MY ACCOMPLISHMENTS

During the 2011/12 legislative sessions, a few of the Senate Bills that I sponsored or co-sponsored are:

SB 52 - Courts; require marshals to notify protected persons upon the service of certain protective orders (passed Senate)

SB 119 - Education; tuition equalization grants and HOPE scholarships and grants; revise certain definitions (passed Senate)

SB 138 - License plates; require a sworn statement by an applicant for a tag renewal (passed Senate)

SB 141 - Martin Luther King Jr. Advisory Council; create; membership, terms, duties; annual report (signed into law)

SB 147 - Public Officials; prohibit from granting themselves licenses by waiving certain requirements; penalties (passed Senate)

SB 168 - Rules of the Road; dedicate the Georgia Move-Over law in memory of Spencer Pass (passed Senate)

SB 185 - Early Care/Learning; provide emergency closure; upon death of a minor or certain circumstances; definitions; procedures (signed into law)

SB 186 - Fire Protection/Safety; consolidate primary state fire protection/safety services within a single agency; establish Department of Fire Safety (passed Senate)

SB 334 - HOPE Scholarship; revise the definition of the term "Zell Miller Scholar" (in Senate Higher Education Committee)

SB 335 - HOPE Grants; eliminate the minimum grade point average requirement for maintaining eligibility for a HOPE grant (in Senate Higher Education Committee)

SB 336 - HOPE Scholarships; add a maximum annual household income requirement for purposes of eligibility (in Senate Higher Education Committee)

Click here for a complete list of Sen. Tate's 2011-12 legislation.

During my 14 years of service in the Georgia Senate, I have accomplished significant advances in these important areas:

Healthcare:
Worked to establish funding for an operational trauma care network and increased the numbers of Georgia's children that are covered by health insurance

Education:
Fought to stop the diversion of money from our public schools where the majority of our children will obtain their basic education

Homestead Exemption:
Doubled the amount of exemptions over three years that has lowered residential property taxes

Protecting Consumers:
Sponsored legislation to reduce the number of foreclosures in Georgia

Seniors:
Identified methods to make prescription drugs more affordable

STATE BUDGET

I was reappointed to the Senate Appropriations Committee, which sets the Georgia budget. In recent sessions, balancing the budget in the face of declining state revenues has been our challenge.

This year, revenues have increased by just over 4 percent. Gov. Deal has proposed a $19.2 billion annual state budget for fiscal year 2013, which begins July 1.

In my role as a member of the Appropriations Committee I promise to be a vigilant monitor of the spending of our tax dollars.