VALDOSTA —
GOP House Speaker David Ralston, Speaker Pro Tempore Jan Jones and Majority Leader Larry O’Neal stopped in Valdosta Monday afternoon to meet with local constituents and delegates.
“I enjoy visiting this part of the state; I’m from rural Georgia,” said Ralston. “Too many people stay in Atlanta too long and they think that the state line is the median of I-285.”
Ralston, who was received by Rep.'s Amy Carter and Ellis Black at the Valdosta airport, took time to discuss some of the legislative achievements of this year’s General Assembly, looking ahead to the 2013 legislative session beginning in January.
“The greatest accomplishment of the (2012 General Assembly) was our tax reform package, because it makes Georgia competitive in terms of job creation,” said Ralston. “What I hear Georgians telling us they want us to focus on is: Number one is jobs, number two is jobs, and number three is jobs. That tax reform package included a lot of incentives that will be good for business.”
Ralston also said that he was proud of the criminal justice reform measure that was recently passed, which he said would rehabilitate non-violent offenders and turn them into taxpayers instead of tax-burdens.
Looking ahead to the 2013 legislative session, Ralston said that health care will be a priority issue.
But as of now, he said it’s a “wait-and-see” issue that hinges on the November election.
“Whether or not the (federal health care mandate) is repealed, we’ve got some real challenges with Medicaid,” said Ralston.
We’re already looking at a $300 million shortfall in Georgia. We’re going to have to look at managed care and other solutions to ensure that the Medicaid dollars go to the truly needy in our communities. I think that’s going to be a major issue, as well as adopting the state budget -- that’s always the most important thing we do.”
The speaker said the rest of the day was going to be spent visiting with supporters of Carter and Black and that there was no official agenda for the evening.
“I go where they tell me to go,” he said, before chuckling.
The Valdosta stop was part of a four-day tour of the state.
The group will head to Brunswick and Augusta today and then to Kennesaw tomorrow for the tour’s final stop.
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