SUE HORN EVANS EDITOR/ PUBLISHER

Butter: $7.00, eggs $5.85, sliced bread $3.25, can of tomato soup $1.19, sliced bologna $6.47. These items (from my regular grocery list) recently totaled $23.76. Two years ago, I paid $12.34 (I keep receipts. My life is so interesting). And a gallon of gas?! Whoa. For us in the publishing industry, costs have risen painfully. My printer raised prices four times last year (just passing on his increased costs) and to mail our newspaper, our cost increased 28% - and hasn’t stopped going up. Don’t know about you, but my income is about the same as two years ago when the pandemic was ongoing.

And, not to sound like an old lady, but ‘Listen, Sonny-boy’ (my 10 year old grandson loves to hear me do the old lady voice - soft, creaky, wavering, almost out of breath with the effort) ‘I remember when a gallon of gas was 31 cents.’ Yes, I remember that, as do many of you. I remember looking out the back side window of the used 1960 red Ford station wagon with my four siblings (no seatbelts required, just lay down in the back of the vehicle and enjoy the 55 mph ride with Dad or Pall Mall-smoking Mom behind the wheel) watching Mr. Stribling, owner of THE gas station, well, Service Station in the true sense of the word, in the Village of Morrisville - as he(village, yes, not a town because the post office closed because Mrs. James didn’t want to do that anymore - side/side note: the post office was located in the painted brick building that her restaurant was also in - you could get a juicy tasty Spaceburger for 19¢ - but the post office was over to the right side of the building with its own entrance and a sign that said MORRISVILLEso, the USPS moved handling everyone’s mail up to Bealeton, you know, like a town, like Beale-town, only it wasn’t pronounced like town, but like ton. Our address changed even though we didn’t move anywhere. In fact, that address changed three times over the years. Wait, where was I?) as he, Mr. Stribling, first, turned the crank located on the right side of the pump around and around and around so the gasoline, next, could come out of the hose on the left and into the wagon’s tank, which was located under where I was lying down in the back. Do you still hear my soft, creaky, wavering old lady voice?: ‘Listen, Sonny-boy, I remember I saw a 3 and a 1 and a 9 on the metal white squares that would flip over when the price changed but that hardly ever happened and that’s why two of the white metal flip squares, the 3 and the 9, were yellowed by the sun so it read 31.9¢. What? what, little man? I can’t hear you. Sonny-boy, oh, no, my Dad didn’t put the gas in the car, only the trained professional did that. And Mr. Stribling liked it. Sometimes it was his son Chester, and Chester greeted every customer with a big big smile. I remember that. I liked going there. And, guess what else, Sonny? Sometimes I would get to go inside the service center and smell the oil and grease and gas and exhaust fumes where trucks and cars were being worked on, and Dad would settle up and pay his tab. What? What’s that? What’s a tab?’

Okay, I get a D-minus for run-on sentences and poor paragraph structure. What’s my point? Yes, today is different than yesterday. Yes, some things are better today and some things are worse. But, right now? We are at a scary place. The bad changes we are experiencing have been real bad and too quick, not sustainable for more than half of us. The financial chasm between the haves and have-nots is stretching like an old, dry rubber band. Here in Carroll County, not only has our county government taxed us for far more than it has shown a need, our government’s specific choices on spending our tax dollars is increasingly showing a great lack of connection, lack of empathy, lack of consideration, to what is happening here and now to the very taxpayers who are funding - MUST fund, no choice - these money decisions.

Please read our front page today. Please reread last month’s front page. There is a great disconnect here. Time for a millage rate reduction. Time for rebate checks to working Carroll Countians. How many of our neighbors are living right now with low-stocked cupboards? Hey, got any cake?

The General Assembly had the pleasure of hearing from Governor Brian Kemp as he delivered his annual State of the State from the House Chamber. Each year, the Governor addresses the members of the General Assembly to outline his legislative and budgetary priorities for the legislative session. The past few years have not come without their set of unique challenges due to the statewide economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, despite those trying times, under Kemp’s leadership, Georgia continues to remain a force to be reckoned with economically. Below I have outlined a few highlights from the Governor’s address:

The education system and the teacher workforce in Georgia remains a constant priority for Governor Kemp and the General Assembly.

