Tom’s vote: YES The FY 2016 Budget is set by a revenue estimate of $23.7 billion. While, in nominal terms, this budget is the largest ever proposed, in reality, FY 2017 per capita spending under this budget – when adjusted for inflation and population growth – is on par with…
Read MoreTom’s vote: YES The Georgia Right to Try Act grants some terminally ill patients faster access to investigational drugs that have passed phase one in the three-phase FDA drug approval process. The bill only grants access to investigational drugs, biological products, or devices for eligible patients with terminal illnesses whose…
Read MoreTom’s vote: YES HB 659 requires school systems to make financial information – other than that made specifically confidential by law – available for public access to promote greater transparency in the public school system. Each school and district would send budget information to the Department of Education using uniform…
Read MoreTom’s vote: YES (Did Not Pass Senate) HB 722 allows for manufacturers of low THC oil to ship low THC oil to a person properly registered with the Department of Public Health in Georgia thereby providing an alternative to Georgia families having to travel out of state to purchase cannabis…
Read MoreTom’s vote: YES This legislation provides a sales and use tax exemption to companies for nearly-expired food they donate to food banks. Under current law, the food would not be taxed if it was thrown away, but it would be subject to sales and use tax if donated in bulk…
Read MoreTom’s vote: YES HB 727 regulates where and when fireworks can be exploded. This bill makes it unlawful to explode fireworks within five yards of an overhead obstruction or across or into a public road. Fireworks may not be used in close proximity to electric plants, waste water treatment plants,…
Read MoreTom’s vote: YES HB 768 establishes the Georgia ABLE Program (‘Georgia Achieving a Better Life Experience’), modeled after education savings plans under Section 529 of the Internal Revenue Code, whereby disabled individuals can save private funds in tax-exempt accounts to pay for qualified disability expenses without becoming ineligible for Medicaid…
Read MoreTom’s vote: YES HB 770 expands the victim class for human trafficking to include those with developmental disabilities and ensures that offenses perpetrated against victims with developmental disabilities will be sentenced consistent with offenses against minors – punishable by a felony and 25 to 50 years or life in prison…
Read MoreTom’s vote: YES SB 18 requires the Technical College System of Georgia to establish policies for granting academic credit to active duty military or veteran students for college-level learning acquired prior to their enrollment. Training and experience from military service must be substantially related to the coursework credit given by…
Read MoreTom’s Vote: YES Senate Bill 416 establishes the Georgia Information Sharing and Analysis Center within the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. This center will serve as a fusion center maintaining a terrorism analytical component. Development, maintenance, and operations of the center are vested in the director of the GBI. The director…
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