Heath: Session Is Complete – What’s Next?

Dear Editor:

The Georgia General Assembly adjourned the first session of the 152nd biennial term on Thursday, March 28. Since this was the first term of a new biennial, any bill that did not pass both chambers is eligible for consideration during the second term in 2014. However, that does not mean that those bills will remain untouched until January. Throughout the year, study committees will meet to further review some of the most important issues at hand, while other bills will be revised into a better and more comprehensive form.

Now that the final gavel has sounded and legislators are heading back to their respective districts, jobs and families, the bills passed during the 2013 session are traveling to the governor’s office for final approval. The governor and his policy staff will have 40 consecutive days from Sine Die to decide whether to adopt or veto bills. The Georgia General Assembly may override a governor veto by a two-thirds vote in order to adopt the legislation into law. If no action is taken during the required 40-day evaluation period, a bill will automatically become law.

The governor is tasked with examining all the bills that received legislative approval. This is certainly a tall order, but he is already well on the way to adopting legislation into law. Since the opening day of session, the governor has remained highly visible – tracking and keeping a watchful eye on several of his main initiatives for the 2013 session, including the passage of the Hospital Medicaid Financing Program Act, Juvenile Justice Reform and boating safety laws – just to name a few.

In addition to adopting legislation, the governor will also begin reviewing the FY 2014 General Budget. If the governor vetoes the budget approved by both houses of the General Assembly, it will require a special session to produce a mutually-agreed upon bill. I have full confidence the Governor Deal will be pleased by the General Assembly’s final budget package. After months of carefully reviewing every line item, we produced a budget that will help us maintain our triple-AAA bond rating and enhance our status as one of the nation’s most fiscally conservative states.

New legislation must be filed at the beginning of every biennial—we can’t carry things over from previous sessions. Since 2013 was a new biennial year, the amount of bills traveling through the legislative process this session was much smaller than what we saw last year. This is not necessarily a bad thing, though. I’d rather pass a handful of meaningful reform efforts than simply create more ‘red tape’ and bigger government.

Both houses traditionally pass the bulk of legislation during the final days of session, and although we passed fewer bills than last year, we are still working to account for every bill that is on its way to the Governor. Once we receive the final list, I plan on providing an outline of specific bill updates and major initiatives passed this session. In the meantime, I encourage you to stay up-to-date on legislation being signed into law or vetoed by the Governor by visiting: http://gov.georgia.gov/bills-signed/2013.

Now that session is complete, I look forward to spending more time in the district listening to your concerns and keeping you informed. Much has transpired under the Gold Dome and I am eager to provide a more in-depth perspective of 2013 bill action in the upcoming weeks.

Sen. Bill Heath, R-Bremen