Governor's Signatures and Vetoes

Afterschool advocates may be interested in reading about the following bills the General Assembly passed this session -- and whether the Governor signed or vetoed them.

GOVERNOR SIGNED

Children, Youth and Families

HB 228 (Rep. Mark Butler, R - Carrollton) reorganizes the state's health and human services agencies into a Department of Human Services, a Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities and a Department of Community Health. Afterschool Services and the Childcare and Parent Services program remain in the Division of Family and Children Services under the newly named Department of Human Services. Gov. signed 5/4.

Education

HB 149 (Rep. Jan Jones, R - Alpharetta), entitled "The Move on When Ready Act," allows 11th and 12th grade students to attend postsecondary schools for high school credit. Gov. signed 4/29.

HB 193 (Rep. Tom Graves, R - Granger) allows the State Board of Education to set an "equivalent" requirement for days of instruction (currently set at 180 days). Schools thus may be able to move to a 4-day school week or other configurations. Gov. signed 5/4.

HB 229 (Rep. Brooks Coleman, R - Duluth) requires school systems to conduct annual fitness assessments for 1st through 12th grade students during physical education class. Aggregate results will be reported to the State Board of Education; individual results will be provided to parents. Gov. signed 4/28.

HB 243 (Rep. Jimmy Pruett, R-Eastman) limits National Board Certification stipends to current recipients. Those in the pipeline will recieve the stipend if they work in a high needs school. All stipends are subject to appropriations. Gov. signed 4/21.

HB 251 (Rep. Alisha Morgan, D - Austell) allows a student to attend any public school within his/her school system if the school has space available. The student has to arrange his/her own transportation. Nepotism language related to local school boards, orignally found in SB 84, was amended to the bill on Sine Die. Gov. signed 5/5.

HB 280 (Rep. Brooks Coleman, R-Duluth) provides higher pay for math and science teachers. Gov. signed 4/22.

HB 455 (Rep. Jay Neal, R - Lafayette) extends the teacher contract deadline date to May 15, 2009 for the 09-10 school year. Amendments to the bill eliminate the sunset provision for the Master Teacher program and the pay increase for leadership degrees beginning in 2010 for educators not serving in leadership positions. Gov. signed 4/6.

SR 152 (Sen. Dan Weber, R - Dunwoody) urges the Governor to appoint a working group to study the establishment of "Governor's Academies" which would implement recommendations of the Tough Choices or Tough Times working group. Does not require Governor's signature.

Revenue and Taxes

HB 143 (Rep. Larry O'Neal, R - Bonaire) requires the current budget (FY09) to include funding for The Homestead Tax Relief Grants (HTRGs) - property tax breaks of roughly $250 per homeowner. In future years, HTRGs would only be funded if state revenues are sufficient. HTRGs were not funded in the FY10 budget. Governor signed 2/17.

GOVERNOR VETOED

Education

HB 278 (Rep. Matt Ramsey, R-Peachtree City) relaxes certain expenditure restrictions for school systems for fiscal years 2009 and 2010. It passed as an amendment to SB 178. Gov. vetoed SB 178 on 5/11.

HB 400 (Rep. Fran Millar, R - Dunwoody), the "Building Resourceful Individuals to Develop Georgia's Economy" bill requires all students to have an individual graduation plan and provides grants for public schools to implement focused programs of study in high-demand fields. This passed as an amendment to SB 178. Gov. vetoed SB 178 on 5/11.

SB 178 (Sen. Dan Moody, R - Alpharetta) originally extended the capital outlay deadline to 2011 but on Sine Die amendments passed to: restore funding for dual enrollment, waive expenditure controls for 08-09 and 09-10 as in the original HB 278, and implement the BRIDGE bill (HB 400). Gov. vetoed 5/11.

Revenue and Taxes

HB 100 (Rep. Earl Ehrhart, R - Powder Springs) increases the tax credit for contributions made to Student Scholarship Organizations, which provide funding for public school students to attend private schools. The tax credit equals actual expenses up to 75% of income tax liability (up from $1000 for single filers and $2500 for joint filers).

HB 481 (Rep. Tom Graves, R - Ranger) provides tax breaks to businesses for hiring unemployed persons and reduces the capital gains tax by 50%. Expected state revenue loss is more than $1 billion. See GBPI's brief for more information.