If you know someone who you think might like to receive these emails forward them this link. Now that the 2013 Legislative Session is over these weekly emails will cease. I’ll keep in touch less frequently as the year goes on.

This Thursday night, April 4th at 7:00 PM we’ll hold a Legislative Session Wrap Up Online Town Hall meeting. You can submit your questions prior to the Town Hall via email at buzzbrockway-at-gmail.com or during the Town Hall using the comment section on my webpage. We’ll be using Google+ Hangouts so if you use Google+ connect with me and join the Hangout or watch it on my website. I hope you will take this advantage of this opportunity to let me know what’s on your mind. Thus far, I’ve held three Online Town Hall Meetings. You can watch video from those previous Online Town Hall Meetings at my You Tube Channel.

One of the most important bills we passed this session was HB106. This bill establishes the state budget for Fiscal Year 2014, running from July 1, 2013 to June 30, 2014. Totaling $19.92 billion in state funds, the final version of this budget closely mirrors Gov. Deal’s original budget proposal, but includes a number of changes made by the House that benefit education, healthcare, and economic development. Among additions made by the House are $38.3 million for Equalization Grants for education, $489,475 for continued expansion funding of all programs that provide physician residency training, $25.7 million for road projects throughout the state, and $4.3 million to help the Georgia Bureau of Investigation and the Georgia Department of Natural Resources retain experienced, certified personnel. HB106 also fully restored proposed cuts to Georgia Gwinnett College here in Lawrenceville.

HB142, another major legislative accomplishment from this session, would strengthen Georgia’s ethics laws by placing a $75 limit on each expenditure made by an individual lobbyist on an elected official. Food and beverages exceeding the $75 limit may be provided to legislators only at group events where all members of the General Assembly, all members of the state House or Senate, all members of a standing committee of either body, or all members of a longstanding caucus recognized by the House or Senate ethics committees are invited. The bill also bans gifts of tickets to athletic, sporting, recreational, musical concerts and other entertainment events from lobbyists to state officials, which is currently allowed. The only exception would be for events where all members of the General Assembly are invited. HB142 also restores power to the Georgia Government and Campaign Finance Commission by giving it rule making authority. Further, the bill limits reimbursements to elected officials to actual and reasonable transportation, lodging, registration, food and beverage expenses that are related to conferences and meetings within the United States. Finally, HB142 clarifies and broadens the definition of who must register as a lobbyist so that it applies to anyone who is compensated for or has their expenses reimbursed in an amount greater than $250 if attempting to influence legislation. It also removed all lobbyist registration fees. The commission is now empowered to set reasonable fees for the cost of the ID card.

HB143 would further strengthen Georgia’s ethics laws by making common sense changes to the state’s campaign contribution disclosure requirements. This bill will require greater transparency in campaign finance by requiring disclosure of all contributions of more than $100 received during the month of January. This will ensure that all campaign contributions made just before the start of the annual legislative session are made public before that legislative session ends.

SB101: The merged House/Senate pro-2nd Amendment bill failed to reach the floor at the last hour. I’m disappointed we couldn’t pass a bill but we’ll keep trying next year.

You can see the list of all votes taken in the House this session here. Click on each vote number to see more details about what was being voted on and how I voted on that particular measure.

You can connect with me via Twitter and Facebook (personal or campaign page) and see photos from events at the Capitol on my Tumblr page.

Please feel free to contact me anytime if I can be of assistance. I’m honored to serve you at the Capitol and covet your prayers and support.

Sincerely,
Buzz Brockway
Representative, Georgia State House District 102
504-B Coverdell Legislative Office Building
Atlanta, Georgia 30334
404-656-0188
buzz.brockway@house.ga.gov
www.vote4buzz.com

If you know someone who you think might like to receive these emails forward them this link.

Thus far, I've held three Online Town Hall Meetings. You can watch video from the 2/28 Town Hall here. We'll have another one near the end of March. You can watch the video from the 1/29/13 meeting here. You can also watch video from the 1/08/13 Town Hall here. We'll have a Session Wrap Up Online Town Hall sometime next week.  I'll include the date and time in next weekend's Legislative Update.

