This week’s Courier Herald column: Georgia’s legislature will reconvene Monday to finish the 40-day session that was abruptly suspended March 13th – officially the 29th legislative day – as the state began to shut down for the Covid-19 pandemic. With 11 business days remaining, legislators must pass a budget prior to the July 1st beginning
The House and Senate have agreed to return to finish the 2020 session on June 15th. Legislators have 11 business days remaining in the session, and a budget must be passed before the end of the fiscal year which is June 30th. An adjournment resolution spelling out specific session days following the 15th remains a
The House and Senate Appropriations Committees will have another joint meeting this morning, held virtually, at 11:15 am. You can observe this meeting by clicking here. The committees met last week to begin the adjustments needed to the spending plans in progress before the Covid-19 suspension of the General Assembly in March. Members submitted questions
On the heels of yesterday’s April revenue numbers (down 36% year over year), members of the House and Senate will have a joint legislative committee meeting this morning at 11:15am, virutally. You can watch the meeting here. The legislature must pass a budget prior to the end of the fiscal year, which is June 30th.
Georgia collected less than 2/3 of the revenue it did in the same month one year ago. Shuttered businesses, a statewide shelter-in-place order, and an extension for tax filing deadlines moved until July all contributed to the sharp drop in April revenues. At the same time, expenses for direct Covid-19 response as well as skyrocketing
This week’s Courier Herald column: We’re almost two months into Georgia’s State of Emergency to address the issues brought to us by the Covid-19 virus. Our crisis is now one of public health and one of economics. As leaders attempt to simultaneously deal with both problem sets, it often appears we are still in search
This week’s Courier Herald column: Congratulations and condolences to Senator Blake Tillery. The Vidalia Republican was tapped last week to chair the powerful Senate Appropriations Committee following the death of Senator Jack Hill of Reidsville. Senator Tillery has big shoes to fill at a time when there will be no honeymoon period to enjoy assuming
There was good news coming out of the state capitol this week as Governor Kemp announced state revenues for March were up 9.8% compared with March of 2019. For the first nine months of the state’s fiscal year which began on July 1st, revenues are up year over year by 2.1%. It’s safe to assume
From a press release: Atlanta, GA – Today Governor Brian P. Kemp signed House Bill 792 – Georgia’s amended fiscal year 2020 budget – with $100 million in emergency funding to address the spread of novel coronavirus and COVID-19. “Over several months, I have worked closely with lawmakers to develop an amended fiscal year 2020 budget that reflects
This week’s Courier Herald column: It’s been an unusual session of the Georgia General Assembly, even for a gathering where the first rule is to expect the unexpected. It’s been a long time since fissures within the governing majority in Georgia were as public, and with policy proposals and priorities as disparate. Much of the
