Brock Clay Capitol Report, Week 5

The general consensus in the halls of the Capitol this week was that while time seemed to be marching on, little was actually happening under the Gold Dome, lending the session a distinct feeling of "dragging on." The Appropriations committees of the two chambers continued to work with Governor Sonny Perdue's office to try and find a solution to our budget challenges. Various committees continued to meet, and the number of bills and resolutions to be considered continued to climb. Two particular state Senators, however, had a very successful week.

Senator Jim Butterworth (R - Clarkesville), a freshman and a Delta airline pilot, presented his first bill on the floor of the Senate and experienced the traditional freshman's hazing. This bill allows the state's 25 public colleges and universities to join together and create better health insurance options for their employees. After Senator Steve Thompson (D - Marietta) tried to block Butterworth from even coming to the well, Senator Preston Smith (R -Rome) grilled him and elicited laughter all across the chamber. Eventually, the legislation passed 52 - 0 and Butterworth returned to his desk to applause, back slaps, and a bottle of Mrs. Butterworth's syrup autographed by the Lt. Governor.

Senator Don Thomas (R - Dalton), fondly referred to by many at the Capitol as "Doctor Don," has been fighting for years to change Georgia law to require the use of seatbelts in pickup trucks. For years, powerful rural legislators have stopped any change from taking place on the grounds that it's an unnecessary regulation that would hinder farmers, but Senator Thomas disagrees, and has been working to change the law for years. This week, his S.B. 5, which would change that law, passed the Senate 49 - 4. While the bill has traditionally not done well in the House, this is a great first step.

The fight to adequately fund Georgia's trauma care network continues, but has slowed significantly over the last couple of weeks. Due to the recession and the general budget situation, there has been significant reluctance in various parts of the general assembly to take an aggressive stance on funding trauma care. Towards the end of the week, some movement was seen as Senator Greg Goggans (R - Douglas), chairman of the powerful Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Community Health, introduced S.R. 377. S.R. 377 would propose an amendment on the Georgia Constitution to add $10 on each car tag purchased in Georgia to fund trauma care. This resolution is an identical bill to Rep. Austin Scott's (R - Tifton) proposal by general statute. In recent conversations, many legislators that are close to the trauma funding issue have expressed little confidence that a substantive and sustainable funding source will be passed this session. However, work continues on the slight chance that an option will present itself. This week, Senator Cecil Staton dropped S.B.156 , which would alter portions of the Georgia Code governing the Trauma Care Network Commission. Some of the more substantial changes include adding burn centers to the trauma code, expanding the ability to cover cost of readiness, and clarifying the relationship of the GTCNC with the State Office of EMS and Trauma (as well as establishing the State Office of EMS and Trauma in the Georgia Code). Rep. Ron Stephens also dropped H.B. 363, which would add burn center physicians to the trauma code.

Numerous subcommittee meetings took place this week on transportation issues. Senator Jeff Mullis' S.B. 39 and S.R. 44 continue to await a hearing as the House Transportation Committee continues to perfect their transportation proposal. S.R. 44 establishes a constitutional referendum to establish a TSPLOST and S.B. 39 is the accompanying enabling legislation.

On Wednesday, Senator John Douglas' Transportation subcommittee met to consider Senator Steve Thompson's proposal for funding transportation, S.R. 90. If you'll recall, Senator Thompson agreed to vote for S.R. 44 and S.B. 39 in exchange for having the Senate Transportation Committee vote on S.R. 90. The subcommittee passed the bill out of subcommittee with a neutral recommendation. At the same time, a House Transportation Subcommittee held a hearing on Rep. Steve Davis' H.R. 140 , which would abolish the Georgia Department of Transportation Board. H.R. 140 remains in the Transportation Committee.

In the meantime, Chairman Vance Smith's (R - Pine Mountain) H.B. 277 and H.R.206 has been heard once in Rep. Carl Roger's (R - Gainesville) special funding subcommittee. This legislation, called The Georgia 20/20 Transportation Act, establishes a statewide local option fundraising mechanism that would raise approximately $27 billion over the next ten years. The legislation places the funds under the authority of the State Road and Tollway Authority (or "another authority," language presumably to make allowance for the transportation governance legislation expected from Governor Sonny Perdue), and also places into statute a list of transportation projects on which the money may be spent. There are many varying opinions on the bill, and the transit community in particular is working hard to clarify certain portions of the bill with Chairman Smith. However, as the bill continues through the vetting process in subcommittee, more people are signing on in support. Get Georgia Moving is currently evaluating the components of the House legislation in order to full understand the ramifications and it's impact. However, they are continuing a posture of positive support for the funding efforts taking place on both sides of the Legislature. Rep. Rogers is expected to hold a final hearing of the subcommittee to vote on the two pieces of funding legislation on Monday.

