Work at the Capitol continues, even though we are not in session. Governor Deal is in the process of evaluating the bills passed by both House and Senate and deciding whether to veto them or sign them. We are all curious about how it will turn out every year. There is always a surprise.
The governor will be signing the budget soon across Georgia. He will be in Ellijay signing that and a few other bills. When I was speaking to a group last week, there were a number of questions about the budget. I will give you a snapshot on some of the budget issues and how part of it affects Dade County.
Dade County School Systems will see a boost in funding as state lawmakers have voted to fully fund Georgia’s Quality Basic Education Act. QBE was adopted unanimously by both houses of the Georgia General Assembly and signed into law by Governor Joe Frank Harris in 1985. The purpose of the QBE earnings is to provide an equal and adequate education for all public schools in the state of Georgia. It’s good to say that for the first time, we have fully funded QBE. This means that $12,036,778 will be added to Dade County’s budget for improving educational spending. The teacher retirement system will get an additional $290,000,000 for a total of $361,000,000 to bolster, secure, and stabilize the Teachers Retirement System (TRS).
Dade County’s Department of Family and Children Services will receive $109,703. Cloudland Canyon State Park will receive $650,000. Dade Forestry office will receive $289,874. The bridge replacement on I-59 was an expenditure of $5,129,843. New Accountable Courts will have $215,065 here to start this new project. There will be many more dollars spent on veteran’s services, and other various projects in the county. When you look at this balanced budget, it’s going to mean more than $18,500,000, right off the bat, spent in Dade County.
The sun is shining on Georgia and especially on Dade.
Thank you for allowing me to serve as your representative in the Georgia House. If you have questions or concerns please call me at my Capitol office 404-656-0202, my home 706-820-1375, or email me at john.deffenbaugh@house.ga.gov.
John Deffenbaugh
District 1