Forty days of the Georgia Legislature could easily be summed up by paraphrasing Charles Dickens. It is the longest time; it is the shortest time.
When the General Assembly stood at ease at the end of Thursday March 9th, they had already completed 31 of the 40 days allowed for legislative business this year. Day 40 is scheduled for March 29th. “Crossover Day” – when all bills other than the budget must pass one chamber to be considered by the other this year, occurred on March 6th.
Thus, the playing field of bills that may become law has been narrowed. A lot of work remains to be squeezed into nine days over the next three weeks. In the bills that remain active and moving, a theme has emerged.
A series of bills, many “under the radar” of significant news coverage, are aimed at Georgians’ quality of life. Special emphasis in these proposals is on citizens who are in groups considered most at risk.
Georgia has one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the nation. House Bill 129, sponsored by Representative Soo Hong (R-Lawrenceville), aims to allow pregnant women to seek financial assistance from the state’s Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program. The bill passed Georgia’s House 173-1, and was sponsored in the Senate by Senator Mike Hodges (R-Brunswick), where it passed 50-1.
As both Representative Hong and Senator Hodges are floor leaders for Governor Brian Kemp, it can be expected that the bill, now on the Governor’s desk, will receive his signature. This follows legislation from last year that extended postpartum Medicaid benefits from 6 months to 12 months, which received federal approval from the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services in November.
House Bill 538, sponsored by Representative Bethany Ballard (R-Warner Robins), takes aim at Georgia’s early childhood literacy rates. Her bill would require the State Board of Education to approve “high-quality instruction materials” for grades K-3, “ensure the use and…
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