Legislative update [Mar. 1, 2008]

March 1, 2008 Volume 2008, Issue 6

2008 LEGISLATIVE UPDATE Technical College System of Georgia

The Week Ahead:
Lawmakers will reconvene on Tuesday, March 4, for day 27 of the legislative session.
The House Higher Education Committee will meet on Thursday, March 6, at 2:00 p.m. (Room 406, CLOB)
The Senate Higher Education Committee will meet on Tuesday, March 4, at 3:00 p.m. (Senate Mezzanine Room)
The House Higher Education Subcommittee of Appropriations will meet on Tuesday, March 4, at 4:00 p.m. (Room 506, CLOB Building)

Pictured (left to right): Representative Henry Howard, Representative Gloria Frazier,
Commissioner Ron Jackson, Representative Quincy Murphy, Representative Ben Harbin, Mr. Terry Elam, Kevin Ward, Speaker of the House Glenn Richardson and Representative Bill Hembree

Pictured (left to right): Commissioner Ron Jackson, Joe Najjar, Dr. Anthony Parker, Representative Winfred Dukes, Keldrique
Lofton, Speaker of the House Glenn Richardson, and Representative Bill Hembree

GOAL and Perkins Winners Honored at Capitol

Last year's GOAL and Rick Perkins award winners came to the Capitol on Thursday to be honored with resolutions from the House and Senate. Commissioner Ron Jackson and Presidents Anthony Parker and Terry Elam were also on hand for the honors. GOAL winner Keldrique Lofton from Albany Tech and Perkins winner Kevin Ward from Augusta Tech addressed the House members following readings of their resolutions and introductions and comments from Representative Bill Hembree and others. Lofton and Ward both received standing ovations after speaking about the importance of technical education and thanking the representatives for their strong support of the Technical College System of Georgia. On the Senate side, Senator Seth Harp took the well to acknowledge and thank Keldrique and Kevin, both of whom were seated in the Senate gallery.
Next up for the winners is a meeting with Governor Perdue that's tentatively scheduled for March 12.

2008 Legislative Update

Page 2 of 3

Other Information:
For more information on House and Senate members along with contact information, log on to www.legis.state.ga.us and click on "Find your Legislator".
For a complete list of Legislators representing each technical college, log on to www.ciclt.net/dtae.
To access live committee meeting broadcasts in the House and live broadcasts from the House and Senate floor, log on to www.legis.state.ga.us, then select Georgia Legislative Network and chose from the menu of broadcasts.

Status of Legislation for the Technical College System
1. House Bill 1156 and House Resolution 1245 - Creation of the Higher Education System of Georgia:
Purpose: Legislation that would abolish the boards that control the TCSG and the Board of Regents and replace them with a new Georgia Board of Higher Education. The bill would also consolidate the TCSG and the University System of Georgia to form the Higher Education System of Georgia. State lawmakers from each of the 13 congressional districts would elect one member per district to the newly-created board. The Governor would appoint five, all of whom would be ratified by the Senate.
Status: The most recent version of the bill exempts the Technical College System with the exception of an advisory position on the board. The bill remains under review by the House Higher Education Committee.
2. Senate Bills 434 & 435 Name Change Legislation:
Purpose: Legislation that changes The Department of Technical and Adult Education to the "Technical College System of Georgia."
Status: Passed unanimously out of the Senate and will now move to the House Higher Education Committee for consideration.
3. House Bill 1183 Carry Forward Legislation:
Purpose: Allows the technical colleges to continue to carry forward certain revenues from fiscal year to fiscal year as well as write off uncollectible receivables.
Status: Passed out of the House and now moves to the Senate Higher Education Committee for Consideration.
4. House Bill 1091 Revise Requirements for Residency Status:
Purpose: Strengthen the residency policy for the University System and the Technical College System.
Status: Passed out of the House and now heads to the Senate Higher Education Committee for consideration.

Page 3 of 3

Status of Legislation for the Technical College System (Continued)

5. House Bill 243 - Removal of HOPE Cap for High School Students:
Purpose: Legislation that exempts from the HOPE cap hours earned through the dual enrollment program for high school students.
Status: Passed unanimously out of the House in 2007 and subsequently passed out of the Senate. However, the Senate version of the bill included language for career academies. No action has been taken on this bill during the 2008 session. However, the Senate offered an amended version of the original career academy legislation from the 2007 session (SB 68) that included the removal of the HOPE cap for dually-enrolled students. The bill was assigned to a House subcommittee for further review. Both bills will remain a viable option for the passage of the HOPE cap legislation.
6. Fiscal Year 2008 Amended Budget:
Purpose: Provides a mechanism to amend the original Fiscal Year 2008 budget.
Status: House and Senate leaders continue to iron out the differences in the amended budget, which includes no changes for the Technical College System of Georgia. For details, log on to www.senate.ga.gov then select budget reports for HB 989 Higher Education.

Contact information for the Division of External Affairs:
Laura Gammage lgammage@dtae.org (404) 374-6557