Governor’s Post-Session Acts
Radio Commentary, 90.7, 91.7 New Life FM, May 22, 2015 – By Sue Ella Deadwyler
For 40 days after the General Assembly adjourns for the year, the governor may exercise his power to veto bills of his choice. However, he cannot veto a proposed constitutional amendment or a bill to provide a new constitution, but he DOES have line-item veto over the budget.
Before signing next year’s $21.8 billion state budget May 11th, Governor Deal used his line-item veto to delete $809,900 that had been designated to build a seawall on Hutchinson Island in Savannah, because it did not meet constitutional requirements for state funding. Then, on May 12th he vetoed eleven bills.
Six of the vetoes concerned local governments, but S.B. 76 affected the entire state. It would have eliminated the current 15-inch height restriction on motorcycle handlebars. It was vetoed because that simple change would have allowed higher handlebars, although raising handle bars beyond 15 inches has proven to make cycles more difficult to control and steer. Last year’s statistics reveal that motorcycle and bicycle crashes accounted for 13 percent of fatalities on Georgia roads. The governor also vetoed two tax bills and one that would have created a separate agency for the Division of Aging Services.
When the governor signed the 2016 budget, he increased k – 12-grade funding over half-billion dollars to restore instructional days, eliminate furlough days and raise teacher salaries. He also increased the number of strategic industries for which the full cost of tuition is covered for Georgia technical college students “to help meet demand for available workers.” That’s further evidence that the focus of education has become workforce training instead of academics.
The budget also includes $36 million for services to Georgia children in need, including funds for more caseworkers and implementation of Child Welfare Reform Council recommendations to promote the safety and effectiveness of caseworkers.
On May 5th Governor Deal announced which local education authorities would receive over $25.3 million to pay for high-speed broadband access to digital and blended learning. Because the state provided the necessary matching funds, 134 school districts and two state charter schools are eligible for $90.9 million in federal funding for school and classroom network infrastructure. Previous grants for $37 million went to 104 local education authorities, with more grants waiting to be awarded in July. For Georgia Insight, I’m Sue Ella Deadwyler, your Capitol correspondent.