The end of the 2013 Legislative Session is at hand.  We'll meet Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday of this week.  Thursday will be the 40th and last day of this year's session, known as Sine Die.  Sine Die is Latin for "without day" and is used in parliamentary procedure to indicate the Body is adjourned without setting a specific day for returning.  

An important tool we in the House now have is a bill comparison software program that allows us to electronically compare various versions of bills we are voting on.  For example, a bill that has passed the House and was modified by the Senate must be voted on again by the House.  This bill comparison software will search the new and old versions of the bill and highlight the differences.  This software will allow me as a Legislator to clearly see exactly what I am voting on, even during the hectic last days of the Session.

Georgia operates a biennial Legislature so that bills introduced this Legislative Session have two years to pass before they are considered "dead."  Thus if a bill does pass by Thursday it can be considered next year.  Some bills are crucial and need to be passed no later than Thursday and some probably need to be set on the shelf for further consideration.  Of course as a Legislator we think what we're working on is important and we'll all be working hard to convince our Colleagues on the merits of our bills.

I'm pleased to say that HB219 I had introduced was added to HB242 the Juvenile Justice Code reform bill and passed the Senate unanimously  HB219 would allow victims of human trafficking or sexual exploitation who have been caught up in the legal system the opportunity to present evidence to a Judge that they are victims, not perpetrators of the sexual crimes they are accused of.  Two years ago when the Legislature passed revisions to Georgia's human trafficking laws, we allowed people arrested in connection with certain sexual crimes such as prostitution to present evidence they were victims of human trafficking or exploitation if that is the case. HB219 extends that same right to current human trafficking victims. This bill is one of the recommendations of the Joint Human Trafficking Study Committee I was a member of last year.  The House must no agree to the changes the Senate made to the bill and when they do the bill will be sent to the Governor for his signature.

We are required by the State Constitution to pass a budget so on Friday a Conference Committee was formed and the Members of that Committee worked over the weekend to iron out the differences between the House and Senate versions of the Fiscal Year 2014 budget.  We will vote on the final version of the budget some time this week.

There are a few other bills I am particularly interested in that I hope come up for a final vote this week:

HB512/SB101: The House merged provision in the pro-2nd Amendment bill we passed, HB512, with a Senate pro-2nd Amendment bill SB101 and passed it on Friday.  I'm hopeful we'll see a final version of this bill this week.

HB142 and HB143:  On Friday the Senate passed their revised version of HB142, Speaker Ralston's ethics reform bill.  The Senate has not taken action yet on HB143 which I feel is also an important bill.  I don't think the differences in the House and Senate versions of HB142 are such that a reasonable agreement can't be reached.  I fell it's important we pass a bill this year and take a positive step forward on restoring trust in our government.

HB361 and HB362/SB179:  HB361 and HB362 reaffirm Georgia's status as a right to work State and prevent local governments from freezing out non-Union companies in the bidding process.  Unfortunately there are some local governments doing this currently.  The Senate killed HB362 so SB179 was amended to include the language of HB362 and sent back to the Senate.  Hopefully the Senate will approve these important measures and reaffirm our right to work status.

You can see the list of all votes taken in the House this session here.  Click on each vote number to see more details about what was being voted on and how I voted on that particular measure. 

The House will be back in Session at 10 AM tomorrow. You can watch each day's session live or review the archives.  I will send out another of these weekly emails next weekend.

You can connect with me via Twitter and Facebook (personal or campaign page or ) and see photos from events at the Capitol on my Tumblr page.  Also, you can watch each day's session live on the internet. 

Please feel free to contact me anytime if I can be of assistance.  I'm honored to serve you at the Capitol and covet your prayers and support.

Sincerely,
Buzz Brockway
Representative, Georgia State House District 102
504-B Coverdell Legislative Office Building
Atlanta, Georgia 30334
404-656-0188
buzz.brockway@house.ga.gov
www.vote4buzz.com

If you know someone who you think might like to receive this via email forward them this link.

Thus far, I've held three Online Town Hall Meetings. You can watch video from the 2/28 Town Hall here. We'll have another one near the end of March. You can watch the video from the 1/29/13 meeting here. You can also watch video from the 1/08/13 Town Hall here.. 

