Blake Tillery: - Week Eight Under the Gold Dome

Blake Tillery:

LYONS YARD OF THE SEASON – The Lyons Yard of the Month award has transformed into the Yard of the Season, as recipients are celebrated for their diligence over several months and rewarded with a $100 gift card. On Friday, March 1, Lyons Code Enforcement Officer Chris Failla (left) presented Velma Woods (right) with the award. Woods is 82 years-old and has lived in her home in Lyons for 59 years. She enjoys doing yard work as her daily exercise.

It has been another busy week under the Gold Dome, as we concluded the eighth week of the 2024 Legislative Session. On February 29, the Georgia General Assembly reached “Crossover Day,” which is the official deadline for all bills to pass through their originating chamber. As evidenced by the latenight session last Thursday, there were several additional bills that were introduced to further benefit this state. Here’s a brief summary for some of the matters that passed in the Senate this week that may be of interest to you: SB 180 – The “Georgia Religious Freedom Restoration Act,” would safeguard religious freedom from governmental interference, which allows individuals to challenge infringements on their religious exercise.

SB 368 – A bill that forbids foreign nationals from contributing to political campaigns and prohibits candidates from accepting such funds.

SB 390 – A bill that would prohibit the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia and library trustees across the state from using taxpayer or privately donated funds on services offered by the American Library Association.

SB 414 – The “Personal Privacy Protection Act,” protects the privacy of individuals and nonprofit organizations by barring public agencies from collecting and disclosing personal information.

SB 420 – This bill outlaws the acquisition of agricultural land by a noncitizen, specifically within a 25 mile radius of any military base, installation, or airport.

SB 425 – A bill that I am proud to author that modernizes legal, notarial, and court services through electronic means.

SB 473 – The “Georgia Consumer Privacy Protection Act,” and takes necessary action to protect the privacy of Georgia consumers’ and their personal data.

SB 505 – Requires nonprofit hospitals to post their financial records so communities can gauge if they truly are nonprofit and serving the community.

SB 515 – This bill would establish a two-year pilot program to provide additional ambulances for transfers and emergency care to certain areas across the state.

This is just a sample of the matters that were presented before the Senate this week. In addition to the bills in the Senate, the FY 2024 Amended Budget was signed by Governor Kemp on Thursday, and I anticipate that the FY 2025 Budget will pass out of the House next week.

Thank you again for the honor of serving you in the Senate. For students between the ages of 12 and 18 that are interested in the legislative process and spending a day at our Capitol, I want to invite you to serve as a Capitol Page. 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)