Helping self-employed people and aiding those in foreclosure

Rep. Virgil Fludd

Thursday, Feb. 14 was the 17th legislative day of the 2008 session of the Georgia General Assembly. The first four weeks have been full of action.

Last week I introduced House Bill 1114 to create the Self-employment Assistance Program. Under this legislation an individual that is engaged in activities such as entrepreneurial training, business counseling, and technical assistance for the purpose of establishing a business and becoming self-employed may receive an allowance from the Employment Security Administration Fund for the purpose of assisting that individual in establishing a business and becoming self-employed.

Another piece of legislation I’ve proposed is HB 965, which gives the director of the Environmental Protection Division the authority to inspect and regulate solid waste facilities. The bill has been assigned to the Committee on Natural Resources and Environment. I hope to have hearings on both these bills very soon.

As a member of the Working Families Caucus, I serve on the Special Task Force on the mortgage crisis to stop foreclosures. This week we teamed up with the Atlanta Legal Aid Foundation to provide assistance to those who are faced with losing their home.

Also this week the House passed legislation to: make it harder for someone to abuse handicapped parking permits; require hospitals to offer flu and pneumonia shots to patients who are 65 years of age or older before discharging them; created the Georgia Lottery Corporation Legislative Oversight Committee; and approved on-line delivery of the Department of Driver’s Services six-hour defensive driving course.

On Tuesday I held a town hall meeting in South Fulton County with Speaker of the House Glenn Richardson.

This week the Speaker appointed me to the House Special Task Force on Grady Hospital. Grady is indispensable not only to Atlanta and Fulton County but to all of metro Atlanta, and it must be supported and maintained.

Wednesday took me to Love T. Nolan Elementary school in College Park for career day, and on Thursday I welcomed students from Burch Elementary School to the Capitol Arts exhibit.

This week I also met with the Fayette County Kiwanis Club and had the honor to recognize the Jordon Foundation for its work with children and schools.

We will be out of session this coming Monday in order to catch up on constituent and committee work and then back in for legislative day 18 on Tuesday.

If you have any questions about the 2008 General Assembly, please feel free to contact me at my Capitol office at 404-656-0314.

[Rep. Virgil Fludd (D-Fayetteville) represents part of Fayette and Fulton counties. He serves on the Banks and Banking, Children and Youth, and Ways and Means committees.]