ATLANTA (February 14, 2012) – Sen. John Albers (R-Roswell) will host a Town Hall Meeting Series throughout the months of March and April to offer constituents with a brief update on the General Assembly’s business at the State Capitol.

“I encourage the constituents of the 56^th Senate District and surrounding areas to participate in one of my upcoming Town Hall Meetings,” said Sen. Albers. “One of the greatest privileges of being a state senator is the opportunity to meet face to face with the constituents who elected me. These informal meetings provide an excellent opportunity for constituents to become actively engaged in the legislative process and ensure I am driving legislation that truly reflects the will of the people.”

Sen. Albers will host Town Hall Meetings in the following locations:

Saturday, February 25, 2012

WHAT:       Sandy Springs Town Hall @ 10:30 a.m.

WHO:          Sen. John Albers, Rep. Joe Wilkinson and Rep. Wendell Willard

WHERE:    SandySpringCity Hall

7840 Roswell Road

Sandy Springs,GA30350

Sunday, March 11, 2012

WHAT:         Mountain Park, GA Town Hall @ 1:00 p.m.

WHO:           Sen. John Albers

WHERE:     MountainParkCommunityBuilding

                       100 Lakeshore Drive

Mountain Park,GA30075

WHAT:        Woodstock Town Hall @ 2:00 p.m.

WHO:           Sen. John Albers and Sen. Chip Rogers

WHERE:    Woodstock Library

7735 Main Street

Woodstock,GA30188

Saturday, March 24, 2012

WHAT:        Roswell Town Hall @ 10:30 a.m.

WHO:           Sen. John Albers and Rep. Jan Jones

WHERE:     Roswell United Methodist Church

                        814 Mimosa Blvd.

Roswell, GA30075

Sunday, April 15, 2012

WHAT:        Woodstock Town Hall @ 2:00 p.m.

WHO:           Sen. John Albers and Sen. Chip Rogers

WHERE:    Woodstock Library

7735 Main Street

Woodstock,GA30188

Saturday, April 21, 2012

WHAT:        Johns Creek Town Hall @ 10:30 a.m.

WHO:           Sen. John Albers, Rep.Lynn Riles and Rep. Mike Dudgeon

WHERE:     Johns Creek New Town Community Club

                       3115 Old Alabama Road

JohnsCreek,GA30024

Representative Matt Ramsey, (R-Peachtree City), is drawing up legislation that will hurt more small businesses in Georgia than he is intending to help. According to an article in the AJC, Ramsey is going to sponsor the Georgia affiliate nexus tax law. This will allow the state to collect tax from out of state online merchants that use affiliate marketing.

This is what I do for a living. This is my fight.

Rep. Ramsey says he is trying to help brick and mortar shops in Fayette County that complain online sales are hurting their business because customers are “shopping” their stores and buying online. Welcome to the new economy! If you don’t adapt, you fail. Unless the government bails you out. It’s just hard for me to understand why Republicans like Rep. Ramsey and Gov. Nathan Deal would be duped by lobbyists and state revenue employees that this idea would work. It has failed miserably in every other state and I’ve watched my friends struggle as a result.

The main issue is that companies like Home Depot are crying foul because Amazon does not have a physical location in Georgia and does not have to pay sales tax for online transactions. They have come up with an unconstitutional scheme that says I (an affiliate) am a nexus between Amazon and the state of Georgia. So any sales that happen through my affiliates links are taxable by the state. I am not a nexus. I’m a small business owner that makes some extra spending cash promoting products on my website. I use that spending cash at local businesses in the metro Atlanta area. Read my story on the Marketing Gorilla Blog to get a better understanding of how this will affect me and my family.

Online merchants do not want to create ecommerce solutions that fit the needs of 50 different states. The best we can hope for is a federal tax on Internet sales, but even then it seems unfair to many online entrepreneurs.

There are 6,000 affiliates in Georgia. If/when this law passes, online merchants like Amazon will immediate terminate their relationship with affiliates to avoid the alleged nexus. Therefore, any net gain Rep. Ramsey or the governor expect in uncollected taxes will disappear. But, because the large merchants will stop working with affiliates, state income taxes will decrease and affiliates will suffer. I’m encouraging all affiliates to share their story so that the real casualties of this idea will be exposed.

Contact Rep. Ramsey, your House Rep and your State Senator and let them know this plan will not level the playing field, only federal legislation will come closer to addressing the issue.

By: Sen. John Albers

Since its inception, the HOPE scholarship has provided a low-cost education for Georgia’s best and brightest students.

