Week Six Under the Gold Dome
It has been another busy week under the Gold Dome, as we concluded the sixth week of the 2024 Legislative Session. The Senate has worked on a range of issues, from the regulation of sports betting to expressions of Georgia’s support for increased border protection. Here’s a brief summary for some of the matters that passed in the Senate this week: SR 543 – A resolution that supports increased protections for America’s borders. This coincides with Governor Kemp’s announcement Tuesday that Georgia would send National Guard troops to the U.S.-Mexico border in Texas this spring.
SB 412 – A bill that raises administrative fines to $10,000 for a single violation or up to $100,000.00 for multiple violations for unlawful charities or those who solicit donations illegally. Currently, these unlawful charitable organizations face a penalty of $2,500 for a single violation or up to $25,000.00 for multiple violation.
SB 426 – One of the bills that I am carrying is a piece of tort reform legislation that stabilizes or reduces insurance rates by revising requirements for joining a motor carrier and motor carrier’s insurer to a cause of action.
SB 334 – A bill improving 2017 legislation that required fire departments to provide cancer benefits for eligible firefighters. It makes sure that insurance coverage is kept when a firefighter moves from one fire department to another.
SB 430 – A bill that eliminates the requirement for signs at the front of stores and restaurants as a contingent factor for COVID liability protections.
SB 349 – A bill that targets the annual 30-40 percent increases that homeowners have seen in their property tax bills by restricting property tax re-evaluations to a maximum increase of 3 percent each year.
This is just a sample of the matters that were presented before the Senate this week. In addition to my time in the chamber, I have spent a lot of this week working on the FY 2024 Amended Budget, which adjusts the current fiscal year’s budget to address changes statewide and previous unanticipated needs. As always, thank you for the honor of serving you in the Senate.
If you have any questions about these or other pending matters, please do not hesitate to contact my office in Atlanta via 404-656-0089.
Sen. Blake Tillery serves as Chairman for the Senate Committee on Appropriations. He represents the 19th Senate District, which includes Appling, Bacon, Jeff Davis, Long, Montgomery, Telfair, Toombs, Wayne, and Wheeler counties and a portion of Coffee County. He can be reached by email at blake. tillery@senate.ga.gov.
By Sen. Blake Tillery (R-Vidalia)
