The Holland Report - 2025, Week 4

Florence Luranc

Welcome to Week 4!

As we shifted from the wintery weather to spring-like temperatures, we also shifted into gear for legislative days 10 through 13 in the Georgia House. Committee meetings were in full swing, and the Capitol was filled with special guests and celebrations. And we managed to pass the midyear budget ahead of schedule. Read below for more details.

Midyear Budget - HB67

We have our Amended Fiscal Year 2025 budget! HB67 is set by an updated revenue estimate of $40.5 billion of which would be divided up into Hurricane Helene response, economic development, education, general government, health, higher education, human resources, judicial, public safety, and transportation. HB67 has been passed out of the House and is on its way to the Senate. Below we provide a summary of each of these sections and break them down for you.

Hurricane Helene Response
$145 million would be added to the Governor's Emergency Fund to continue the state’s emergency response efforts in relation to Hurricane Helene, $150 million (in addition to previously approved $100 million) to provide relief aid to farmers and timber producers impacted by Hurricane Helene, $35.6 million in one-time grants to 45 public rural and critical access hospitals to assist Hurricane Helene recovery efforts and financial stabilization, and $10 million in grant funds for Hurricane Helene relief.

Economic Development
$425,772 to expand the Georgia Hemp program, $28 million to provide grants and loans for rural workforce housing, $20 million to for grants for rural site development, $37.4 million to the Department of Agriculture for renovations and repairs to the Atlanta Farmers Market and $250 million to the Georgia Fund for low-interest loans for water and wastewater infrastructure development.

Education
$50 million for school security grants, divided up as follows: $21,635 per school for one-time security expenses, combined with $109 million in the base, systems will receive a total of $68,759 per school, $3 million added to the Georgia Emergency Management Agency for start-up funds for a school threat assessment system. Additionally $114.3 million to the Department of Education for the Quality Basic Education midterm adjustment, $2.2 million for increased utilization of AP exams (the state would fund one AP exam for each reduced-price lunch student and one AP STEM exam for any student), $249,424 for PSAT exams for all tenth-grade students, and $160,000 in one time funding to the Governer’s Office of Student Achievement to establish a Regional Crisis Recovery Network in partnership with the Southern Regional Education Board. This program would train and deploy 650 counselors for up to 10 days at a time to provide mental health aid following traumatic community events such as school shootings and natural disasters.

General Government
$1 million for the Department of Driver Services for the purpose of increased usage of chatbot technology to improve customer service and combat address fraud, $58 million to the Georgia Technology Authority to support an IT modernization project, and $225 million to the Department of Administrative Services for their Risk Management program to address increased responsibility related to liability claims and state property insurance.

Health
$685,125 for utilizing predictive modeling to detect potential fraud and waste within the Medicaid program, $79,402 for two child and adolescent psychiatric fellowship positions, $25 million for Mercer School of Medicine for the purpose of producing more physicians and preparing them to serve our rural communities, $3 million in scholarships for Georgia residents attending PCOM as medical students, $500,000 for an educational campaign for Georgians regarding the harmful effects of vaping, and $270,000 million to study the mental health impact that social media is having on Georgia’s children.

Higher Education
$21.3 million to the Georgia Finance Commission (GSFC) to fund participation in the Dual Enrollment program, $2 million to GSFC for the HOPE Grant program, and $6 million to fund HOPE scholarships at public institutions.

Human Resources
$22.2 million to the Department of Human Services to address the growth of foster care as well as increased costs of care, $1.7 million to Department of Human Services for their special victims unit (specializes in the rescuing of foster youth who are being exploited sexually), and $1 million to the Department of Veterans Services for the purpose of serving veterans with brain injuries and mental illness.

Judicial
$106,854 to the Judicial Counsel for three new information technology position, and funding for four assistant district attorney positions.

Public Safety
$333.6 million for the Department of Corrections (GDC) for the department to make needed technology, safety and security upgrades to its infrastructure for the safety of inmates and correctional staff, $50.6 million to the department to provide necessary services to inmates such as dental, mental, physical, and pharmaceutical services, $4.2 million to the GDC for the purchase and replacement of farm equipment and renovations at the dairy farm as the cost of feeding inmates has increased by 40.37% over the last five years; this would provide needed equipment to stabilize the cost of food grown and produced within the prison system, and $1.6 million to the purchase of upgraded safety equipment for all sworn staff (1,000 new ballistic helmets).

Transportation
$530 million for the Freight Infrastructure Program for the widening of state Interstate 16, 95 and SR 96 from Interstate 75 to 16, $100 million to Capital Maintenance for resurfacing needs, and a one-time infusion of $37.5 million to the Georgia Transportation Infrastructure to continue aiding local governments with transportation projects, such as airport projects not eligible for federal funds.

Gun Safety Press Conference

On Tuesday, Democrats held a Gun Safety Press Conference addressing the need for immediate and tangible change regarding firearms. Isabel Trejo, a senior at Appalachee High School, bravely addressed the media to share her story. On September 4, 2024 Isabel was put into the unimaginable position where she had to barricade her classroom door, huddle under her desk, and call her loved ones, because a 14 year old peer began open firing into their school with his father’s firearms. Isabel confided in us that she feels responsible, a weight a child her age should never have been put in the position to carry. The press conference highlighted a number of bills aimed at reducing gun violence, including HB1, the Pediatric Safe Storage Act.

Special Events

Tuesday was Girl Scouts Day at the Capitol. High Schooler Scouts Mars and Rory (pictured above) pulled no punches, asking me hard hitting questions regarding current bills going through the senate, how young people can begin their journey in politics and about how I navigate my role as a legislator. These Girl Scouts exemplify how bright our future is, by being an example of strong, intelligent young people leading the charge in making a better tomorrow for all Georgians.

Wednesday was the third annual Latino Day at the capital, during which guest speakers discussed their experience being immigrants, being Latino, and finding a way to move forward united. Daniela Rodriguez, executive director of Migrant Equity Southeast, spoke of the resilience of our immigrant communities in the face of fear, but she also spoke of the need for hope in the face of current challenges “Hope isn’t just a feeling. Hope is a call to action. And I will continue to have hope, hope that this reality won’t define our future.”
Then on Thursday we recognized Heart Health Day by wearing red! We learned that heart disease is the leading cause of death in both men and women, but it is underrecognized and undertreated in women. Stroke and heart disease can be prevented - more information regarding heart disease prevention can be found on the American Heart Association's website.

Greater North Fulton Chamber of Commerce

On Wednesday, I was honored to meet with the Greater North Fulton Chamber of Commerce. There I was able to hear about the concerns and issues affecting the business owners of our community, and how as legislators we can support them.

Georgia Department of Transportation Elections

On Thursday, legislators from Congressional District 6 gathered to elect our representative to the Georgia Department of Transportation. I'm delighted to say that my friend and former colleague Doug Stoner won the election and will not serve as our conduit to GDOT.

Virtual Town Hall Schedule!

We officially have our Town Hall schedule for this session! As session goes on we may add additional dates or guest appearances, so make sure to monitor this newsletter and my socials for the most up to date information. These Town Halls will be held virtually on Zoom. Click the links below to register. I can't wait to see you there!

Click Here to sign up for February 23, Sunday at 4:00PM
Click Here to sign up for March 9, Sunday at 4:00PM
Click Here to sign up for March 30, Sunday at 4:00PM