Hello and welcome to the 2010 legislative session of the Georgia General Assembly. The first two weeks have been a whirlwind, and we have a lot of hard work ahead of us. While the challenge of budget cuts looms heavy over the entire state House, the atmosphere remains one of hope and commitment to the people of Georgia -- and for me, to the people of District 58. I look forward to working with you to bring about the best outcomes for all of our communities, and I appreciate the opportunity to provide leadership during this most exciting time.
Here are some key topics of interest in the 2010 session:
- Budget crisis: State revenue projections are down almost $1.3 billion for fiscal year 2011.
- Water: Solving our state's water crisis.
- Jobs & job creation: The statewide unemployment rate is currently at 10.3 percent, up from 7.5 percent in 2008.
- Ethics Reform: House Bill 920 has been introduced to attempt to limit the influence of lobbyists' gifts.
Some key committees to which I've been appointed:
- Children & Youth - Handles legislation regarding adoption, child special needs, laws affecting the state Department of Human Resources, and child abuse reporting.
- Human Relations & Aging - Handles legislation on state agencies such as the Department of Aging, and issues such as Disabled Persons public access, programs and access for the blind, and Study Committees on Addiction Prevention, Treatment and Recovery.
- State Planning & Community Affairs - Handles legislation affecting transit advertising, flood elevation requirements, property owners' associations, county properties, and county boundary re-creations and dissolutions.
I'm excited about the committee assignments in this first session. Each area affords me the opportunity to work on issues that are important to my neighbors in District 58 and also to communities across the state. Now the real work begins.
MARTA Community Forum
Saturday Feb. 6, 2010
10AM-12PM
MARTA Headquarters
2424 Piedmont Road NE
Atlanta, GA 30324
p: 404-848-5744
e: lkennedy@itsmarta.com
www.itsmarta.com
My contact information at the State Capitol:
State Representative Simone Bell
18 Capitol Square
Coverdell Legislative Office Building, Suite 612
Atlanta, GA 30334
404-656-0330
simone.bell@house.ga.gov
My page on the Statehouse website
