Georgia Senate passes bipartisan bills for law enforcement, education - wgxa.tv
ATLANTA, Ga. (WGXA)-- Georgia lawmakers have been busy passing bipartisan bills for education and law enforcement.
First, there’s SB 231, simply referred to as the “education pilot program.”
It passed with only three "Nays."
Led by Senator Jason Anavitarte from Dallas, this is a special program designed for adults who dropped out of high school. People between the ages of 21 and 35 can attend a free charter school and receive a diploma instead of a GED.
Anavitarte says the difference between a GED and a diploma is crucial.
“Basically, A GED is your general equivalency diploma. Which, where we’re at in terms of the global economy, businesses, small businesses, in terms of that earning power that you can have, having a high school diploma versus a GED is kind of a step up in helping individuals earn more while they’re working," said Anavitarte.
As a pilot program, he says they’ll start with three schools (in Savannah, LaGrange, Macon) and evaluate how it’s going for five years.
Anavitarte says that with more qualified people in the workforce, Georgia has nowhere to go but up.
Then, there’s SB 361: the "Law Enforcement Strategic Support Act," or the “L.E.S.S. Crime” act for short.
The bill passed the Senate unanimously.
Sponsored by Perry Senator Larry Walker, Less Crime is a tax credit for people who donate to local law enforcement agencies.
Here’s how it works: You apply for the credit with the department of revenue. If approved, you can give a check to your local law enforcement. Then, come tax season, you’ll get the same amount of money back in your return.
“We wanted to figure out a creative way to support law enforcement and get the private sector and communities more involved with law enforcement," said Walker.
Walker says the money can be used by police departments in five different ways:
- to increase officer salaries
- to hire more officers
- to provide more training
- to purchase or upgrade equipment
- to bring in a "co-responder," which is a mental health specialist who can help police handle tough situations.
Now that these bills have passed the Senate, they’ll need to get approval from the House and the Governor. Which, with the bi-partisan support that they have, is likely.
source: https://wgxa.tv/news/local/georgia-senate-passes-bipartisan-bills-for-law-enforcement-education
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