Neither the House nor the Senate scheduled a full calendar on this thirteenth day of the 2009 session of the Georgia General Assembly, as this was the day set aside for a joint session of the Assembly to convene and hear the annual State of the Judiciary address by the Chief Justice of the Georgia Supreme Court.  As always, Judge Leah Ward Sears was eloquent in her presentation and gracious in her demeanor as she delivered her final one of these speeches, having announced her retirement from the bench in the near future.  She is an excellent public servant who will be missed.

Action on the subcommittee front continued on this day.  After a joint meeting of the House and Senate Education committees that was devoted to a report on career academies, Rep. Tom Dickson (R-Cohutta) gathered his Academic Support Subcommittee of the House Education Committee to discuss and hear testimony on two bills.  The first, HB 161, a bill seeking to place limits on miles traveled by high school teams involved in athletic competition, was not heard as sponsor Ben Harbin (R-Appling) was unable to attend.  The second bill on the subcommittee's agenda, HB 229, is a bill dealing with physical education and the assessment of students in physical education classes and is sponsored by House Education Committee Chairman Brooks Coleman (R-Duluth).  This piece of legislation generated much discussion and debate and was ultimately tabled for further amendment and action until the subcommittee's next meeting.

Also on this afternoon, the Ad Valorem Tax Subcommittee of the House Ways and Means Committee met to discuss and hear further testimony on Rep. Ed Lindsey's surprise substitute bill from the previous day, HB233.  This bill is an apparent attempt to accomplish tax caps through legislation rather than through a constitutional amendment, and a number of legitimate issues were raised by representatives of local organizations (county commissions, city councils, and school boards), questions for which the sponsor and/or committee members provided no answers.  The subcommittee took no action on the bill on this day, as the sponsor announced his intention to continue to work on the bill so as to "address concerns raised."  This saga continues.....

Bills of interest to the education community continue to drop.  Summarized and posted by GSSA today are (Click on the bill number to read GSSA's summary and/or the contents of the bill.):

HB 233, HB 240, and HB 241 -- all bills dealing with ad valorem taxation, definitions, advertising requirements, etc.

#HB 243 -- the bill seeking to repeal the ten percent salary supplements for NBCT teachers (needed to accomplish Governor Perdue's already-announced budget cut)

HB 247 -- an extension of the homestead exemption for veterans

HB 149 -- Governor Perdue's "Move on When Ready" legislation

HB 215 -- a proposal for Georgia students to have a choice of three high school diplomas

HB 251 -- mandatory school choice program for Georgia school systems (within system)

HB 252 -- a proposal to create a "Georgia Closing the Achievement Gap Commission"

Day fourteen of this fast-moving (at the moment) session is set for Thursday, February 5.