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DOUGLAS: Session, my time in Senate come to end
With the end of legislative business on Thursday, the 2010 session of the Georgia General Assembly came to an end. The 40th and final day was hectic as usual with any number of bills passing, some important, some more mundane. Most notably, the fiscal year 2011 budget received final passage and will go into effect July 1.
DOUGLAS: Legislators down to our final two days
Two legislative days remain in the 2010 session of the Georgia General Assembly as the longest meeting in modern state history nears an end. We will meet in Atlanta on Tuesday and Thursday to finish our work for the year. This past week, we met Tuesday and Wednesday and passed some long-sought bills of significance.
DOUGLAS: Gold Dome session nears its conclusion
Four legislative days are remaining in the 2010 session of the Georgia General Assembly. The Senate and House will next meet on April 20 for Day 37. After that day, the schedule for the remaining three days is April 21, 27 and 29. During the three days we met this past week, more progress was made on the budget and several other important pieces of legislation passed as well.
DOUGLAS: Pace quickens at the capitol as end nears
This week the Georgia Legislature completed 33 of 40 working days. The pace is increasing as the clock ticks to the end of the final day, scheduled for April 21.
DOUGLAS: Health reform gives us plenty to fix in Georgia
This past week was more eventful than most for your Georgia Legislature. As we approached the last day bills can pass between the House and Senate, we are now saddled with legislation from Washington that will adversely impact our people and state for many, many years. But we have and will continue to work for conservative solutions to our problems and pass the commonsense legislation that is desired by the people of this state.
DOUGLAS: Legislators entering a pivotal week
March 18 saw the completion of Day 27 of 40 legislative days in your Georgia House and Senate. We will return to Atlanta on March 22 to complete an eventful week. Thursday will be the last day this year that bills can pass between the two chambers. Any bill that originates in one chamber and has not arrived in the other by the end of the legislative day on Day 30 is dead. We will consider only House bills beginning Day 31 in the Senate and vice versa in the House.
DOUGLAS: Legislators entering a pivotal week
March 18 saw the completion of Day 27 of 40 legislative days in your Georgia House and Senate. We will return to Atlanta on March 22 to complete an eventful week. Thursday will be the last day this year that bills can pass between the two chambers. Any bill that originates in one chamber and has not arrived in the other by the end of the legislative day on Day 30 is dead. We will consider only House bills beginning Day 31 in the Senate and vice versa in the House.
DOUGLAS: Tough calls looming on state budget
The Georgia General Assembly was not in formal session the last week of February but concentrated on hearings to begin work on the budget for fiscal year 2011, which begins July 1. The House and Senate leadership have taken a hard look at where the state budget stands in light of continued declining revenue numbers. January's numbers were a serious blow to our plans to begin pulling the state out of its budget tailspin, and now we must make very difficult adjustments. The February numbers should be in by Friday, but we have no reason to expect any sort of radical change.
DOUGLAS: Telecom the focus of a few bills
As of Thursday, your Georgia Senate has completed 17 of the 40 days of the 2010 session. Highlighting last week, the House completed its initial version of the supplemental fiscal year 2010 budget and sent it to the Senate on Thursday afternoon. Senate hearings on that version of the budget will begin Monday morning.
DOUGLAS: Down to business at the Capitol
After a break for the Martin Luther King Jr. federal holiday on Jan. 18, the Georgia House and Senate spent three days receiving budget requests from the various departments of state government.