There will be two open house informational meetings about the proposed extension of HOT Lanes from Old Peachtree Rd. to Hamilton Mill Rd.  It's important to understand this proposed project will add a new lane of traffic, not convert an existing lane. You can read more about the proposed project here.  Details about the open house informational meetings are:

 Public Information Open Houses:

In addition, the House Small Business Development Committee will hold a "Red Tape Watch" hearing to learn from Small Businesses what regulations are harming them.  

WHEN:  Thursday, March 21, 2013 2:00 PM
WHERE: Coverdell Legislative Office Building Room 406 18 Capitol Square Atlanta, GA

If you would like to tell the Committee in person about something that is harming your small business, please contact  Jenee' Burke, at jenee.burke-at-house.ga.gov or you can fill out this form and the Committee will take a look at your issue.

This was a relatively quite week on the House floor as committees are working on bills passed by the Senate. You can watch House Committee meetings live as they are broadcast on the internet. Previous meetings are available online as well.

The major piece of Legislation we passed this week was the Fiscal Year 2014 Budget which has been sent to the Senate for their input.  Here are some highlights:

- The total budget for FY2014 is $19,864,261,481 in State funds. When adjusted for inflation to 2012 dollar values, our state is spending 17 percent less per capita than it was a decade ago. And there are 9,000 fewer state employees than there were five years ago.

- The education portion of the budget will net $268.8 million. That includes an increase of $236 million for K-12 education and another $13.5 million for Pre-Kindergarten, part of which will allow Georgia Pre-K to add ten more days to its school year. The FY2014 state budget also fully funds Quality Basic Education (QBE) enrollment growth of 1.4% for 23,922 new students, as well as training and experience pay raises for teachers. The House version of the budget also reflects the State Education Finance Study Commission’s recommendations for increased state support of school nurses and professional development for school administration.

- Georgia Gwinnett College had it's proposed cuts restored for the most part and now has a plan to fully fund enrollment through the Board of Regents funding formula rather than a special appropriation that is in peril every budget cycle.  This will allow GGC to plan for the future rather than have to fight for every penny each year.

- The House also designated 20 percent of the bond package for economic development purposes. These state bonds will help fund reservoirs, local water and sewer construction, and deepening the Savannah Harbor – a project that is vital to both Georgia’s and the nation’s economy. 

You can see the list of all votes taken in the House here.  Click on each vote number to see more details about what was being voted on and how I voted on that particular measure. 

The House will be back in Session at 10 AM on Wednesday and will meet Wednesday – Friday. You can watch each day's session live or review the archives.  I will send out another of these weekly emails next weekend.

You can connect with me via Twitter and Facebook (personal or campaign page or ) and see photos from events at the Capitol on my Tumblr page.  Also, you can watch each day's session live on the internet. 

Please feel free to contact me anytime if I can be of assistance.  I'm honored to serve you at the Capitol and covet your prayers and support.
Sincerely,
Buzz Brockway
Representative, Georgia State House District 102
504-B Coverdell Legislative Office Building
Atlanta, Georgia 30334
404-656-0188
buzz.brockway@house.ga.gov
www.vote4buzz.com

If you know someone who you think might like to receive these emails forward them this link.

Thus far, I've held three Online Town Hall Meetings. You can watch video from the 2/28 Town Hall here. We'll have another one near the end of March. You can watch the video from the 1/29/13 meeting here. You can also watch video from the 1/08/13 Town Hall here.. 

We voted on a number of important measures this week, including over 40 measures on "Crossover Day" this past Thursday. Crossover Day refers to a Senate Rule that says the Senate will only consider measures that have passed the House no later than the 30th Legislative day. You can see the list of all votes taken in the House here.  Click on each vote number to see more details about what was being voted on and how I voted on that particular measure.

