No. 4, Feb. 2, 2004
Session Resumes Following Week of Budget Hearings
Monday, January 26 marked the beginning of the second full week of sessions for the General Assembly, following a week of budget hearings from all state agencies.
This past week saw Chancellor Thomas Meredith appearing before the House and Senate Subcommittees on Appropriations, as well as the House and Senate Higher Education Committees.
These presentations continued to focus on the Governor's recommendations for the University System's FY'04 Amended and FY'05 Budgets.
Chancellor Meredith will be asked to return to the Senate Subcommittee on Appropriations to conclude his presentation on the Governor's FY'05 Budget recommendations.
In addition to the Chancellor's various presentations, the week also saw the introduction of a number of pieces of legislation.
Below are bills with impact on the University System.
- HB 1266 will return the State Medical Education Board and the Physicians Workforce Board as administratitively attached to the Board of Regents.
- HB 1210 requires an agency to advise leadership of the executive and legislative branches of intent to enter into a contract to privatize services 60 days prior to signing the contract.
- HR 1037 a resolution urging the Board of Regents to return fees to levels set prior to the beginning of the HOPE Scholarship program.
- SR 625 Honoring the New Georgia Encyclopedia was read and adopted.
- SB 431 simplifies supplying reports required by the General Assembly to a process of notifying members that the reports are available should the members wish a copy.
- HB 712 and HB 1020 require materials used in postsecondary schools to be available in electronic format. Meetings will be held in February to study the issue.
- HB 478 requires instructors to disclose to students if they received anything of value related to class materials required of students.
- SB 52 requires the public libraries to use Internet filters.
- HB 1116 would prohibit any student guilty of a misdemeanor or felony from receiving HOPE. The bill has been placed in a study committee.
- And, various bills are being considered to re-write the code of ethics, which affects University System employees. More as this develops.