Feb. 5 marked Legislative Day 13, putting us more than a quarter of the way through the General Assembly’s 40-day legislative session. This week debates continued on the House floor, committees considered dozens of bills and the House Appropriations committee delved further into the budget. The House of Representatives is expected to vote on the amended budget next week, which will set state spending levels through the end of June.

Over the past year, banks have also felt the pinch of the economic downturn.  This week, the Georgia House debated House Bill 926, which would allow state-chartered banks to more easily renew loans or lines of credit to customers in good standing. This is a necessary step to help Georgia’s banks, businesses and citizens who rely on them. Current law prevents state-chartered banks from renewing or restructuring loans or credit for any customer if it would cause the bank to exceed the amount it can lend to a single borrower. House Bill 926 will assist Georgians by giving banks more flexibility and helping to ensure that financially responsible Georgians have the loans and credit they need to ensure their businesses can grow.   

The House also passed a series of education-related measures this week to give local school boards more flexibility and the tools they need to make the best decisions for their students, teachers, and schools. House Bill 905 extends sunset provisions for the school construction capitol outlay program from June 15, 2010 to June 30, 2015. This measure will enable school systems to continue to earn and use Advance Funding, Exceptional Growth, and Low Wealth School Capital Outlay Grants. 

Many educators throughout the state have enrolled in leadership training courses, which, upon completion, led to a higher salary. Current law states that anyone enrolled in a leadership-training course must complete it by July 1, 2010 to be eligible to receive a pay increase. House Bill 923 extends the course completion date to July 1, 2013 for educators who were enrolled in the program by April 1, 2009.

These bills, as well as all other legislation that came before the House floor this week, passed with overwhelming support.  Each piece of legislation will now move to the state Senate and be studied by committees before moving forward in the process.

Finally, I would also like to mention a piece of legislation that was just introduced this week. As you know, water is a crucial issue for our state. In the past few years, Georgia faced a devastating drought and ongoing litigation between Alabama and Florida that brought this issue to a head. In 2008, a law was passed to help build reservoirs throughout the state and improve conservation efforts. This week, House Bill 1094, the Georgia Water Stewardship Act, was introduced as a result of the hard work of Georgia’s Water Contingency Task Force. I have not had a chance to give a full review of this bill, but it is my hope that this legislation will strike the right balance between conservation and meeting our state’s water needs. Shortly, I will address in this column more about our water problems and what is happening in the region to seek long-term solutions.

As we continue to move bills to the floor for a vote, I would like to know your opinions on these important issues.  Please feel free to call me with any questions or comments that you might have regarding legislation or issues under consideration at the state Capitol.  You can reach me at my Capitol office by email at: wendell.willard@house.ga.gov, and phone, 404-656-5125.