Jay Roberts Appointed Transportation Committee Chairman

Friday, June 26, 2009

Brock Clay Weekly Report

Rep. Jay Roberts (R - Ocilla) has been appointed the new Chairman of the House Transportation Committee

The House Committee on Assignments announced today that Representative Jay Roberts (R-Ocilla), who serves as Chairman of the House Majority Caucus, will be the new House Transportation Committee Chairman. There has been no indication as to whether Rep. Roberts will serve in both positions or step down from his current leadership position. Rep. Roberts is a close ally of Speaker Glenn Richardson, and is also known as a strong advocate for Georgia's rural and agriculture communities.

Rep. Roberts was first elected to the General Assembly in 2002, and represents Irwin, Telfair, and parts of Ben Hill, Jeff Davis, Tift, and Wheeler Counties. Roberts was chosen by his fellow House Republicans to serve as the House Majority Caucus Chairman in 2006.

State Agencies Tighten Belts – Again

State agencies have been advised to cut July spending by 3 percent, as revenue collections in Georgia continue to plummet. A spokesman for Governor Sonny Perdue stated that this move is necessary because the Governor’s office fully expects the state to be in the red when fiscal year 2009 closes on June 30. In fiscal year 2010, agencies will be given their funds in monthly allotments, in order to leave more room for the Governor’s office to address revenue concerns.

Governor Sonny Perdue Doesn’t Want Special Session

On Tuesday, Governor Sonny Perdue spoke to the Kiwanis Club of Atlanta, and expressed hesitation to call a special session unless the leadership of the General Assembly wants one. State tax collections have fallen nearly 20 percent during the first five months of this year, and a special session could take up to 30 days if drastic budget cuts are being considered. Some pundits have speculated that an additional $2 billion will need to be cut from the state budget in order to address the revenue shortfall.

Governor Sonny Perdue Certifies Metro Atlanta Transportation Projects, Approves Water, Sewer Projects

Last week, Governor Sonny Perdue submitted the required “1511 Certification” on numerous metro Atlanta transportation projects that will be funded through stimulus dollars available from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Not only did the certifications include many traditional projects such as widening roads and improving traffic signals, but the funds also included $25 million for MARTA. The specific list includes widening Eagles Landing Parkway in Henry County, improvements to 14th St. in midtown Atlanta, and additional lanes on S.R. 20 in Gwinnett County. The full list can be viewed here.

Governor Perdue also announced the approval of 11 state and federally funded environmental infrastructure projects totaling just over $91 million. Five of the projects (roughly $40 million) were either partially or wholly funded with stimulus money from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The awards included a $10 million loan to the City of Camilla through the Clean Water State Revolving Fund for renovations on a wastewater treatment facility and a $22.5 million loan to the City of Valdosta through the Clean Water State Revolving Fund to increase the capacity of the Mud Creek Water Pollution Control Plan. The entire list of awards can be viewed here.

GDOT – New Commissioner, New Planning Director, New Projects…

Last week, Rep. Vance Smith (R-Pine Mountain) was elected Commissioner of the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT). The GDOT Board re-elected Bill Kuhlke to another term as Chairman and elected Rudy Bowen as Vice-Chairman.

In the July project lettings, GDOT will advertise 25 new contracts resulting from 35 projects let. The total value is approximately $270 million, which is just under half the total projects let in 2008. Twenty seven of these projects will be let by GDOT, while eight will be let by local governments. GDOT's projects will include two resurfacing and maintenance and a bridge project in Congressional District 1; two road widening and one bridge project in Congressional District 2; a resurfacing project in Congressional District 3; three resurfacing and maintenance projects in Congressional District 4; two resurfacing and maintenance projects in Congressional District 5; a project on the 120 Connector in Congressional District 6; two projects in Congressional District 7; one resurfacing project in Congressional District 8 -- also adding the $47 million Fall Line project; two resurfacing and maintenance projects in Congressional District 9; projects on Mars Hill Road, Hadaway, Mars Hill Church in Congressional District 11; and bridge and resurfacing projects in Congressional District 12; a resurfacing in Fulton County for Congressional District 13. The local projects include pedestrian improvements in Fayette County, improvements to Eagle's Landing, streetscapes in Locust Grove, a project in Spalding County, street lights in Midtown, and street work in Fulton County.

Also reported at the meeting was the approval of the HOT3-HOV project by ARC and GRTA – the project currently awaits the governor’s approval. The public meetings have been completed and GDOT hopes to have USDOT approval by the end of July.

Interim Commissioner Gerald Ross' comments centered around motor fuel taxes being down. He mentioned that they have no new hires at GDOT, and there are still many positions open. He discussed plans to close some of the local headquarters and consolidate maintenance crews. No jobs or salaries will be cut.

The Finance Committee confirmed that all federal funds would be obligated by September 30.

On the same day of the GDOT Board meeting, Todd Long was appointed Planning Director by Governor Sonny Perdue. Long, an engineer by trade who comes by way of the Georgia Regional Transportation Authority, will head up the new Division of Planning within GDOT that was created by Senate Bill 200.

This meeting was the last GDOT board meeting for departing GDOT Vice- Chairman Larry Walker. It is likely that Walker is leaving in order to take an appointment to the Georgia Board of Regents. As it stands, there are three candidates have expressed an interest in filling Walker’s seat: former state Representative Allen Freeman, former Congressman Mac Collins and former Congressional candidate Calder Clay. Apparently, no one from Houston County has expressed an interest.

