[ February 18, 2020 ] We are in the fifth week of the 2020 legislative session. Last week, we voted on a legislative calendar to postpone meeting on the House floor in order to devote additional time to the state budgeting process. It was important that we take time to dig into the budget now with the budget writers and department heads cooperating like we needed for them to do. I chose to be on Appropriations committee because I know you want a common sense voice on how our money is spent. The House Appropriations subcommittees held several meetings to work to finalize the Amended Fiscal Year 2020 (AFY 2020) and Fiscal Year 2021 (FY 2021) budgets. Crafting the state budget is always a very time consuming process and lots of staff and members work hard on finding the right balance in the budget.

Governor Brian Kemp previously instructed our state agencies to reduce spending by four percent in AFY 2020 and six percent in FY 2021, saving taxpayers millions of dollars on inefficient operational costs. Gov. Kemp?s recommended budget would reduce operational spending by $216 million in the AFY 2020 budget and an additional $341 million in the FY \\million dollars above the current fiscal year?s budget. We all agree that it is always good to look at a budget carefully just like we do at home.

Key parts of the budget we were looking at were in the state funding to improve mental health services and bolster programs that provide treatment for citizens with substance abuse issues in Georgia. We also examined our local health departments, which are sometimes the closest, if not the only location where citizens in rural areas can receive health care services.

We also spent time this week examining proposed budget adjustments for Agricultural Extension education and Research programs that aid the state?s farmers and agricultural industry in a variety of ways.

We discussed Georgia?s crime labs that handle and process sexual assault evidence. In 2016, the General Assembly passed Senate Bill 304, or the ?Compassionate Care for Victims of Sexual Assault Act,? to address rape kit backlog at the time and overhaul the way our state handles and processes these evidence kits. In 2018, the House announced that a backlog of 3,005 sexual assault kits had been tested, and 321 of these kits resulted in DNA matches that identified criminals. This week, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) testified before the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Public Safety and informed us that the agency is experiencing another backlog. GBI receives approximately 200 kits per month but are only able to test an average of 106 kits each month with the current number of scientists that are employed. If GBI continues to process these rape kits at their current rate, there could be more than 2,000 backlogged kits by the end of 2020. Gov. Kemp?s budget proposal for AFY 2020 reduces GBI funds by $1.6 million for unfilled scientist positions. GBI director Vic Reynolds told the subcommittee this week that despite the cost saving measures, he will work to ensure that the backlog does not reach the same levels that we experienced in 2016.

By the end of the week the appropriation subcommittees on transportation, education and economic development. Next week, those of us on the other House Appropriations Committees will take up the remaining portions of the amended budget and then consider the entire AFY 2020 budget bill as a whole.

This week we had visitors from our local County Farm Bureaus, Young Farmers groups, Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA), Murray County Leadership group, Our Local Pastors, Forestry groups, School System Superintendents, and others.

I encourage you to reach out to me with any questions or concerns you have regarding the state?s budgeting process or any budget recommendations. My Capitol office number is 404-656-7153, and my email address is rick.jasperse@house.ga.gov.

Thank you for allowing me to serve as your State Representative.