Here is the latest weekly report from state Rep. Ronnie Mabra:
“With Crossover Day behind us, the House has shifted much of its focus to considering Senate Bills and monitoring any changes made in the Senate to House Bills and vice versa. This week, we saw the first of many bills receive final passage in the General Assembly. These bills, having passed both the House and Senate chambers, will go to Governor Deal for his consideration. While the end of session is in sight, there is still much more work to be done to ensure that we are sending quality legislation to the governor for review.
“In addition to giving final approval to many bills this week, the Senate passed the FY2017 budget, or House Bill 751. Even though HB 751 received passage in the House, the Senate version of the 2017 budget varied slightly from the original version that was passed by our body, prompting the creation of a conference committee this week. As a bill makes its way through the legislative process, bills are likely to be changed or amended in committees or as bills pass between the House and Senate chambers. When a different version of the same bill passes in the House and the Senate, the Speaker of the House and the Lieutenant Governor will both appoint a conference committee to work out the differences between the House and Senate versions of the bill. Once the conference committee reaches an agreement, their final version is then presented to both the House and Senate for a floor vote. If the conference committee legislation is approved by both chambers, it is then sent to the governor’s desk for consideration. I look forward to hearing the final recommendations of the conference committee appointed this week for HB 751 and seeing a final budget proposal for FY2017.
“Friday marked the 35th legislative day of the 2016 legislative session. With only two weeks and five legislative days remaining, we will be working around the clock in committee meetings and on the House floor to pass thoughtful legislation for the citizens of Georgia.
“If you have questions or concerns about any of the legislation that the House or Senate will be discussing, please feel free to reach out to me; I am never too busy to hear from you. Your thoughts and opinions are important to me, and as your representative, I want to make sure that I am truly representing your interests under the Gold Dome.
“A brief update on my bills: House Bill 531 and House Bill 804. I presented HB 804, the Clayton County Superior Court Judgeship Bill, to the Senate Special Judiciary Committee and received do pass recommendation. Currently, both of my bills are moving, I called for HB 804 to be heard in Rules. HB 531, Georgia’s “Long Arm” Statute was also heard in the Rules Committee. HB 531 revises the state’s Long Arm statute, which would allow Georgia courts to exercise jurisdiction to the fullest extent permitted by the US Constitution.”
