Sandy Springs legislators will be busy when they return to the Gold Dome on
Jan. 9 for the start of the General Assembly.
Rep. Wendall Willard, R-Sandy Springs, said one of his priorities for the session is to reform the state’s juvenile justice system.
“Our juvenile code has not been really updated in 40 years,” Willard said. “I think we maybe lock them up too quickly instead of trying to find ways in the community to address problems they’re facing.”
Willard said the Justice Reform Commission will also report on revisions to sentencing and corrections for criminals in the state.
“We’re going to look and see what’s been successful in other states and look at implementing them in Georgia,” Willard said.
For the past few years, the budget has dominated the Legislature’s time. Georgia is a balanced budget state, meaning that lawmakers are left with tough decisions when revenues are low and the budget must be cut.
Rep. Joe Wilkinson, R-Sandy Springs, expects this year will be the same.
“We don’t have any choice, it’s critical,” Wilkinson said. “Clearly the main focus of the upcoming legislative session will be the budget. We’re still facing very difficult economic times so that will be the main focus.”
Rep. Ed Lindsey, the House Majority Whip who represents a portion of Sandy Springs, said the state has seen a slight uptick in revenue over the past year, however.
“That’s going to be a tight issue we’ll be dealing with from a budget standpoint,” Lindsey said. “I think the biggest focus over last three or four years has been the economy, both the impact on state revenue and more importantly its impact on jobs in Georgia.”
Willard said because the state is still struggling financially, the budgeting process is “going to be a major part of the work we do, as it always is.”
Lindsey said he is working with Senate Majority Leader Chip Rogers to revise the way property is assessed in Georgia.
“I’m still looking at ways to make the property tax system, the assessment system, more fair,” Lindsey said.
Lindsey said he plans to file several bills during the first week of the session, including one that would allow parents more flexibility to reconstitute a traditional school into a charter school.
Wilkinson said he plans to reintroduce an anti-hazing bill he co-wrote with former Lt. Gov. Pierre Howard last year. Wilkinson said he feels the bill is especially relevant in light of the recent death of a student at Florida A&M University, who died following a marching band hazing incident.
“Together, we drafted this legislation that says if you’re convicted of hazing you can’t attend school in the state of Georgia,” Wilkinson said.
Wilkinson said some legislators feel it’s too drastic. But he hopes that if nothing else, the bill will get people talking about the issue of hazing and “the fact that it is so wide spread, it’s not just fraternities and sororities.”
“I’ve had wide spread support to at least begin the discussion with presidents of universities and colleges,” he said.
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