It was good news all around last week as Gov. Perdue unveiled his $18.6 billion 2007 budget - and finally, since the early days of the new century, our revenues are up and we have money to spend.ﾠSince the terrorist attacks on our country in 2001, Georgia and the rest of the country have suffered through a recession and because of it, our state budget had to be cut severely and our coffers were all but depleted as we struggled to keep our state running.
As promised, Gov. Perdue put a great deal of emphasis on education this year.ﾠWhile the education budgets weren't slashed to the bone over the past few years, there wasn?t a dime of extra money to put into education for new programs or for higher salaries for teachers.ﾠAll that has changed.ﾠGov. Perdue has recommended more than $226 million for a four percent pay increase for teachers and he is going to give each teacher in Georgia - to the tune of $10 million - a gift card they can spend on classroom supplies.ﾠIn addition, there is $168 million in the budget for true class size reduction in grades K-8 and Gov. Perdue is asking the members of the legislature to pass a measure requiring that school systems spend at least 65 percent of their budget on classroom instruction.
The Governor also is recommending that we agree to his executive order to decrease the sales tax on natural gas during the winter months - putting $20 million back in the pockets of taxpayers during our coldest months and has $285 million in the budget for senior tax relief and $434 million in property tax relief.
Gov. Perdue has pledged $45 million to add more than 4,000 beds to the state prison system to reduce the jail backlog on our counties. In addition, he has put $1 million in his budget to target and investigate methamphetamine related crimes statewide.
We are going to take up several important pieces of legislation this year, and I will look for you to give me your thoughts on these issues.ﾠEminent domain, illegal immigration, photo ID and tougher requirements for where sexual predators can live and work are all on the agenda this year.ﾠI'm sure we will take up other legislation that will affect you and your lives as well, and I look to hear from you over the next few months as we tackle these issues.
It's good to see our economy growing again and have money in the bank. We want our children to attend the best schools in the nation, we want you to feel safe in your homes and your community and we want you to keep as much of your earned income as possible.
We have been through some rocky times of late - terrorists, horrendous weather, the conflict in Iraq - but we are doing well and Georgia is better and stronger because of it.
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