ATLANTA — Georgia lawmakers will meet under the gold dome in Atlanta this week. They will tackle key issues that include new and returning topics. 13WMAZ to two Central Georgia leaders during Central Georgia Focus earlier in January.
Sports Betting
One major returning topic is sports betting. For the last three years, representatives have not agreed on how to move forward. Questions loom around who would manage sports betting in the state.
Some want the Georgia Lottery Corporation to be in charge, but Democrat and House Minority Leader James Beverly says the state should create a new commission to run it. Beverly says the House is closer to being able to pass a bill, but both the House and Senate believe voters should make a final decision.
Education
Another bill up for discussion is school Vouchers. The vouchers give $6,500 to families of students who transfer out of low-performing public schools into private schools.
The bill is stuck in the house.
State senator and Republican John Kennedy celebrates Kemp's teacher pay raises, and says the senate hopes to think of more teacher incentives to keep good teachers and fill the vacancies in Georgia classrooms.
Beverley says the House also wants to discuss transportation and helping struggling students.
"We're going to talk about buses and revamping the buses and certainly the ancillary staff and how they get paid and incentivized and we have bills ready to go on that," Beverley said.
There is a new push to expand Georgia's HOPE scholarship. It would repeal an act passed back in 1990. The act made Georgians with a drug conviction ineligible for HOPE, state loans, state tuition, and other grants.
Health
Mental health could also be up for discussion. Kennedy says the Senate will continue to discuss House Bill 520. It increases funding for mental health services like supportive housing and provides mental health coordinators to work with police.
"Talk to your local sheriff's. They'll tell you unfortunately we have been making jails the staying place and staging place for a lot of people with mental health crises and mental health issues and that's not how this ought to be handled," Kennedy said.
Alongside this, Beverley says both sides plan to talk about expanding Medicaid services.
"We need to stop shutting down hospitals, start taking care of those folks who need to be taken care of, and we'll let the economy figure itself out. It's a good economic boost for Georgia. We need to do it now," Beverley said.
Both men say medical marijuana will be a topic of discussion as well.
Antisemitism
Amid the Isreal-Hamas war, the Anti-Defamation League says antisemitic incidents have increased. Central Georgia has seen their fair share of hate in the last six months, as antisemitic fliers were posted in neighborhoods in Macon and Warner Robins, and protests happened outside of a synagogue.
A proposal to put antisemitism under Georgia's existing hate crime law is also considered. Lawmakers would work to clearly define what antisemitism is, in a way that wouldn't harm free speech.
Taxes
At the start of the new year, Gov. Brian Kemp's tax cut went into effect, bringing the basic rate from 5.75% down to 5.49%. This change will count toward your 2024 taxes that you file in 2025.
The state's goal is to continue to drop the state's tax down by 0.1% until 2029. However, the governor is calling on the general assembly to speed up the state income tax cut.
"Assuming that the economy stays good in Georgia, we can keep reducing that to ultimately get to 4.99%. That's a lower tax rate for Georgians to keep money in their pockets," Kennedy said.