Governor Nathan Deal, legislative leaders and educational stakeholders are working tirelessly to pass legislation that will address the most appropriate and efficient way to restore funding to Georgia’s educational system. Maintaining the HOPE Scholarship and other key programs are crucial not just for our students, but for our state’s ability to develop a strong workforce and attract new businesses.

One of the main goals of the HOPE scholarship is to incentivize top students to attend a college or university within the state and become contributing members of Georgia’s workforce. The HOPE Scholarship should never be based on family income; instead, it should solely be based upon the hard work of Georgia’s students.

At present, the HOPE Scholarship is the most generous grant program in the nation. When HOPE was originally created, eligibility was partially based on family income levels; this restriction was removed in 1995. If the income cap was reinstated, some high achieving students from upper income families might choose to attend an out-of-state institution. While low-income families have access to millions of dollars in financial aid, Georgia’s highest achieving students should always have the opportunity, regardless of income level, to receive financial aid based on their hard work throughout their scholastic careers.

The HOPE Scholarship isn’t just a reward for the student’s hard work – it is also a reward for the parents who continually encouraged their students to do well, and stayed actively involved in their child’s education. By supplying grants to our state’s highest achieving students, we’re able to secure a more prosperous future by investing in the education of our future leaders.

We need our “best and brightest” to remain in a state undergoing tremendous economic growth. Georgia is home to the headquarters of 14 Fortune 500 companies with combined revenues of $283.77 billion. While companies have expanded operations or relocated to our state for several reasons—including location proximity to the Savannah Ports and tax credits—the ability of our state to provide an educated and reliable workforce is an attractive incentive to businesses. We need to be able to supply the workers necessary to fill the jobs these companies provide, and ensure our universities and colleges are able to provide students with the essentials for success.

As a representative of the 56th Senate District, I look forward to working with my colleagues in the Senate to protect the HOPE Scholarship for Georgia’s highest achieving students for years to come.

ATLANTA (January 27, 2012) – Sen. John Albers (R-Roswell) and Sen. Majority Leader Chip Rogers (R- Woodstock) will host a Town Hall meeting in Alpharetta on Saturday, January 28, to discuss legislative updates and priorities. Attendees will then have the opportunity to participate in a question and answer session. All residents are invited to attend.

WHEN: Saturday, January 28, 2012
10:30 a.m.

WHERE: Alpharetta City Hall
2 S. Main Street
Alpharetta, GA 30099

Sen. Steve Gooch (R-Dahlonega) co-sponsored Senate Bill 292, legislation which would require mandatory drug testing for social service recipients.
Senate bill 292, known as the Social Responsibility and Accountability Act, would require recipients of Medicaid and the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) welfare programs to undergo drug tests similar to the routine drug-screening measures set forth by the private sector.
To receive state welfare benefits, all applicants must submit to a detailed application process and drug-screening measures would serve as an additional eligibility requirement. In an effort to protect the privacy of welfare applicants, screening results would remain confidential to protect against the scrutiny of public opinion.
“During these challenging economic times, Georgians have a vested interest in how their hard-earned tax dollars are being spent,” said Senator Gooch. “Senate Bill 292 provides a new era of accountability and promotes fiscal responsibility at a time when we need it most.” “By conserving our resources and balancing our state budget, we are working to ensure a brighter future for all Georgians.”
As part of the bills’ provisions, if an applicant fails to comply with state-mandated drug testing or produces a positive result, the applicant will be disqualified from receiving state benefits for a specified period of time which will be determined by the Georgia Department of Human Services.
Recent studies have shown that individuals who engage in drug abuse are less likely to maintain employment, and as a result, remain on welfare-related programs for a longer period of time.

“Senate Bill 292 would provide financial support to families while also helping individuals who need drug rehabilitation,” said Senator Gooch. “In addition, this landmark legislation is aimed at encouraging these individuals to become active members of their communities by re-entering the workforce.”
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Sen. Steve Gooch represents the 51st Senate District which includes Dawson, Fannin, Gilmer, Lumpkin, Pickens, and Union counties and portions of Forsyth and White counties. He may be reached at 404.656.9221 or via e-mail at steve.gooch@senate.ga.gov.

ATLANTA (November 15, 2011) – Sen. John Albers (R-Roswell) today pre-filed Senate Bill 292, legislation which would require mandatory drug testing to determine welfare eligibility.

