Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Rep. Barbara Massey Reece| Legislative Report | January 27, 2012

Media release: On Jan. 24, members of the Georgia Commission on the Blind, including several advocates from our area, visited the State Capitol. I met with them, along with a number of other House members and Senators, to hear their concerns about services for the blind and hearing impaired.

We discussed legislation they are promoting, including HB 662, the Blind Persons' Braille Literacy Rights and Education Act, which I have co-sponsored. This proposal would require an evaluation of a blind or visually impaired child to determine his or her need for Braille instruction and, when warranted, require Braille instruction in the child's individualized education program. The measure also includes requirements for textbook publishers related to Braille instructions and licensing requirements related to Braille for certain teachers. The bill was referred to the House Education Committee for its consideration.

Economic Impact of Tourism

Jan. 24 was also Tourism Day at the Capitol. The Department of Economic Development estimates that visitors spend almost $125 million each year in the communities of House District 11. This supports 1,310 jobs in our area that are connected to the travel industry. Across Georgia, tourism generates $2.4 billion in local and state revenue, which results in a tax savings of $706 for every Georgia household.

State of the Judiciary

Chief Justice Carol Hunstein of the Supreme Court of Georgia delivered her annual State of the Judiciary address to a joint session of the House of Representatives and the Senate on Jan 25. She called for an overhaul of the state's juvenile justice system in addition to expressing support for recommendations of a special Criminal Justice Reform Council. The chief justice said that putting nonviolent youth offenders in juvenile jails increases the likelihood that they will commit crimes in the future. State funding cuts to mental health and child welfare services, as well as group homes, have left juvenile judges fewer options for dealing with young offenders.

Statistics from the Department of Juvenile Justice show that in the past three years, nearly two-thirds of approximately 10,000 incarcerated young people in Georgia had substance abuse problems, and more than one-third had mental health problems. Chief Justice Hunstein also urged lawmakers to enact proposals to create specialized courts designed to treat nonviolent adult offenders with substance abuse and military veterans who run into trouble with the law. She said the roots of an offender's behavior need to be addressed by the justice system.

The chief justice said, "If we simply throw low-risk offenders into prison, rather than holding them accountable for their wrongdoing while addressing the source of their criminal behavior, they merely become hardened criminals who are more likely to re-offend when they are released." She added, "The same reforms we are recommending to you for adults must begin with children. As with adults, we have learned that our get-tough tactics have failed to scare juvenile offenders straight."

Direction of Fee Revenues

Legislation has been introduced that would ensure that state revenues collected in the form of special state fees are directed toward the purpose for which they were created. HB 811 is aimed at ending the practice of spending special fee revenues on other general budget items instead to going to their designated programs. Examples of these revenue sources include the solid waste disposal surcharge fee provided for the hazardous waste trust fund; the tire disposal fee provided for the solid waste trust fund; additional offender fines and court filing fees provided for peace officer and prosecutor training, indigent criminal defense and driver education and training. When these funds are redirected to other programs, the fee-based funds are short-changed, sometimes requiring local governments to make up the difference. HB 811, which has been referred to the House Governmental Affairs Committee for its consideration, seeks to fulfill the original purpose of the fees.

Small Business Deregulation

The Special Committee on Small Business and Job Creation, which is charged with thoroughly reviewing and evaluating the regulatory environment in which our small businesses operate, will hold a special public meeting on Thursday, Feb. 2, from 1 to 4 p.m. in Room 406 of the Coverdell Legislative Office Building, across the street from the State Capitol. The purpose of this meeting is to hear from small business owners and operators who wish to comment on any unfair or burdensome regulations that hinder small business growth in Georgia and determine whether the General Assembly can address those problems through legislation. If you are interested in attending the Feb. 2 meeting or future meetings of the committee to discuss your concerns, please contact my office at 404-656-7859 or send an email to barbara.reece@house.ga.gov.

Cancer Check-Off

All Georgians are encouraged to participate in the state's voluntary state income tax check-off program for cancer research when filing their 2011 Georgia tax returns. The check-off allows Georgians to write in a contribution of $1 or more to the Georgia Cancer Research Fund. The donations are tax deductible and are matched dollar-for-dollar by research facilities in Georgia. The program has allowed donors to contribute a total of $3 million toward cancer research, funding a total of 71 projects through research grants. For more information, visit www.georgiacancer.org.

Session Schedule

Monday, Jan. 30, is the 10th legislative day of the session.

Please continue to contact me with your views on the issues or whenever I can be of service. Rep. Reece may be reached at 404-656-7859 or barbara.reece@house.ga.gov. Rep. Reece serves on the Education Committee, State Institutions and Properties Committee, Science and Technology Committee, and the Legislative and Congressional Reapportionment Committee. She is also Vice-Chairman of the Rural Caucus.

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