The 2013 legislative session of the Georgia General Assembly officially convenes at 10 a.m. Monday, Jan. 14. The first week of the session is typically devoted to organizational matters, the assignment of legislation to committees and hearing the State of the State Address and budget recommendations from Gov. Nathan Deal. 

Next week, the Legislature will be in official recess for the Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday, followed by Appropriations Committee hearings to begin the process of developing an amended state budget for fiscal year 2013 and the annual budget for FY 2014. 

I hope you received my newsletter in the mail last week, which outlines my legislative agenda and what I expect in the session. If you did not receive the mailing, you can download a copy here: Click here for PDF. Healthcare will continue to be a focus for me as Georgia struggles to find revenue for Medicaid and health benefits for state employees and teachers. Renewal of an assessment on hospitals, how to provide healthcare for the nearly 2 million working families in Georgia with no coverage, and an advance directive or crisis plan for mental health patients will be at the top of my agenda.

As a member of the Committees on Transportation, Natural Resources, Appropriations, and Higher Education, it will be a busy year. Issues specific to the Fulton County Commission and the Redistricting of the APS school district will also be important.

Budget - For the first six months of the current fiscal year, state revenue collections are up by 4.9 percent over the same period last year but are short of the 5.2 percent anticipated growth on which the $19.2 billion budget for fiscal year 2013 is based. Also, the state is facing a $430 million deficit in the Medicaid program. As a result, Gov. Nathan Deal has ordered a 3 percent budget cut across most state agencies.  

Ethics - Proposals have been made to prohibit gifts from lobbyists to legislators or at least implement a $100 limit on the gift's value.

Gun Laws - In response to the national focus on school violence, legislation is being introduced that would expand Georgia's gun-carry rights and allow administrators to carry weapons in public schools, at the discretion of local boards of education. On the other side of the debate, proposals include a ban on the sale of high-capacity magazines and requiring background checks and public records of private gun sales.  

Warmly, 

Rep. Pat Gardner

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