I'd like to tell you about three notably measures we voted on this week:

HB123, the Parent and Teacher Empowerment Act would allow parents to petition their local school board to convert their traditional public school into a public charter school. HB123 also provides parents and teachers several options for transforming low-achieving schools. These options would allow parents and teachers to decide whether their low-achieving school should: 1) remove administration; 2) restructure the school; 3) allow students an option to transfer to a better performing school in the district; 4) utilize a school management team; and/ or 5) impose student improvement plans. To enact these options or convert to a charter school, more than 50 percent of parents or teachers would have to sign a petition. The petition would then go before the local school board for consideration. It's important to note the decision on how to deal with petitions allowed under HB123 remain completely at the local level.

HB188 creates the potential for newly honorable discharged veterans who have received training in certain specialized skilled trades to receive an initial professional license for that trade from the Secretary of State. The bill does this by creating a committee that would identify military jobs with requirements that meet or exceed Georgia requirements for certification in skilled trades applicable to HVAC, plumbing, electrical contracting, utility foreman or residential light commercial contracting. If their research shows it is appropriate, the committee could allow an exemption from some Georgia requirements for veterans with these skills. The committee could also certify military spouses living in Georgia who have a skilled trade certification from another state if the committee determines that the other state’s requirements meet or exceed Georgia’s requirements. This will help our state fill the 60,000 vacancies in these skilled trades expected over the next seven years and reduce the number of unemployed veterans in Georgia.

HB512, would allow licensed weapons holders who have gone through the process of finger printing, a background check, and a mental health inquiry to obtain a Georgia Weapons License (GWL) to carry their firearms in more places in Georgia than currently allowed by state law. This bill, known as the Safe Carry Protection Act, would allow property owners – not the government – to decide whether a licensed weapon holder may carry a gun in their places of worship and establishments that primarily serve alcohol beverages. The bill would also allow GWL holders to carry their firearm in a government building that is not afforded the protection of security services at the entrances or exits of the premises. Additionally, HB512 would allow gun owners to carry their firearms on most areas of public college campuses, but would not allow weapons in residence halls or competitive sporting Further, the Safe Carry Protection Act would no longer require fingerprinting for GWL renewal, but would continue to require fingerprinting for first time applicants. Another important section of this bill creates uniformity in Georgia gun laws by making the General Assembly solely responsible for regulating possession, ownership, transfer, licensing, and registration of firearms or other weapons, as well as gun shows. HB512 would also give each local Board of Education the option to designate one or more administrators to possess a weapon in a school safety zone. The bill additionally addresses the issue of gun owners who unknowingly bring their weapons to commercial airports. Moreover, the Safe Carry Protection Act improves Georgia’s gun laws by strengthening mental health inquiries for obtaining a Georgia Weapons License. HB512 would make it mandatory for a probate judge to perform an inquiry with the Georgia Criminal Information Center (GCIC) to determine whether applicants for a Georgia Weapons License have received involuntary treatment ordered by a court or medical professional. Applicants who have received involuntary treatment within the last five years could only receive a license if the probate judge determines that the applicant is mentally fit. The bill also prevents any person falling into any of the following categories from receiving a Georgia Weapons License: (1) anyone who has been under the care of a guardian or a conservator appointed to represent that person as a result of a mental illness or substance dependency within the last five years; (2) anyone who has been found mentally incompetent to stand trial; (3) anyone who has been found not guilty by reason of insanity; (4) anyone who is a registered sex offender; or (5) anyone who has made a threat against another person that was reported to the GCIC within the last five years.

Now that Crossover Day is come and gone, committees will begin work on bills passed by the Senate. House Committee meetings are broadcast live and past meetings are available online.

The House will be back in Session at 10 AM on Monday and will meet each day through Thursday. You can watch each day's session live or review the archives.  I will send out another of these weekly emails next weekend.

You can connect with me via Twitter and Facebook (personal or campaign page or ) and see photos from events at the Capitol on my Tumblr page.  Also, you can watch each day's session live on the internet. 

Please feel free to contact me anytime if I can be of assistance.  I'm honored to serve you at the Capitol and covet your prayers and support.

Sincerely,
Buzz Brockway
Representative, Georgia State House District 102
504-B Coverdell Legislative Office Building
Atlanta, Georgia 30334
404-656-0188
buzz.brockway@house.ga.gov
www.vote4buzz.com