Georgia State Senator Blake Tillery talked to Glennville Rotarians at their August 7, 2024, meeting, giving a brief summary of the past legislative session and an outlook for future legislation.

He expressed his appreciation first to the voters in being allowed to serve as their state senator for the past eight years, and to be able to serve as Chairman of the Appropriations Committee.

Tillery commented that his three big issues have been our tax structure, bringing more jobs to the rural communities, and expanding broadband to rural areas.  He alluded to the big investment in jobs at the Mega site and the $400 million that has been placed into the expansion of broadband in the rural areas. In reference to taxation, he mentioned the cutting of the tax income tax by ten percent already and plans to continue to reduce that burden on citizens.

Tillery stated that illegal immigration is a huge issue and the crime that accompanies it, especially in the rural communities.  He mentioned that the newest prison will be built in Washington County instead of Tattnall and that Georgia State Prison would not be re-opened.

“When we built prisons in the 1990s, it was ‘three strikes and you’re out,’ and you are in prison for life. We built prisons quickly, actually 13 in our District 19. We built them as dormitory style and not suitable to today’s criminal clientele. The prison in Washington County will be single occupancy cells, since someone in prison for life has little hesitation in killing the other person in their cell. The cost of the prison in Washington County could reach one billion dollars and will house 1500 inmates,” he said.

He added that the Georgia economy has been in a slight slump for the past 12 months compared to its rise for the previous 24 months, and budget cuts could likely soon again be a reality.  Even with hitting this lull in the economy, Georgia has over $12 billion on hand that may be needed for “rainy days,” but the state budget is $37 billion so that is not but about a cushion for three months.

Tillery acknowledged that keeping our citizens safe is a priority, and public safety remains a concern, especially with the escalation of gang violence.  A need to incentivize our police officers is needed, since officers will often change from a city to a county department for the slight pay differential.

Tillery sees the limitations of solar energy when one realizes that it takes five acres to power one home, which is taking our farmland, and this is not the sole answer to our energy problems.

He confirmed that housing costs are “out of sight,” and that rents are high, and interest rates are rising for home mortgages.

Tillery commented that even though the majority of the population is enclosed in a small area in the Atlanta area of the state, the spread of power in the state seems now to be more evenly dispersed in the state, including the rural areas. He foresees more disagreements on cultural issues as more divergence appears to be rising in the new legislators.

In closing, he said that tort and insurance reform are needed and attorneys’ advertising was a concern for him, noting that a bill he authored this year to assist with tort reform now gives the State Bar of Georgia the ability to reform attorney advertising to protect consumers, since a possibility of tainting the jury pool may be an offshoot of reckless attorney advertising.

Senator Tillery closed his presentation by answering questions from Rotarians.