The Georgia House and Senate met in a joint session to hear from Governor Kemp and his annual State of the State address. The majority of the speech focused on his primary goal for the session - tort reform. He addressed public education once - when he recognized the school resource officers from Apalachee High School for their actions during the tragic school shooting in September. He is once again including increased funding for school security in his budget. You can read the full text of the address here.
A meeting of the House and Senate Appropriations Committees is scheduled for Tuesday, January 21 to hear from Gov. Brian Kemp on his proposed budgets, including, likely, his education funding plans. The committees will also meet again on Wednesday, January 22 and Thursday, January 23 at 8 a.m. to further consider the state’s budgets. The Department of Education presentation is on the schedule for Wednesday morning.
So delighted! All is right with the world! Bills have been introduced to make cornbread the official state bread (HB 14) and collards the official state “greens” (HB 65).
Ok, on to more important issues, GAE friend State Rep. Lydia Glaize has introduced HB 59, to require state funding for one school counselor for every 250 full-time equivalent students.
HB 60 proposes to provide free school lunch and school breakfast programs for public school students in this state.
SB 17 , by Sen. Jason Anavitarte, would require the establishment of a mobile panic alert system for public schools in the event of an emergency.
