The 2012 session of the Georgia General Assembly plodded on as legislators met for their thirty-sixth day of the session.  The House of Representatives tackled a 7-bill calendar, but no education-specific legislation was included.  The Senate, however, was a diffferent story.

 

The Senate passed HB 208, a bill of high interest to a number of retired educators who have returned to work full-time.  The statute that permitted full-time return to work had a sunset date of 2016, but this bill moves that suneset date up to June 30, 2013.  Thus, while the opportunity for TRS retirees to return to work less than half-time remains, the full-time return option will expire on that date (assuming a signature of the legislation by the Governor, a virtual certainty).

 

In other action, the Senate approved, as expected, the Senate version of the FY2013 Budget.  It was approved as presented by the Senate Appropriations Committee (Click here to see the latest version of the education section and how it differs from the House version and the Governor's recommendations.)  As noted in yesterday's Report from the Capitol, the differences between the House and Senate versions will be worked out in some form before final approval by both chambers and eventual consideration and approval by the Governor.

 

On the afternoon of this thirty-sixth day, it was demonstrated again that the only thing that has more lives than a cat (the proverbial "nine") is a bill in the Georgia General Assembly.  Regular readers of this site will remember SB 34 from early in the 2011 session of the General Assembly, the infamous "Rachel Sackett Act" that was meant to clear the way for this young lady to play lacrosse at a high school she had chosen to leave in favor of attendance at a charter school (The charter school did not offer lacrosse as an activity.).  While the bill had received much support in the Senate, it had met a chilly reception in the House (even though Senate leaders had attempted to "attach" the contents of the bill to several House bills last year in an unsuccessful attempt to get it through).  On this day, though, Rep. Randy Nix's subcommittee of the House Education Committee met to hear Senator Chip Rogers present the bill and the rationale for it.  It received a "do pass" on a very, very close voice vote and will now be considered by the full House Ed Committee on Thursday, March 22.  One suspects it will pass there, too, and move to House Rules to be considered for placement on a future House Rules calendar.  As has been said many, many times in this space:  Ah, the Georgia General Assembly.....

 

Day thirty-seven will bring a merciful end to this hectic week on Thursday, March 22.