Budget week report.
Tuesday, January 16, 2024.
Tuesday saw a lot of talk about the state and funding for education in Georgia.
It’s budget week! The week when our state legislature suspends all other activity to do the one job our state constitution requires of them: passing a budget. Or, in this case, two—amending fiscal year 2024 (July 1, 2023 – June 30, 2024) and passing fiscal year 2025 (July 1, 2024 – June 30, 2025).
WHAT HAPPENED ON TUESDAY (JANUARY 16)
The focus was on education:
Gov Brian Kemp called in from Davos, Switzerland where he’s attending the World Economic Forum to reiterate his commitment to pay hikes for teachers and other state workers.
State economist Bob Buschman talked about how Georgia has fared economically and should continue to perform well even as a mild recession is projected for later this year (again). Inflation is down from a 42-year high but remains near 4% while mortgage rates and labor costs continue to rise.
·There were presentations by the state Schools Superintendent and the heads of the University System of Georgia, the technical college system, the lottery system, the agriculture commission, and the Public Service Commission.
School districts should get $205 million for student transportation and bus driver pay.
The Hope Scholarship program—one of the state’s most successful programs—will hit $15 billion in awarded scholarships this summer and will continue to be fully funded.
$5.5 million will go toward building a commercial truck driving range at Augusta Technical College.
Pre-K teachers and their assistants will get a much deserved $2,500 raise but the number of slots in the Pre-K program will sadly go unchanged
There will also be pay raises for the Agriculture Department in an attempt to fill more than 80 job vacancies.
Another nuclear reactor is expected to go live at Plant Vogle by the end of March.
Wednesday, January 17, 2024.
If there’s a theme in today’s discussion, it might be how much we’re willing to spend to take care of each other when the need arises. Photo by Jonathan Cooper on Unsplash
WHAT HAPPENED ON WEDNESDAY (JANUARY 17)
Department heads made their cases:
Candice Broce, Department of Human Services commissioner, exhausted her budget finding homes for foster children with serious mental health needs living in hotels and agency offices. The budget proposes $4.6 million for $3,000 pay raises for child protective workers and case managers and $630,000 for 23 new staff so every county office can stay open five days a week.
$2.7 million is allocated for Grace’s Place, a 24-bed residential facility to provide substance abuse treatment and medical care for sexually exploited children and teens.
Republican lawmakers questioned Sec of State Brad Raffensperger about QR codes on voting ballots and about how much time it would take to change our voting system (again) ahead of the 2024 election This is the same party that voted with popcorn bags in Iowa on Monday (just sayin’).
Raffensperger also asked for $3.3 million to update the corporations filing system.
Kevin Tanner, Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities commissioner, reported 51% of the 1,200 psychiatric hospital staff lost since 2020 have been replaced. The $9.8 million allocated for $1,000 bonuses and a 4% raise should help recruitment and retention.
The state’s behavioral crisis centers are at 95% capacity and the state needs five more crisis centers by 2025 to handle demand. Tanner is also seeking $88 million for repairs to current facilities.
Bruce Thompson, Department of Labor commissioner, reported he doesn’t have enough staff to collect $180 million in outstanding fees and penalties from employers.
The state’s Unemployment Insurance Trust fund is half what it should be: $1.55 billion instead of $3.2 billion.
Last year, 724,000 Georgians seeking unemployment benefits each spent more than three hours on hold—with half abandoning their calls. The agency needs 35 more people and $58 million to update the vintage 1986 software—the current budget falls well short.
The Joint Appropriations hearings continue through Thursday.
Thursday, January 18, 2024.
Georgia has a prison problem, and my opponent has demonstrated an inability to remedy it. We need to get smart on crime—from arrest through probation. Photo by Carles Rabada on Unsplash
WHAT HAPPENED ON THURSDAY (JANUARY 18)
Day three—the final day—of the Joint Appropriations hearings focused on law and order (dun dun):
Law enforcement officials painted a shared picture of traumatic, dangerous work and stressed the need for reinforcement, counseling, and compensation.
Michael Nail, Department of Community Supervision commissioner, reported Georgia has the largest number of adults in the country serving felony probation—191,000 people!—serving the longest average sentences in the country (six years, on average). Georgia probation officers manage 80-90 people each.
$14 million is allocated for raises for probation officers, $2 million to hire 25 support staff, and $5.7 million to replace over a hundred vehicles.
Tyrone Oliver, Department of Corrections commissioner, reported 75% of the state prison population are violent offenders and at least 15,000 are gang members.
Oliver is requesting $6.9 to hire more correctional officers—the state is currently short 2,000 positions at 91 facilities with an 32% turnover rate.
$17.5 million is allocated to harden current facilities but Oliver wants $6.9 million to contract with private prisons for additional beds, $5.6 million for drone detection, and almost a million to interdict cell calls.
Oliver is also seeking a $137 (over two years) for health and pharmacy costs to support our aging prison population—18,000 of whom have chronic illnesses.
But Oliver is only seeking $172,000 (over two years) to support vocational education. 49,000 offenders are currently enrolled in technical and higher-ed courses.
Shawanda Reynolds-Cobb, Department of Juvenile Justice commissioner, is revamping her department to combat high turnover (73%) and to better serve troubled youth. In addition to staff raises, she asked for $1.5 million for officer uniforms and equipment, reporting technology, and to support music and welding programs.
She also needs $15.8 million for facility repairs and to design a new all-female facility in Macon.
The legislature will return to business on Monday, January 22.
JD JORDAN FOR GEORGIA STATE SENATE DISTRICT 56
For anyone in East Cobb, Roswell, or Woodstock alarmed by the state’s escalating attacks on our bodies, our families, our doctors’ offices, our classrooms and libraries, even our polling places, I’m running for state senate district 56 to fight for our freedoms and to deliver a better future for everyone in Georgia.
And unlike my opponent who’s spent 14 years rolling back our freedoms, failing to safeguard our kids, and gerrymandered his district to stay in office, I promise to bring everyone in the 56—regardless of ideology—the best possible constituent experience so you feel heard, valued, and supported. As we all deserve to be.
I’m running for the 56. Let’s make a better Georgia for all of us.
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FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT
Jordan For Georgia, LLC
10800 Alpharetta Hwy Ste 208 #629
Roswell, GA 30076-1467
jdjordan@forthe56.com
706.804.0456
