[ February 27, 2022 ] During this seventh week of the 2022 legislative session, we saw a lot of action in committees and voting on legislation to send to the Senate for their consideration. I always try to give you some insight on what is going on under the Gold Dome each week. As we approach what we call Crossover Day in the next few weeks, the pace in our committees has really picked up. On Wednesday I had the opportunity to go to 14 different meetings. I made it to 11; those others were for a meeting with a group visiting the Capitol.

I am honored to be a member of the leadership of our Rules Committee. We meet every day to hear members request for their bills to be heard on the floor. The responsibility of the Rules Committee is to determine if that bill will be heard on the House Floor or should it be sent back to committee for further work or sometimes not be moved forward at all. This takes a lot of work on our part, as we have to know what each bill really does and the effect it may have on you, your family, or your pocketbook.

One bill I know you may have been interested in concerned our schools. These days, many school systems utilize virtual learning opportunities, and the number of students with school-issued laptops or tablet devices has dramatically increased so children can learn from home. To keep up with this evolving learning environment, the House passed House Bill 1217, or the Student Technology Protection Act, to promote the safe and appropriate use of school-issued technology, whether students are using these devices in the classroom or while learning from home. The Student Technology Protection Act would require each local board of education and charter school governing body to adopt an acceptable-use policy this year that could better prevent and prohibit any school computer or network from accessing obscene materials, child pornography, or material that is deemed harmful to minors.

Each school system would also take necessary steps to implement and enforce its new acceptable-use policy, as well as update school technology to better block or filter access to these explicit materials online.

If the State Board of Education finds that a school has not followed its acceptable-use policy, the board could withhold a portion of state funding allotted for that school.

As technology continues to evolve quickly, this bill would ensure that Georgia?s public schools have these policies in place and are equipped with the resources they need to protect children from harmful online content.

I do list other bills we took action on, on my Facebook page with links to the bills and vote on the bills, as I could take up the whole paper. . . I have received a number of calls about all sorts of issues this week, and I am glad you trust me to answer them. It has always been one of my top priorities to help my constituents and to hear your feedback about the work we are doing in Atlanta. I encourage you to reach out if you have any questions or concerns regarding legislation that has been discussed or passed so far. You can reach my Capitol office at 404-656-7153, or you can email me directly at rick.jasperse@house.ga.gov.

As always, thank you for allowing me to serve as your State Representative and legislative voice here at the Capitol.