Gold Dome Download

January 25, 2024

Welcome to this year's first issue of the Gold Dome Download, your source for insights into legislative priorities at the State Capitol. As we step into 2024, our goal is to keep you informed about the major initiatives under consideration by state lawmakers - as well as the latest news in key areas like election integrity, education, public safety, and economic development.

This year marks the second convening of the 157th Georgia General Assembly, which gaveled in on January 8th. We're just a few weeks in, and already lawmakers have brought forward a number of major bills that are making headlines.

Governor's Priorities

In his State of the State Address, Governor Kemp highlighted a number of his legislative priorities for 2024. View our summary below or click HERE to read his full remarks.

Cutting Taxes

Accelerating the existing state income tax cuts to bring even more savings to Georgia taxpayers (the 2024 rate will be lowered to 5.39%, saving taxpayers an estimated $1.1 billion this year alone)

Infrastructure

$1.8B allocated to improve Georgia's infrastructure

Education

Passing a school choice bill
Increasing teacher salaries ($2,500)
$104 million for school safety improvements

Public Safety

Increasing law enforcement salaries ($3,000)
Supporting the Atlanta Public Safety Training Center

Healthcare

$1.6B for mental health programs
Continued investment to improve the private sector insurance exchange

Legislation to Watch

Below you will find summaries of the top bills introduced in the legislature so far.

Education

Senate Bill 233

About: A bill to create a $6,000 school voucher program.

Sponsor: Senator Greg Dolezal

To read the bill, CLICK HERE.

Election Integrity

Senate Bill 355

About: A bill to prohibit ranked-choice voting.

Sponsor: Senator Randy Robertson

To read the bill, CLICK HERE.

Senate Bill 358

About: A bill to remove the Secretary of State from the State Election Board and give the State Election Board power to investigate the Secretary of State.

Sponsor: Senator Max Burns

To read the bill, CLICK HERE.

Senate Resolution 443

About: Appointment of Rick Jeffares to the State Election Board.

Sponsor: Senator John F. Kennedy

To read the resolution, CLICK HERE.

Public Safety

House Bill 30

About: A bill to provide for the definition of antisemitism.

Sponsor: Representative John Carson

To read the bill, CLICK HERE.

House Bill 881

About: A bill to amend the Prosecuting Attorneys Qualifications Commission.

Sponsor: Representative Joseph Gullett

To read the bill, CLICK HERE.

Senate Resolution 465

About: A bill to create a special Committee on Investigations to probe allegations of misconduct in Fulton County.

Sponsor: Senator Greg Dolezal

To read the resolution, CLICK HERE.

Legislator Spotlight

Here are some state lawmakers who have been in the headlines this week for their work on the legislation above!

Senator Max Burns (R-SD23)

Senator Burns represents the 23rd Senate District, which covers several counties including Burke, Emanuel, Glascock, Jefferson, Jenkins, Johnson, McDuffie, Screven, Taliaferro and Warren. He serves as the Chairman of the Ethics Committee, Vice Chair of Higher Education, and is a member of the Children and Families and Agriculture and Consumer Affairs Committees. Senator Burns is the sponsor of numerous election bills, most notably SB358, the bill to remove the Secretary of State from the State Election Board - which passed a Senate committee this week.

To learn more about Senator Burns, CLICK HERE.

Rep. Joseph Gullett (R-HD19)

Representative Gullet serves the people of the 19th House District which encompasses part of Paulding County. He serves as the Vice Chair of Code Revision and as a member on Appropriations, Banks & Banking, Energy, Utilities & Telecommunications, Governmental Affairs, Insurance, Interstate Cooperation, Judiciary Non-Civil, Juvenile Justice, and Technology and Infrastructure Innovation. This week, a House committee passed his bill (HB881) to empower the Prosecuting Attorneys Qualification Commission to self-govern.

To learn more about Representative Gullet, CLICK HERE.

Greater Georgia Updates

Faith and Freedom Legislative Luncheon

Tuesday, January 23

Senator Loeffler was honored to sponsor the annual Faith and Freedom Legislative Luncheon earlier this week, where she addressed a crowd of activists and lawmakers alike. Other speakers included Governor Kemp, Lt. Governor Burt Jones, and Speaker of the House Jon Burns - who each gave their legislative outlooks for the year.

Find your Legislators

Did you know you can look up your state senator and state representative on the My Voter Page? Visit www.mvp.sos.ga.gov to find out who represents you at the State Capitol - and while you're there, double check your voter registration to make sure it's up to date!

What We're Reading

AJC - Expert shows how to tamper with Georgia voting machine in security trial

GPB - Democrats want Trump’s name off Georgia ballot

Fox News - Attempt by Georgia elections board to investigate secretary of state sparks legal debate

Fox 5 - Georgia House speaker proposes additional child income-tax deduction atop other tax cuts

11 Alive - Georgia's Lt. Governor highlights legislative priorities for 2024

Georgia Recorder: Talk of Georgia-style full Medicaid expansion spurs bipartisan buzz at state Capitol

AJC - Why Kemp taps brakes on overhaul of tort regulations in 2024

To learn more, visit www.greatergeorgia.com and follow along on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to stay up to date with the latest information.

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