Tankersley voted NO 3 out of 391 times during 2017 legislative session

The Georgia legislature wrapped up the 2017 legislative session in the wee hours of Friday morning leaving the dust to settle on the nearly 400 votes cast. Where does that leave State Representative Jan Tankersley, who represents Bulloch and Bryan counties, with regard to voting measures??

At a 99.3% passage rate. Tankersley topped the list of voting in favor of legislation that came to the House floor, voting NO just three times during the 2017 session – two if when omitting the one NO vote that was a simple House procedural vote. A total of 431 votes were cast, though 40 were for attendance.

The General Assembly took up a plethora of important issues over the last three months, but also dozens of bills that stirred controversy around the state. Locally, Tankersley ruffled feathers after voting in favor, twice, of budget cuts to Georgia’s Soil and Water Conservation Commission which led to the near-immediate closure of Statesboro’s regional office, cutting jobs and eliminating resources utilized by those in the agriculture industry.

Tankersley also voted in favor of:

• House Bill 452 which was amended in the Senate during the final hours of the session. The bill allows for persons to be arrested and charged with domestic terrorism, though the language angered First Amendment activists who say the bill could target protesters – peaceful and otherwise – and the federal government already had such laws in place.
• House Bill 338 which is Governor Deal’s replacement bill for the failed Opportunity School District Amendment that flopped in November. The bill allows for takeovers for what the state deems as “failing schools.”
• House Bill 202 which increases the salary of the Governor to $175,000 annually
• House Bill 125 which gives a tax credit to anyone who has their yacht repaired in Georgia if over $500,000
• House Bill 208 which increases the hunting and fishing licensing fees
• House Bill 225 which adds a sales tax to rideshare purchases like Uber and Lyft as well as any other transaction which originates online — food delivery, Air B&B, etc.
• House Bill 37 that suspends any funding from public and private universities in Georgia if they allow sanctuary safe havens for illegal immigrants on campus
• House Bill 199 which grants tax credits to persons/companies that invest in the entertainment industry
• House Bill 264 which doubles the state bond amount for the Georgia World Congress Center from $200 million to $400 million
• SB 201 which dictates that business owners must allow employees to use paid leave time to care for family members, despite company policy, if the employer already provides sick leave
• Senate Bill 183 that allows state dollars to back bonds issued to private developers of the State Road and Tollway Authority
• Senate Bill 193, known as the “Friends with Benefits Bill,” which allows patients diagnosed with venereal diseases like chlamydia and gonorrhea to obtain an extra antibiotic prescription for their sexual partner or partners.
• Senate Bill 70 which extends the Hospital Bed Tax for an additional 3 years

Tankersley voted NO on:

• Senate Bill 109 which allows first responders and EMS agencies to develop interstate compacts for reciprocity during times of need
• House Bill 280 – the campus carry legislation to allow lawful Weapons Carry Permit holders over the age of 21 to carry a concealed firearm on public university campuses, though this vote followed her initial YES vote on the measure 
• A Motion to Reconsider House Bill 196 – a bill that grants large income tax credits to person who receive royalties from the music industry-after it failed to pass on the House floor. Tankersley cast a NO vote to reconsider after voting YES on the bill that failed.

Tankersley also supported measures like the expansion of the rural hospital tax credit which will benefit Evans Memorial and Candler County’s hospital, though East Georgia Regional does not qualify. She sponsored House Bill 247 which makes local governments ineligible for state funds unless they register with the Department of Community Affairs, but it was tabled in the Senate. 

Jan Tankersley is Chair of the House Intragovernmental Coordination Committee. She was elected in 2010.