Mid session week brings education support and parental involvement
By Representative Glenn Richardson, Speaker of the House

ATLANTA, GA (Feb. 17) - Day 20 of our 40 day legislative session has come and gone, and with it a lot of good things have been accomplished for the people of Georgia. This week, the House passed the Governor’s initiative requiring more education dollars to be spent in the classroom, gave parents more control of their children’s school activities, a tax on international wire transfers to raise funds for indigent care programs, tax incentives to lure the NASCAR Hall of Fame to Georgia, and a tax savings for Delta Airlines.

   Governor Perdue has been clear that his top priority is education and this week we stood behind those efforts. With bipartisan support, we passed a measure requiring 65% of education dollars to be spent in the classrooms where they will directly benefit student’s academic achievement. The bill does allow for waivers for school districts exceeding state standards and for hardship circumstances. I applaud Governor Perdue for his leadership on this issue and for his work to ensure every Georgia student receives a quality education.

   Local control and parental involvement are strongly held Republican beliefs. While parents have long been involved in school athletics, this week we gave them the opportunity to become more involved in their children’s school clubs and activities. After all, how many parents actually know what the Key Club does? Schools will provide parents with information on clubs offered to students. Parents will now know the mission of the club, the faculty advisor, and what events or competitions they participate in. And if parents choose, they can withhold permission for their students’ participation in any club. It is a right and responsibility of parents to know what activities their students are participating in and this bill allows them to do just that.

   The House continues to address the burden of illegal immigration and the strains these individuals place on state services. The Illegal Immigrant Fee Act will tax international wire transfers of money at a rate of 5% if the customer is unable to provide proof of U.S. citizenship or proof that they have paid state or federal income taxes. Tax revenues from this fee will be used for indigent care programs often used by illegal immigrants.

   This legislature continues to be business friendly. While we wait for the announcement of the future home of the NASCAR Hall of Fame, we passed a measure this week offering further tax incentives if the museum is located in Atlanta. The NASCAR Hall of Fame will attract thousands of tourists who will stay in our hotels, eat in our restaurants and bring over 3,000 new jobs for Georgians. And hopefully some of those tourists will arrive in Atlanta on a Delta Airlines flight. This week we also extended a hand to Delta allowing them take previously earned but unused tax credits. We will continue to do what we can to create a healthy economy in Georgia.

   With mid-session accomplishments ranging from tax credits for Georgians to stronger sexual predator laws to better use of education funding, it is hard to imagine what more could lie in store for the remaining weeks of the 2006 legislative session. But we will be busy. Work continues on the state budget as strive to meet the state’s needs and increase our rainy day fund. The coming weeks will also bring measures to curb eminent domain abuses, immigration reform, and protections for HOPE.

   As always, please do not hesitate to contact me at my Capitol office at 404-656-5020.