We are nearing the end of the 2009 Session and the budget has been the big issue the entire time. The House passed our version of the 2010 Budget last week and it is currently in the Senate.

The budget totals $18.6 Billion, which is 12.3 percent less than last year’s budget. Here in, Georgia, unlike some other places, we cannot spend more money than we have. With these tough economic times, we are forced to make the hard choices and cuts, rather than go into deeper debt. While there have definitely been cutbacks, I think this budget represents a step forward for our priorities of quality education, affordable healthcare, and effective public safety.

In the area of education, one of the biggest victories this budget provides is the restoration of funding for school nurses. I understand the vital need for these people who are the first line of defense for our children’s health in schools, and am very happy we were able to continue providing them next year. We also continued funding the salary supplement for teachers who complete the National Board Certification program. These teachers are some of our best and brightest in the classroom, and we have made a promise to them to reward their hard work. We are now able to keep that promise. Also in the budget are funds for RESAs and ETTCs. These programs provide ongoing training for teachers to keep them on the cutting edge of education and give them the resources they need to make Georgia’s classrooms some of the best.

Healthcare funding is another major priority for the budget. Millions of dollars are allocated to funding the education of doctors and nurses in this state, and almost another million dollars for medical residency training programs. Georgia needs more well-trained medical professionals, and we are going to provide them the best training right here in Georgia. We are also able to provide almost $500 million that were originally proposed cuts to hospitals and providers. We realize that when hospitals get funding cuts, they pass that cost on to you, and this is not the time to see healthcare costs go up.

In this time when so much attention is given to economic cuts and downturns, we need to be careful not to lose focus on making sure Georgians still remain safe. With that in mind, we have increased the subsidy the state gives to county jails by $1.4million. We have provided for 23 new State Trooper cars. The GBI will see another $1million in funding.

This year has seen some hard decisions about which programs to cut, but I think the final budget will give the most value to you, the taxpayer. In the end, that is all we need to be doing.

If you have any thoughts or concerns to share with me, I can be contacted at 218 State Capitol, Atlanta, GA 30334; phone 404-656-7153; and my email is vance.smith@house.ga.gov.