GNB Update

It's Thursday...Getting ever closer towards Friday...And now the news...

The budget for fiscal year 2010 is one step closer to becoming a reality. The Georgia House passed its version of the budget earlier today. It amounts to total of around $18.5 billion. About $1.4 billion will come from the federal stimulus package. That means many school nurses statewide will still have jobs. But not every lawmaker likes the new budget. Democratic Representative Dubose Porter says the passage of the bill would lead to "the largest tax increase in Georgia History". The measure now goes to the state Senate for a vote.

More cutbacks, and maybe a special session. That's the warning Georgia House Speaker Glenn Richardson gave to fellow lawmakers today, as state revenues continue to plummet. The possible cutbacks could change the make-up of the homeowner's tax relief program, as well as force schoolteachers go on a furlough. Richardson says while that such actions aren't imminent, he warns that "we're not far from it. You better start thinking."

Fans of Little League Baseball in Georgia received some good news recently. The Warner Robins City Council unaminously approved a memorandum at a meeting Tuesday. That paves the way for Little League Baseball's Southeast regional headquarters to move to middle Georgia. Terms of the agreement include the construction of a new stadium, adminstrative building, and maintenance facility. The city of Warner Robins will provide $500,000 of in-kind assistance, while the Houston County Development Authority will contribute another $250,000. The construction of all facilities will total more than $5 million.

That's the news. But remember to log on to georgianewsbeat.blogspot.com for the latest Georgia-related news 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Enjoy your Thursday evening.