Senate Bill 292, known as the Social Responsibility and Accountability Act, would require recipients of Medicaid and the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) welfare programs to undergo drug tests similar to the routine drug-screening measures set forth by private sector employers.

“Whether you work to receive compensation or collect government assistance, the same standards should apply,” said Senator Albers. “If individuals are receiving aid at the taxpayer’s expense, citizens have the right to know how their funds are being appropriated.”

The bills’ provisions outline that if an applicant fails to comply with state-mandated drug testing or produces a positive result, the applicant will be disqualified from receiving state benefits for a specified period of time which will be determined by the Georgia Department of Human Services.

To receive welfare benefits, applicants already submit to a detailed application process and drug-screening measures would serve as an additional eligibility requirement. In an effort to protect the privacy of welfare applicants, screening results would remain confidential to protect against the scrutiny of public opinion.

“The Social Responsibility and Accountability Act touts the virtues of individual responsibility and accountability, and relieves the taxpayer from undue tax burdens,” said Senator Albers. “The proposed legislation would serve to reward law-obeying citizens who need assistance the most.”

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Sen. John Albers represents the 56th Senate District, which includes portions of North Fulton County. He may be reached at his office at 404.463.8055 or by email at john.albers@senate.ga.gov.

In a very close election, Bruce Hoffman won the Dahlonega City Council Post 4 Seat held by incumbent Michael Clemons. Hoffman was the only candidate to oust an incumbent in the council elections. Sam Norton and Terry Peters held onto their seats.

Hoffman (my dad) plans to stay very visible and active in the community during his tenure. He will be available to listen to constituents any time. If you need to find him, visit the Chick-fil-A in Dahlonega any morning of the week…

Follow any news or updates on his Facebook Fan Page.

Sen. John Albers (R-Roswell) graduated alongside twenty other freshman state representatives and senators from the fourth Georgia Legislative Leadership Institute (GLLI) on September 25.

GLLI, an offshoot of the Biennial Institute for Georgia Legislators, is a phased leadership development program that helps newer legislators develop skills in leadership, decision making, and policy analysis to better serve constituents and the citizens of Georgia. Candidates for GLLI are chosen by legislative leadership.

“The GLLI provides the tools needed to effectively work on my constituents’ behalf and drive legislation that positively impacts all aspects of our great state,” said Sen. Albers. “Attending GLLI is both an honor and a privilege, and I am grateful to the Georgia General Assembly leadership for this opportunity.”

The GLLI curriculum focuses on characteristics vital to effective governance, including personal leadership development, public policy process and analysis, ethical governance, political leadership, and advanced legislative processes. Legislators engaged in a personal leadership assessment, then grappled with such topics as policy choices in the legislative process and collective problem solving and decision making. They also participated in workshops that helped them identify the qualities necessary for effective legislative leadership and learned how to cultivate those qualities in themselves and others.

“We were delighted to have Sen. Albers participate in GLLI. He was an enthusiastic and engaged participant who added depth and value to all discussions,” said Laura Meadows, Interim Director, Carl Vinson Institute of Government at The University of Georgia.

The Vinson Institute coordinates GLLI every two years in partnership with the Georgia General Assembly and with financial support from the Robert W. Woodruff Foundation. Over 90 legislators have attended GLLI since its 2005 inception.

Elections are less than a month away and I have no idea who is running for Roswell City Council. I live here and should be supporting someone!

Any candidates that would like to say hello are more than welcome to tell me why I should vote for you. In fact, I’m not quite sure what post or district I live in. Time for some education on my part.

I’d also be interested in Alpharetta and John’s Creek elections.

The Georgia State Firefighters Association (GSFA) and the Georgia Association of Fire Chiefs (GAFC) are proud to name State Senator John Albers as their Legislator of the Year for 2011. Senator Albers, a fourth generation volunteer firefighter himself, was selected for his tireless work on behalf of the Georgia fire service this past session of the Georgia General Assembly. “On behalf of fire chief’s all across Georgia, I cannot thank Sen. Albers enough for his efforts this past session”, said David Kimbrell, President of the GAFC.

A freshman legislator, appointed to serve on the Senate Public Safety Committee, Albers was quick to distinguish himself as a leader on public safety issues and a strong advocate for the fire service. Albers sponsored SB 155, the Jarrett Little Act, which sought to ensure that the families and dependants of firefighters killed in the line of duty were properly compensated for their loss. Scott Carter, President of the GSFA said “It is rare to see a freshman legislator be willing to stand up and take the lead on an important issue like public safety and that’s exactly what John Albers did.”