VALDOSTA, GA – Wiregrass Georgia Technical College hosted the Valdosta-Lowndes Chamber’s annual State Legislative Lunch, co-presented by the Valdosta Rotary Club and Valdosta North Rotary Club on Wednesday, December 4.

Keynote speaker, Senator Tim Golden discussed the current state of affairs, including Georgia’s AAA credit rating and first place rank among states in the national business climate. Senator Golden also addressed the necessity of locating funding for Invest Georgia, an initiative which would pour $100 million into Georgia’s small business community to encourage growth and anchor jobs to the state. Another focus for the upcoming State Legislative Session is provision for “country doctor” programs which would assist with tuition for doctors in rural areas. Georgia currently faces a shortage of doctors, needing approximately 500 more to close the gap. Senator Golden explained that for each doctor with a private practice, about $1.5 million is generated annually.

State Representative Amy Carter explained the process for selecting a date for the sales tax holiday and expressed effort to make the holiday more effective for each county. Representative Carter also ensured that the state budget is a top priority, validated by the AAA credit rating.

The State Legislative Session will begin January 13 and is expected to continue through mid-March.

“We are very fortunate to have a pro-business delegation representing our community in Atlanta,” said Ron Borders, Chairman of the Chamber’s Government Affairs Council. “Our State Senator and our State Representatives stay on top of the business development issues that our Chamber members are most concerned with.”

For further information about this or upcoming events, please call (229) 247-8100, or visit www.ValdostaChamber.com.

Source: Valdosta-Lowndes County Chamber of Commerce