| The 2007 legislative session is now underway, and it is quite a historic time for our state. Just last week, Casey Cagle was sworn in as the first-ever Republican Lieutenant Governor, and Gov. Sonny Perdue took the oath of office for his second term in the Governor's office. I was also sworn in for my second term in the state Senate, and it was quite an honor to be re-elected by the people of the 51st district. I was re-appointed to serve as chairman of the Senate Economic Development Committee, and I will serve on the Appropriations, Rules and Transportation Committees. In addition, I will serve on the influential Senate Committee on Assignments, which assists the Lieutenant Governor in appointing committees, assigning bills to committee and deciding which bills go to the Senate floor. I will also serve ex officio as a member of the Insurance and Labor Committee and on the Committee on Administrative Affairs.
In Gov. Perdue's recent State of the State address, he outlined some key areas where we will devote interest, energy, thought and time during the 2007 legislative session, including economic development, education and transportation. These issues are areas of concern to many of my constituents and they have far reaching effects on Georgia's future.
Simply put, there is no more important issue facing our state today than our children's education. Education has become a common topic at the Capitol in the last few years, because Education is an investment in the future. High student achievement equates into tomorrow's leaders who are skilled competitors in a global market. Improving our system of public education is a lofty goal, yet it is well worth pursuing for our state and our country's future.
One step in achieving this goal is to foster a quality teaching force of talented, professional educators. Another step is to continue down a path we began on last year by adding graduation coaches to Georgia's middle schools. Gov. Perdue noted that while Georgia's graduation rate has risen 7.5 percent over the last four years, there is still much work to do. High school graduation coaches have identified 42,000 students who are not on track to graduate. In addition, there are 25,655 over-age 9th graders, and over 2,000 students who dropped out before they made it to 9th grade. Middle school graduation coaches will help meet the needs of these students.
Infrastructure improvements also continue as a top concern of Georgians, with transportation leading the list. The Governor has proposed legislation to exempt material and equipment used to build bio-fuel facilities from state taxes to help Georgia become a leader in alternative fuel development. This proposal may garner interest and support in 2007, because it requires long-range planning that should begin now if we are to keep Georgia moving in the 21st century.
Another area the Governor placed emphasis on is the future of economic development in Georgia. In the last year, Georgia officials made over 31 economic development trips to 23 countries. The state currently has ten international offices, and will soon open a new office in China. The Governor's FY 08 budget recommends that the state ramp up its investment in international marketing by 135 percent and invest an additional $5.1 million in opening Georgia's doors to the world. The rapid expansion of globalization is a sterling opportunity for Georgia to gain new business, and we'll look to continue our efforts to bring international corporations to our state in 2007.
Numerous other important issues will face the Georgia General Assembly during the 2007 session and hundreds of pieces of legislation will be introduced. My role will be one of judicious consideration for each bill that crosses my desk in 2007. Consequently, my focus will be on improving the quality of opportunities as well as the quality of life for all Georgians. |
