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Lawmakers prepare to complete suspended session
burns jon 2015
Rep. Jon Burns

We are continuing to prepare for completing our suspended Session which will begin again in mid-June.

On May 13, Chairman Terry England hosted another teleconference Appropriations Committee meeting where State Economist Jeffrey Dorfman told us that he believed that our state’s economy would begin to rebound shortly based on his analysis of recent state economic data.

Although we know that the outlook for next year’s budget is much different than we imagined a few short months ago, our staff in the House Budget and Research Office and the members of the Appropriations Committee have been hard at work for weeks to help adapt the budget for next year. 

In exciting news for Screven County schools, AT&T has partnered with the Georgia Department of Education to expand internet access through AT&T’s “Wi-Fi Ranger” program in Screven County.

AT&T will be donating two months of internet service and has helped secure grant funding for an additional three months. This generous donation will give students in selected districts in the state, including Screven County, five months of internet access through this program. This initiative will equip buses in rural counties throughout our state with wi-fi connectivity. These buses will be deployed throughout the selected counties and students will be able to access the internet through the wi-fi network emitted from the buses.

Additionally, all Georgians can visit www.Broadband.GA.gov to find locations to access broadband internet.

The Department of Public Health has updated its testing guidelines, and all Georgians are now qualified to be tested for COVID-19. The Department of Public Health still requests that Georgians who want to be tested contact their local Board of Health to receive a referral to a testing center. Additionally, Georgians can be screened virtually through Augusta University’s app, or through a free hotline at (706) 721-2273, and request a referral to be tested for COVID-19 at a location near them.

As businesses and restaurants continue to open (or reopen) their doors to customers in a very different environment than what we are all used to, please continue to follow social distancing guidelines, wash your hands, and be safe. 

If you have any feedback, do not hesitate to call (404.656.5052), e-mail (Jon.Burns@house.ga.gov), or engage on Facebook (www.facebook.com/JonBurnsGA). If you would like to receive email updates, please visit my website to sign up for my newsletter or email me. It is an honor to represent you in the General Assembly, and I look forward to seeing you soon.


Jon Burns represents District 159, which includes parts of Bulloch County in the Georgia General Assembly where he serves as the House Majority Leader.