News from Rep. Pam Dickerson | Georgia House District 113
June 3, 2015
Rep. Pam Dickerson

Please plan to join us this Saturday, June 6, at Turner Lake Park, 6185 Turner Lake Road, Covington, GA 30014 for our Family Fun Day, which I will co-host with Congressman Hank Johnson, Sen. Ronald Ramsey, Sheriff Ezell Brown and Commissioner Lanier Sims. Enjoy food, fun, prizes and music from noon to 4 p.m.

 

Also, I will sponsor a Women's Health fair in September. Be on the lookout for details in a future newsletter. 

 

Please feel free to contact me with your views on the issues facing our state, or whenever I can be of service. Thank you for allowing me to continue to serve you in the Georgia General Assembly.

Rep. Pam Dickerson 


Georgia State Capitol
End to Cyberbulling Act and Kelsey's Law signed by Governor Deal  

HB 131, the End to Cyberbullying Act, which I introduced to expand public school anti-bullying policies to include online bullying, has been signed into law by Gov. Nathan Deal. This new law will expand public school anti-bullying policies to include any bullying that occurs online and through cell phones and other wireless communications devices.

The Governor also signed SB 160 to enact Kelsey's Law, which I co-sponsored with Rep. Dave Belton and creates a misdemeanor offense for those who intentionally cause a minor to be identified as someone in an obscene depiction. This includes electronically imposing a minor's face onto an obscene depiction or giving the minor's name, address, telephone number or email address..  

Other major bills signed into law by the Governor include:
HB 1, authorizing the use of cannabis oil to treat certain medical conditions in Georgia. 
HB 57, allowing homeowners and small businesses to finance the purchase of solar panels to generate electricity. 
HB 76, the $21.8 billion annual state budget for fiscal year 2016. 
HB 91, retroactively providing former students who did not pass the Georgia High School Graduation Test with the opportunity to earn a high school diploma.
HB 110, legalizing the sale of fireworks in Georgia.
HB 170, generating an estimated $900 million in additional annual funding for maintenance and improvements to Georgia's roads, bridges and transit systems.
HB 213, which would enable MARTA to expend sales tax revenues on operational expenses, above the current limitation that requires 50 percent of sales tax funding to go toward bonded indebtedness for construction projects.
HB 429, requiring Georgia insurance carriers to cover the costs of treatments for young autism patients. 
SR 7 and SB 8, establishing the Safe Harbor for Sexually Exploited Children Fund and increasing criminal penalties against convicted sex offenders. As a constitutional amendment, SR 7 will still have to be approved by Georgia voters in 2016.
SB 101, re-establishing a 25-foot buffer zone to protect coastal Georgia's saltwater marshes.
SB 132, the "Move on When Ready Act," to expand the dual enrollment program for  high school students to take post-secondary classes for dual credit.
As a constitutional amendment, SR 287 still must be approved by the voters in 2016. 
SR 287 and SB 133, calling for a constitutional amendment for the creation of an Opportunity School District, through which the state would intervene in the operation of Georgia schools that consistently fail to meet certain performance standards.

 

For details on all legislation, visit the General Assembly website.
Newton County Students at Berry's Tree Farm

Berry's Tree Farm in Newton County recently hosted students from Newton County Schools. The event was sponsored by the Farm Bureau of Newton County. The children enjoyed a day with live farm animals, train rides and actual hands on farm equipment. 


 
Contact Rep. Dickerson
At the Capitol:
611-E Coverdell Legislative Office Building, Atlanta, GA 30334
Phone 404-656-0314
In the District:
P.O. Box 1016, Conyers, GA 30013
Phone 678-207-6043