(The Center Square) — Lt. Governor Burt Jones and Senate President Pro Tem John F. Kennedy, R-Macon, announced new policies for taxpayer-funded travel.
The move follows reports that former Lt. Governor Geoff Duncan and then-Senate President Pro Tem Butch Miller, R-Gainesville, took a taxpayer-funded European trip shortly before leaving office.
Starting April 1, out-of-state taxpayer-funded travel for senators and the Lieutenant Governor will be posted monthly on the Senate’s website.
Senate Rules Chairman Matt Brass, R-Newnan, will appoint members to the Audit Subcommittee, which will meet by April 1. Senators plan to implement a rule barring outgoing senators and an outgoing Lieutenant Governor from taxpayer-funded out-of-state travel in their last six months in office or if they lose a primary or general election.
Senate sends Izzy’s Law to the House
The Georgia Senate passed Senate Bill 107, known as Izzy’s Law, which requires the Department of Public Health to develop a safety plan for aquatic activities. It would require that swim instructors’ plans include a student-to-instructor ratio, a secondary supervisor to help with swimmer safety and parents and guardians to be able to attend private swim lessons.
“Izzy’s Law would ensure that our children are protected during swim instruction through creating widely accessible safety plans for aquatic activities,” state Sen. Max Burns, R-Sylvania, said in an announcement.
The law is named after Israel “Izzy” Scott, a four-year-old who drowned during a backyard swim lesson in Burke County in 2022.
Ossoff joins bid to establish hydrogen energy infrastructure
U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Georgia, joined a bipartisan effort to support the development of hydrogen energy infrastructure across Georgia and the Southeast.
The plan would tap into an $8 billion competitive grant opportunity established by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, also called the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
“The Southeast Hydrogen Hub coalition’s member states are home to many of the nation’s leading transportation, logistics, energy, manufacturing and research assets,” Ossoff and other lawmakers wrote to Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm. “We are heartened by the Department of Energy’s encouraging notification in response to the coalition’s concept paper and urge the Department to select the Southeast Hydrogen Hub coalition for funding.”
By T.A. DeFeo | The Center Square contributor
