At the beginning of each year, the Republican Senate Caucus gathers to determine what our top priorities are for the upcoming legislative session. This year, our primary goal was to protect Georgians. We recognized the need to protect teachers’ ability to teach, the future of the disabled and our state’s small businesses. Throughout this session, we passed many bills that support the efforts we outlined and that will help many Georgians feel physically and financially safe and safe from an overreaching government.
Our state’s teachers work hard to provide students with the best education possible. However, with increases in the amount of standardized testing being pushed on our children, it’s becoming more difficult to adequately prepare them for tests, while also covering Georgia’s Standards of Education. In an effort to protect our teachers’ ability to teach, we passed SB 364 and SB 355. SB 364, the Quality Basic Education Act, streamlines testing and allows for multiple, formative student assessments to be conducted throughout the year, rather than only one test at the end of the year. SB 355, the Student Protection Act, allows students to be excused from taking mandated standardized tests by a parent or medical professional. These bills will alleviate the stress on teachers to “teach for the test.”
In 2014, Congress passed the Federal Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE) Act to ease financial burdens placed on those with disabilities. The General Assembly passed our version of the ABLE Act, which was modeled after the federal version. House Bill 768 provides for tax-free savings accounts covering only qualified disability expenses such as housing, education or transportation, while also not affecting a disabled person’s eligibility for social security or food assistance benefits. HB 768 ensures that all disabled Georgians are given the opportunity to live their best lives.
Georgia’s small businesses are the lifeblood of our state. They not only provide unique products that may not be available through large retail chains, but they also provide employment opportunities. These small businesses play a critical role in the economic development of Georgia. This is why I authored and passed Senate Bill 277, the Protecting Georgia Small Businesses Act. This legislation protects and supports franchisees, which are small business owners, and gives them the power to maintain control of their business operations. Local control allows small businesses to achieve their goals of growth and prosperity, without government overreach.
Although the General Assembly has adjourned for the 2016 legislative session, my work at the Capitol is not done. I will continue to study the issues facing our state to ensure Georgia remains the best state in which to live, work and play. If you have any questions or comments regarding legislation that was passed this year, please feel free to reach out to me – your feedback is greatly appreciated.