We
returned to the House chamber on Monday, January 23, to begin our third
legislative week of the 2012 session.
In our first week, we heard Governor Deal deliver his State of the State
Address, and last week we began working on the state budget by hearing from the
leaders of our state agencies. This
week, the Speaker of the House challenged the House Special Committee on Small
Business Development and Job Creation to undertake serious regulation reform in
order to help spur our state economy and create jobs for Georgians.
The
initiative, called “Red Tape Watch,” charges the House Special Committee on
Small Business Development and Job Creation to spend this legislative session
reviewing and evaluating Georgia’s current regulatory environment. To do this,
the special committee will meet periodically throughout the 2012 legislative
session to hear directly from small business owners about burdensome or onerous
state regulations that unnecessarily hinder economic development, business
growth, and job creation in Georgia.
These meetings will allow us to identify opportunities to further shrink
the size of our state government and thereby help create an economic
environment that fosters job creation and is conducive to the growth of strong
small businesses throughout the state.
You should
know that the idea for Red Tape Watch came directly from individual Georgians,
like you, voicing their concerns about bureaucratic regulations and
time-consuming red tape that directly interfere with their everyday
operations. We heard their frustrations,
and now we want to hear yours. That is
why I am personally asking anyone in House District 25 who has been burdened by
oppressive and outdated state regulations to please visit www.house.ga.gov/redtapewatch
and make your experiences known. With
your help, we can make it easier for small businesses in our community to
thrive and hire new employees.
In
addition to our efforts to cut red tape, we also gained insight into our
state’s court systems when State Supreme Court Chief Justice Carol Hunstein
delivered her State of the Judiciary Address, which primarily focused on the
recommendations of the Special Council on Criminal Justice Reform.
The
special council was a joint effort by Chief Justice Hunstein, Gov. Deal,
Speaker Ralston, Lt. Gov. Cagle, Representative Jay Neal, and others to develop
a more cost effective corrections system in Georgia. After concluding an in-depth review of our
state’s current justice system and those of other states, the council published
a report of its findings. According to
the report, non-violent drug and property offenders represent almost 60 percent
of prison admissions. With each prisoner
costing taxpayers $49 a day, it is no surprise that Georgia spends one billion
dollars a year on our corrections system.
Instead of sending these low-risk, non-violent, first offenders to an
expensive prison, where they often learn to become hardened criminals, the
council’s report recommends cost effective alternatives, like community
treatment at a Day Reporting Center for $16 a day or probation supervision for
$1.50 a day.
The
strategies recommended by Chief Justice Hunstein and the Special Council on
Criminal Justice Reform have been proven to save taxpayers’ dollars and
decrease crime in other states. For
example, Texas avoided the need for two billion dollars in new prison
construction and is actually closing a prison down, after making an investment
in diversion and treatment centers. More
importantly, after introducing these prison-alternatives, Texas saw its lowest
crime rate in 37 years.
Chief
Justice Hunstein also recommended expanding our state’s accountability
courts. This includes creating new drug,
mental health, and veterans’ courts throughout the state. Also, she suggested a new class of violations
for less serious traffic offenses that do not require full court hearings. These changes would free up our courts,
allowing judges to focus on other important criminal and civil cases.
This week,
we also passed an adjournment resolution that sets a preliminary legislative
schedule for most of this year’s 40 day session. For this schedule, please visit our website
at www.house.ga.gov
and click on the Adjournment Resolution link.
If everything goes according to plan, we will complete three-fourths of
the legislative session by March 8th. As
we continue to work through this calendar over the next several weeks, I hope
to hear from you and learn about your views on regulation reform and criminal
justice reform. You can call my capitol
office at 404-656-0126 or email me at emory.dunahoo@house.ga.gov
Thank you
for allowing me to serve as your representative.
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