General Assembly update

As the 2008 legislative session continues, legislation is beginning to move through committees and to the floor of the House for a full vote. This past week, we voted for new measures to protect consumers’ identity. I also joined my colleagues Chuck Martin of Alpharetta and Lynn Smith of Newnan on two pieces of legislation offering tax breaks for Georgians.

In this age of identity theft, providing consumers the tools necessary to protect their credit is important. I voted with my colleagues to pass House Bill 130, which allows consumers to put a “freeze” on their credit report.

With this freeze in place, would-be identity thieves are unable to receive credit in the consumer’s name. I hope that once this legislation is signed by the governor every Georgian takes advantage of this simple protective measure.

While Washington continues to debate economic stimulus, I signed on to two pieces of legislation this week that will bring tax breaks to Georgians. I cosponsored House Bill 1029, introduced by Chuck Martin of Alpharetta, that will provide an income tax deduction of $1,200 for individuals, $2,400 for married couples filing jointly, and $300 per child for every Georgian for tax year 2008.

I am also an original co-signer of Chairman Lynn Smith of Newnan’s tax holiday bill. This is the bill that designates a tax-free weekend each fall for back-to-school items. Both of these bills will bring tax savings for our citizens and economic stimulus for our state.

I will continue to keep you up to date on our actions as the legislative session progresses. Should you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me at my Capitol office at 404-656- 0109. I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Representative Matt Ramsey

(R-Peachtree City)

Note for Matt Ramsey

Submitted by mapleleaf on Sun, 02/10/2008 - 5:41pm.

Your reports are appreciated. Please put a date on each one of them, so we can keep track of what week you're talking about.

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