State Representative Bill Hitchens (R-Rincon), Chairman of the House Veterans Affairs Committee, and Representative Dave Belton (R-Buckhead), Chairman of the House Military Affairs Working Group, commended the Georgia House of Representatives for passing a number of military friendly House bills and resolutions during the 2017 legislative session. The House has passed 12 military bills authored by 10 different members, as well as an additional six resolutions that have been introduced to honor Georgia’s military.

“Agriculture will always be Georgia’s No. 1 industry, but our military installations play a tremendous role in the overall economic success of our state,” said Rep. Hitchens. “The difference between these huge economic contributors is that agriculture isn’t going anywhere, but Georgia could easily lose its military bases. Protecting these bases is essential in ensuring Georgia maintains its reputation as the No. 1 state in the nation for business, and I’m encouraged that my House colleagues have rallied behind this important cause by passing a record number of military friendly bills this legislative session.”

“I’m very pleased with all the work we’ve done to improve the lives of Georgia’s active-duty military personnel and their families, as well as our veterans, and I am deeply appreciative of Speaker Ralston for allowing me to chair the House Military Affairs Working Group this session. Without Speaker Ralston’s vision, none of this would have been possible,” said Rep. Belton. “The House’s many successes on both sides of the aisle are more than I could have hoped for.”

The passage of military friendly legislation began with the appropriation in the Amended Fiscal Year 2017 budget of $50 million for a new Georgia Cyber Innovation and Training Center near Fort Gordon in Augusta, an effort championed by Rep. Terry England (R-Auburn), Chairman of the House Appropriations Committee. This funding prompted the Army’s $2 billion decision to build the new Army Cyber headquarters facility at Fort Gordon. Other military investments were approved this year, totaling in an annual additional investment of $2 million, and include funds for several veterans benefits training officers, a women’s veteran coordinator, a Military Family Support Center and a matching grant for a three year program to increase counselors in K-12 schools close to military installations.

Military friendly bills and resolutions passed by the Georgia House of Representatives during the 2017 legislative session include:

• Amended Fiscal Year 2017 budget (HB 43) By Rep. Terry England (R-Auburn): $50 million grant to Cyber Command at Fort Gordon and $2 million annually for veterans benefit coordinators and K-12 school counselors;

• HB 148 by Rep. Mike Glanton (D-Jonesboro): Educate Military Children initiative;

• HB 209 by Rep. Lee Hawkins (R-Gainesville): Homestead Exemption for disabled veterans:

• HB 222 by Rep. Shaw Blackmon (R-Bonaire): HOPE Scholarship for Georgia National Guard and Reservists;

• HB 224 by Rep. Belton: School Choice for Military Children;

• HB 245 by Rep. Al Williams (D-Midway): military spouses may attain temporary teacher certificates issued outside the state of Georgia;

• HB 287 by Rep. Tom Kirby (R-Loganville): Gold Star Family license plate provision;

• HB 322 by Rep. Hitchens: expands the term “war veteran” to include Gulf War veterans;

• HB 422 by Rep. Hitchens: creates the Veteran’s Service Board to establish a nonprofit foundation to garner funds to help our veterans;

• HB 470 by Rep. Blackmon: Governor’s Defense Initiative to assist military communities;

• HB 309 by Rep. Timothy Barr (R-Lawrenceville): exempts liability when National Guard is engaged in military duty to include other branches of the military;

• HB 523 by Rep. Brian Strickland (R-McDonough): expands Zell Miller Scholarship criteria for military students;

• HR 173 by Rep. Belton: honoring the Georgia National Guard;

• HR 154 by Rep. Brian Prince (D-Augusta): honoring Fort Gordon;

• HR 143 by Rep. John Corbett (R-Lake Park): honoring Moody Air Force Base;

• HR 490 by Rep. Williams: honors the Third Infantry Division of the United States Army at Fort Stewart-Hunter Army Airfield, to be presented in March;

• A Resolution by Rep. Blackmon: honoring Robins Air Force Base, to be presented in March;

• A Resolution by Rep. Hitchens: recognizing June 27, 2017 as Post-Traumatic Stress Injury Day and June, 2017 as Post-Traumatic Stress Injury Month and encouraging the Departments of Public Health, Military, and Veterans Affairs to continue to educate citizens about post-traumatic stress injury, to be presented in March.

“The Pentagon has stated loud and clear that K-12 education is Georgia’s number one quality-of-life issue for our military personnel and families,” added Rep. Belton. “I’m confident the legislation we’ve passed this session will become a model for helping our military children across the country.”

Georgia has the fifth largest military population in the United States with an economic impact of nearly $20 billion a year, and the Department of Defense indirectly employs almost one-third of a million Georgians and compensates nearly 1 million Georgians. The Military Affairs Working Group began as a bipartisan House study committee last year to examine ways to protect Georgia’s military installations from future federal base realignment and closure action.