Wayne, and Wheeler counties and a portion of Liberty and Tattnall counties. The 19th District is expected to add Bacon and parts of Coffee County in 2023. He can be reached by email at blake.tillery@senate. ga.gov.