This week, the Senate Transportation also passed S.R. 120, a high priority for MARTA. This legislation would no longer require MARTA to spend half of their revenue on capital expenditures and half on maintenance and operations. This would greatly alleviate some of the stress that is currently on MARTA's budget.

Keep in mind that in the midst of all this, the General Assembly will be holding DOT Board elections next week. While board Chairman Bill Kuhlke and Brandon Beach have not attracted opponents, the open seat left by Raybon Anderson has attracted quite a bit of attention. Some of the names rumored for interest in the seat include former State Senator Regina Thomas, immediate past chairman of the Georgia Chamber of Commerce Charles Tarbutton, and Joe Martin, former Ogeechee Circuit District Attorney. Regardless of the outcome, this promises to be interesting.

These elections are particularly interesting in light of the looming governance bill coming from Governor Sonny Perdue. Among other things, the bill is rumored to create a State Transportation Authority, with three members appointed by the Governor, two by the Lt. Governor, and two by the Speaker. The governor would appoint the Chairman of the Board and the Secretary of the new Authority. The DOT would be reduced to having one sole responsibility: repairing roads. The bill would require all moneys for transportation (gas tax, federal funds, etc) to be deposited in a transportation trust fund. Under the proposal LARP, State Aid, and congressional balancing would be eliminated. The funds would be expended to local governments and require some sort of local match. It remains to be seen how the legislation will be finally presented.

This week, Georgia Power made great strides in their efforts to finance additional nuclear power plants in the state of Georgia. S.B. 31 would allow Georgia Power to charge customers for the cost of constructing the plants during the construction process, rather than waiting until after the plants begin producing power. Proponents of the bill argued that it would only result in a .001% increase in each consumer's power bill. Opponents, led by Democratic Whip David Adelman (D - Decatur), argued that this legislation allowed the General Assembly to step into responsibilities reserved to the Public Service Commission. The final vote of the Senate was 38 - 16.

Thursday, Republicans in the State House finally passed a hard freeze on property reassessments. The controversial H.R. 1, which would have frozen property reassessments to 3% or the rate of inflation, failed to gain the requisite constitutional majority, and so Republicans turned to H.B. 233. H.B. 233 passed the House 110 - 63. Rather than having to have a constitutional majority, House Republicans penned a general statute in H.B. 233 that will immediately ban property assessment increases for two years in hopes of keeping taxes from going up.

S.B. 16, dubbed the Sunday Sales Bill, is sponsored by Senator Seth Harp (R - Midland) and currently sits in the Senate Regulated Industries Committee waiting for a hearing. Last week, the House Leadership made it clear that if this legislation were to pass the Senate, the House would likely pass the legislation as well, sending it to the Governor's desk for a signature. House Regulated Industries Chairman Roger Williams (R - Dalton) has now introduced H.B. 352, which would allow, if approved by referendum, local governments to allow for the sale of package beverages by a retailer of malt beverages and wine between the hours of 12:30 PM and 7:00 PM.

Finally, S.B. 17 has garnered a lot of interest in the halls of the Capitol, as it seeks to more strictly regulate the practice of lobbying in the state of Georgia. This bill has been signed by Senator Seth Harp, former President Pro Tem and current Ethics Committee Chairman Eric Johnson, and the dean of the Senate, Senator George Hooks. Among other things, the bill would establish a fee system for registering as a lobbyist, and also establish a more rigid fine system when reporting and disclosure deadlines are missed.


Don't forget...

The current legislative schedule places crossover Day 30 on March 12, 2009. This is the day that all legislation must pass it's originating Chamber to be considered by the opposite Chamber. The Georgia State Constitution requires that all revenue legislation originate in the House, and the rules of the General Assembly require that all revenue legislation face a separate "crossover day." Under this rule, all revenue bills must pass the House into the Senate by Legislative Day 20.


...and on a lighter note...

On Wednesday, it was revealed that the most recent stimulus package includes $30 million for wetlands restoration in the San Francisco Bay Area to protect, among other things, the endangered salt marsh harvest mouse.

This week, President Barack Obama's second pick for Secretary of Commerce withdrew his name, citing "irreconcilable differences on issues." One might wonder if there's anyone who actually wants to run the Department of Commerce and watch $30 million go to mice rather than jobs...

This week, Italian police made headlines as they captured the first ever documented cross dressing Mafia boss, named Kitty, and...

...Bud Selig, Commissioner of Major League Baseball, has expressed a willingness to, under the right circumstances, to strip Barry Bonds' home run title and restore it to Atlanta's own Hank Aaron...

Have a great weekend.


Seth Millican
Brock Clay Public Affairs