The General Assembly adjourned for the year on April 3. I have previously written an update on several initiatives that were passed during the last week of the session. However, I wanted to follow up with information on some additional measures that were passed by the General Assembly and are on the Governor’s desk awaiting signature.

By Rep. MATT RAMSEY
and Sen. RONNIE CHANCE

Last week, in Fayette County, we had the privilege of addressing one of the 2,000 tea parties held nationwide to mark “tax day” in America. Every year at this time, Americans are reminded of the outrageous absurdity of a tax code so complex that one must pay an accountant or some other service simply to comply with the law. Yet something is different this year, as Americans from sea to shining sea felt compelled to come together to publicly express their displeasure.

The Georgia General Assembly adjourned the final day of the session on Friday night at 11:59 p.m. It was a hectic final week with several important pieces of legislation getting enacted, while several others were held over to next year. I wanted to give a brief overview about the final week of the session and follow up with a more comprehensive wrap-up in the weeks to come.

This past week proved to be another busy one for the House of Representatives. We are set to start our last week and the pace of bills and resolutions being considered is brisk. Last week we considered several important bills.

With Crossover Day behind us, the end of a challenging 2009 regular session draws near. The House and Senate have six legislative days remaining before we adjourn on Friday, April 3.

One of the busiest days of every legislative session is “Crossover Day.” Crossover Day, the 30th legislative day, is the last day legislation may pass out of its originating chamber to be considered by the other chamber.

Last week, the General Assembly convened for days 25, 26 and 27 of the legislative session. We are rapidly approaching Day 30, known as “Cross-Over Day” which is the last day that bills originating from the House and Senate can pass out of their respective bodies and be heard by the other body this session. Last week we considered some important measures on the floor and in committee.

Last week, the legislature convened for legislative days 22, 23 and 24. With the session now well past the halfway point, the legislature is moving at a rapid pace. The House passed several important bills this week, including the mid-year budget adjustment for 2009 and an important education related measure.

This past week, the Georgia General Assembly convened its fifth week of session. Last year, I wrote a great deal about my concern over the way the Georgia Department of Transportation conducts its business. I strongly believe that the DOT, as much as any agency of state government, needs to be reformed in a way that ensures Georgia’s taxpayer dollars are being spent efficiently.

Week 4 report: The General Assembly gaveled in last week on Feb. 10 for the 16th legislative day of the 2009 session. The legislature was in session Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday; however, numerous committee hearings were held Monday and Friday.

This past week was the third full week the General Assembly was in session, and Friday marked the 15th legislative day out of a Constitutional maximum of 40.

On Monday, Jan. 26, the Georgia House of Representatives convened for the sixth legislative day after adjourning for the previous week.

[Two weeks ago] the 2009 Georgia General Assembly was gaveled into session. The first day the entire body was sworn in by the chief justice of the Georgia Supreme Court.

After a year dominated by difficult and hard-fought elections, January will see a new President, Congress and Georgia General Assembly sworn into office.

With the election of Barack Obama as President and increased Democratic majorities in the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate, we are entering an era of Democratic rule we have not seen in 30 years.

On April 26, the Dixie Air Wing in Peachtree City hosted World War II Heritage Days, an annual event commemorating World War II and honoring its veterans. I was honored to be asked to give the remarks during the opening ceremony.

Over the last 25 years, our county has seen explosive growth, with our population multiplying close to five times in that time frame.

One of the issues I hear about most frequently from citizens in our community is concern about crime and public safety.

With my first session in the General Assembly now complete, I am pleased to report that we passed many of the important pieces of legislation that I have outlined for you earlier and those are now on the way to the governor’s desk for signature.

Our work at the Capitol is coming to an end for this legislative session and I happy to report that we have already accomplished many of the goals we set forth in January.

[Editor’s note: Re. Matt Ramsey (R-Peachtree City) emailed the following statement Wednesday afternoon:]

With spring finally here, tax cuts continue to be a topic of discussion in the Capitol halls. This [past] week, the House and the Senate finally reached an agreement on the Fiscal Year 2008 Amended Budget and the House passed our version of the Fiscal Year 2009 Budget.

Last week, the House crossed the 30th day of our 40-day legislative session. This is the day that a bill must have passed at least one body in order to have a chance of becoming law. With some changes to the legislation that fell short last week, the House of Representatives had a second opportunity to vote for the largest tax cut in Georgia’s history.

As we enter March, our work at the Capitol continues. While we did many good things this [past] week, I was disappointed when the largest tax cut in the history of the state failed by 10 votes to receive the necessary two-thirds vote to be placed on the ballot as a constitutional amendment in November.

The House convened this [past] week on Tuesday for the 23rd day of our 40-day legislative session. On the floor, we adopted legislation addressing our continued transportation funding problems, education and local school boards and an adoption tax credit.

The 2008 legislative session is now more than half-way complete, but much important work remains.

Key issues that we still must address are tax reform, a budget that is fiscally responsible and meets the needs of our citizens, transportation, and trauma care.

As the halfway mark of the 2008 legislative session approaches, we continue to move legislation through the General Assembly, and key initiatives continue to be heard in committee prior to consideration by the full House.

It seems like only last week the 2008 legislative session got underway, and here we are now in February.

Our committee work on the Amended Fiscal Year 2008 Budget is now complete and we are ready to move forward with our proposals.

As the 2008 legislative session continues, legislation is beginning to move through committees and to the floor of the House for a full vote. This past week, we voted for new measures to protect consumers’ identity. I also joined my colleagues Chuck Martin of Alpharetta and Lynn Smith of Newnan on two pieces of legislation offering tax breaks for Georgians.

It was with great excitement and an overwhelming sense of responsibility that I took my seat on Monday in the state House as the 2008 General Assembly session was gaveled in by the Speaker of the House. In the first week of session I had the opportunity to work on several issues that are of great importance to Fayette County and our state. I plan to write periodic updates during the legislative session in an effort to keep the community informed as to what is going on in the General Assembly this year.