This year, Governor Kemp intends to maintain these promises by proposing an additional $2,000 be appropriated for another teacher and state employee pay raise. Georgia’s teachers are at the epicenter of Georgia’s workforce. Without them, we would be unable to provide the highest level of education and resources to young Georgians therefore, I support doing all that is necessary to support our education system in Georgia.

Under the Gold Dome

Greetings from under the Gold Dome! Monday, January 9, marked the first day of the 157th meeting of the Georgia General Assembly and the beginning of a brand-new legislative term. The first order of business was for all elected members to be sworn into office. Soon after our swearing in, we began preparation for the legislative days ahead. Issues such as healthcare, education, public safety initiatives and much more will be up for debate.

We met for the third week of the 2023 legislative session on Monday, January 23. This week brought forth our first legislative floor votes and saw many House committees begin the legislative process. Members of the General Assembly also came together for a joint session to hear Governor Brian Kemp deliver his fifth annual State of the State address.

The governor noted the progress we have made over the last few years and made clear that economic development, education, access to quality healthcare, and public safety are top agenda items for the current legislative term. He said he intends to continue his efforts in bringing quality investments as he recently announced many new economic development projects set to be the largest in Georgia history. These projects will bring more than 20,000 jobs to various regions of the state, most especially in rural areas.

The governor also announced his plans to dedicate an additional $1.9 billion in the current and upcoming budgets solely for educational needs, including fully funding the Quality Basic Education formula.

Governor Kemp went on to outline

With regards to our healthcare system in Georgia, the Governor made a strong point in his address to shed light on the lack of healthcare resources and facilities in rural parts of the state. Currently, there are 67 counties in Georgia with less than 10 physicians in the area. The need for more healthcare professionals in unprecedented. Governor Kemp is proposing a $4.5 million increase to fund loan repayment programs to grow the number of healthcare workers in our state. In addition, he is calling for 102 residency slots through an investment of $1.7 million, exceeding the initial goal of this program. I am fully supportive of these proposals. The need to provide adequate healthcare resources to Georgians should be a top priority and I intend to do all that is necessary to ensure my constituents are receiving the best care.

Perhaps the most significant event of this week occurred on Thursday, when the Senate Majority Caucus held a press conference at the State Capitol to roll out their legislative priorities for the 2023 legislative session. I had the distinct honor of standing alongside Lt. Governor Burt Jones, President Pro Tempore Sen John F. Kennedy (R – Macon),

JCOLLINS

(R) STATE REPRESENTATIVE District 71 770-295-8143 j.collins@house.ga.gov his healthcare policies which include the proposed allocation of more than $4.5 million in the state budget for loan repayment programs to recruit and retain health care workers in Georgia.

Rounding off top policy agenda items is that of Public Safety where the governor plans to push for legislation that would increase penalties for individuals who work to recruit children into gang violence. If you want to learn more about Governor Kemp’s initiatives for the upcoming session, I encourage to delve further into his full address through the helpful links below.

House Action: A highlight of any given session is having the opportunity to honor groups and individuals within our House chamber. In addition to hearing the State of the State address, my colleagues and I welcomed various special groups to the House Chamber.

On Monday, the Consul General of the Republic of Korea, Yoonjoo Park, joined us to honor of Korean American Day. The consul general noted our strong partnership, highlighting that more than 100 Korean companies are in our state, producing more than 15,000 jobs.

Tuesday was special as we recog- nized the Georgia National Guard and their service to our community. Georgia’s 15,000 guardsmen are always ready to serve and protect, whenever needed, and it was an honor to pay tribute to these fine men and women.

Committees: Committees within the General Assembly are incredibly important as this is where the legislative rubber meets the road.

In addition to our general floor session, our committee meeting schedule has also picked up. Committees within the General Assembly are incredibly important as this is where the legislative rubber meets the road.

All bills introduced must be properly vetted through the committee process before making it to the House floor for a full vote. If passed, the legislation then moves to the Senate side to begin their committee process.

Committee meetings are live streamed through the General Assembly website. I encourage you to follow along with any issue of which you find of interest. Click here for a full listing of House Committees.

I am thankful to be in service to the following, as I sincerely believe these committees greatly impact our district: Public Safety and Homeland Security - Chairman; Appropriations; Governmental Affairs; Juvenile Justice - Secretary; and Regulated Industries.

Representing your voice is our top priority. As always, if you have questions or concerns regarding legislative matters, we encourage you to contact us anytime. May God bless you and yours, may He continue to bless the great state of Georgia.