Tillery: Week 11 Under the Gold Dome

With just one week left in the legislative session, we’re finishing strong. Our focus is on lower costs, protecting your family, and keeping Georgia running the right way. This week, I led the Senate in passing my final budget as Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee. House Bill 974 is a $38.5 billion budget. It shows that Georgia is financially strong and that we’re careful with your tax dollars.

We’re putting money where it matters. That includes $70 million to help our kids learn to read by placing a literacy coach in every K-3 classroom. If kids can’t read early, they fall behind. This helps fix that.

We’re also expanding the Georgia PROMISE Scholarship. That means more choices for families. I trust parents to decide what’s best for their kids, not the government.

We’re also taking care of people who’ve spent their lives serving our state. We’re putting $100 million into the state retirement system so those workers can stay here and live with dignity.

At the same time, we’re cutting back on government overreach and protecting your wallet.

We’re also making small, practical changes to help businesses. House Bill 1112 lets businesses round to the nearest five cents as pennies are phased out. It’s simple, but it keeps things moving.

In schools, we’re choosing discipline over distraction. House Bill 1009 bans cell phones during the school day in high schools. Phones are a problem in the classroom, so this measure helps students focus and stay safe.

We’re also standing up for rural Georgia. The Keep Georgia Forested Act supports our timber industry, protects jobs, and helps communities that have taken hits from storms and tough markets.

Here are a few other bills I’m working on: • House Bill 943 helps foster children with autism. It gives families more support, training, and resources.

• House Bill 1374 protects doctors and hospitals from losing money to credit card fees forced by insurance companies. It gives them better payment options.

• House Bill 1432 allows law enforce ment to keep evidence in sexual assault cases for up to 30 years, even if the crime isn’t reported right away. It also improves oversight of our public defender system.

We’ve got a few days left, and we’re not slowing down.

If you have questions or concerns, reach out. This is your state government, and your voice matters.

Sen. Blake Tillery serves as Chairman of the Senate Committee on Appropriations. He represents the 19th Senate District, which includes Appling, Bacon, Jeff Davis, Long, Montgomery, Tattnall, Telfair, Toombs, Wayne and Wheeler counties, as well as a portion of Coffee County. He may be reached by phone at (404) 656-5038 or by email at Blake.Tillery@senate.ga.gov.

By Sen. Blake Tillery (R-Vidalia)