State Representative Calvin Hill

ATLANTA – Cherokee County State Representatives, Sean Jerguson (R-Holly Springs), Charlice Byrd (R-Woodstock), Calvin Hill (R-Canton) and Mark Hamilton (R-Cumming) are seeking input from small businesses in Cherokee County for a special initiative currently underway by the Georgia House of Representatives to review and evaluate Georgia’s current regulatory environment. This effort, called Red Tape Watch, will be carried out by the Special Committee on Small Business Development and Job Creation throughout the 2012 legislative session.

The Special Committee on Small Business Development and Job Creation, chaired by Rep. David Knight (R-Griffin), will meet periodically throughout the session to hear directly from small business owners. These hearings will allow small business owners and operators an opportunity to discuss ways the state can streamline the government bureaucracy that impedes their ability to do business efficiently.

The committee would like to hear from as many industries as possible in order to create a comprehensive list of areas in need of regulation reform.  Once this list is complied, the committee will begin work on reducing burdensome regulations, easing compliance, and ensuring Georgia small businesses are no longer hindered by outdated and oppressive state regulations.

Small business owners who would like to participate in this process but who cannot attend a hearing can fill out a form to voice their concerns at www.house.ga.gov/redtapewatch.

National studies show that small employers consistently rank government requirements and red tape as the second-most significant problem facing their businesses.  This is often because the cost of compliance ties up the limited resources most small business have to operate.  Because small businesses account for over 70% of our nations job growth, the study also shows that over regulating small businesses is hindering our economic recovery.

The Special Committee on Small Business Development and Job Creation was created by House Speaker David Ralston (R-Blue Ridge) in January 2010 to solely focus on sustaining and growing small businesses in Georgia and thereby creating job opportunities for Georgians.

The next meeting of the Special Committee on Small Business Development and Job Creation will be held Wednesday, February 8, 2012 at 2:00 PM in room 406 of the Coverdell Legislative Office Building.

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Atlanta – State Representative Calvin Hill has been contacted by Jun Lin, Representative of Chongqing China, regarding the possibility of hosting Chinese exchange students to America.  Some Chinese high schools are asking to have their students come to the USA to stay in the homes of American families 2 weeks for cultural exchange this summer.  Participating in an exchange program is beneficial to students from both countries, allowing them to experience a different culture and to broaden their international vision. 

 The Chinese government is willing to pay some organizing fee and stipend for each student. 

 Any area schools or churches interested in recruiting/providing host families are asked to contact Jan Brown in Representative Hill’s office at 404-463-3793 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Atlanta - Chairman Calvin Hill joined Rep. Jay Powell, author of the HB 811, in working to ensure that fees paid by consumers and business to the state actually will be used for the purpose they were intended.

“Too often Legislators create legislation to charge a fee to the citizens of this state, knowing full and well that the state does not have to apply that fee to the intended purpose. Instead, the money goes into the General Fund and used as a slush fund to cover any budget areas the Governor and General Assembly desire.” Stated Hill. “Unless a fee is tied into a Constitutional Amendment, it cannot be guaranteed to be used as intended. This practice has gone on forever and it is time we put a stop to it. HB 811 is the first step in that direction and has a tremendous amount of support on both sides of the aisle.”

ATLANTA – Georgia Senators, Representatives, leaders in education, and the general public were at  the Capitol for School Choice Day, Wednesday, January 25.  Representative Calvin Hill addressed members in attendance at the American’s for Prosperity press conference, where he shared results of a recent survey on school choice in Georgia.

This was a non-partisan, multi-age, multi-ethnic, multi-income level state wide poll in which 16% of the participants had a family member employed by a public school system.

 78% thought public schools were doing good job of educating, but thought private and charter were doing better job preparing students for competing for jobs in today's world economy

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70.5% would be more likely to vote for a Legislator who supported school choice, including 61.5 % of people who work in the school system. 

84% believe that the public school system is doing a fair to excellent job of education their children, but, if money was not an issue, 59% would be likely to change schools.

Representaive Hill concludes, “It is very clear that while public schools are doing an adequate job of education, over 70% believe that parents best know the educational needs of their children and believe that they should have the option of how they educate their children, be it public, private, charter, or home schooled.”

L to R: Rep. Paulette Braddock, Georgia Family Council President - Randy Hicks, Senate Majority Leader Chip Rogers and Representative Calvin Hill