Rumors are currently circulating that a transportation funding compromise package is being worked on by Senator Tommy Williams (R-Lyons) and Rep. Jerry Keen (R-St. Simons). The plan is for the agreement to be announced sometime mid-fall so it becomes a top legislative priority for the 2010 session. Rumors indicate that the proposed compromise will be some sort of statewide one cent sales tax that will return a portion of the revenue to GDOT and the remaining revenue to regional organizations.

SCOTUS Skirts Commitment on Section 5 Ruling

In a much publicized and watched case before the United States Supreme Court, a small utility district in Austin, Texas challenged a controversial provision contained in the Voting Rights Act of 1965. On Monday, the Court issued a very narrow ruling in an opinion written by Chief Justice John Roberts. The decision (with an 8-1 vote) avoided any discussion on the issue of whether or not Section 5 of the Act was constitutional. Georgia’s Governor Sonny Perdue had joined the call to have Section 5 overturned on grounds that it creates an inequitable burden of preclearance on some states and not on others. Section 5 requires Georgia, eight other states, and parts of seven others to obtain federal permission before making changes in voting laws.

MARTA Approves Fare Hike

This week, the Board of MARTA approved the first fare hike for the transit agency since 2001. On October 1, fares on MARTA will go from $1.75 to $2.00. Although some MARTA staffers had recommended that rail service stop at midnight, that rail service will continue to operate until 1 a.m. According to Michael Walls, Chairman of MARTA, the proposal to stop rail service earlier drew the biggest consternation from customers, even more so than the fare hike. Numerous event organizers, including the COO of the Chick-Fil-A Bowl, had written MARTA asking them to reconsider the decision to cut rail service off earlier.

PACs Cannot Be Used to Pass Along Campaign Dollars

Several weeks ago, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution ran a series of stories about a number of questionable contributions to the gubernatorial campaign of Insurance Commissioner John Oxendine . Two Georgia insurance companies funneled $120,000 to Oxendine’s campaign through 10 PACs located in Alabama. The PACs were all chaired by the son of the owner of both of the insurance companies in Georgia as well as the bank where the PAC funds were deposited. The advisory opinion issued by the State Ethics Commission this week stated succinctly that no sort of PAC can be used for regulated industries in Georgia to circumvent campaign finance laws. The Commission is continuing to investigate the legal issues surrounding the contributions and is expected to issue a further ruling later this summer. Shortly after the news story ran, Oxendine returned the contributions.

In the wake of these developments, Commissioner Oxendine’s campaign announced that current campaign manager Kathryn Ballou would be moving to lead Transform Georgia, one of Oxendine’s ancillary organizations. Replacing Ballou will be Tim Echols, President of the Board of Teenpact and a vocal leader in the conservative and faithbased political communities in Georgia.

Austin Scott Begins Grassroots Campaign in Traditional Style

On Saturday, June 27, Republican gubernatorial candidate Rep. Austin Scott (R-Tifton) will embark on a 1,000 mile walk around Georgia to talk to voters and hear their concerns. Scott currently serves as the Chairman of the House Governmental Affairs Committee and is one of five Republicans running for governor in 2010.

Know Your Lawmakers

Rep. Mike Jacobs was first elected to the Georgia House of Representatives in 2004. He currently serves on the House Insurance, Judiciary, and MARTA Oversight Committees, and chairs one of two House Judiciary Subcommittees. Rep. Jacobs enjoys chairing the subcommittee and the mountains of work that they accomplish each session. Rep. Jacobs is inspired by Congressman Eric Cantor, who, like Jacobs, is also a Republican, Jewish lawyer. His favorite quote (and legislative philosophy) comes from Winston Churchill, who said “There is no such thing as a good tax.” When asked about his “Capitol pet peeve,” Rep. Jacobs answered “The sheer number of DeKalb County lobbyists…I’m pretty sure the county has a lobbyist assigned to me on a full time basis.” Rep. Jacobs earned his bachelor’s degree from Georgetown University and his law degree from the University of Georgia, where he was the editor of the Georgia Law Review. He currently works as an attorney with Hall Booth Smith and Slover P.C. In 2005, Rep. Jacobs was recognized as one of metro Atlanta’s “40 Under 40.”

In his spare time, Rep. Jacobs enjoys spending time with his wife, Evan, and their two children, Jonah and Eli. He also enjoys yard work, running, and listening to Jimmy Buffett. His favorite movies are The Princess Bride and Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.

In Other News

On Monday, Lucas Glover gained only the second win of his PGA career and his first major win with a two shot victory in the 109th U.S. Open.

Despite recently admitted marital indiscretions, Nevada Senator John Ensign’s approval rating is still at 39 percent -- 5 percent higher than that of the state’s senior Senator Harry Reid.

Today in History

June 26, 1284: The famous Pied Piper leads 130 children out of Hamelin, Germany.

June 26, 1483: Richard III is crowned King of England.

June 26, 1870: The Christian holiday of Christmas is declared a national holiday in the United States.

June 26, 1917: The first U.S. troops are deployed to fight in World War I.

June 26, 1934: President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the Federal Credit Union Act.

June 26, 1945: The United Nations charter is signed in San Francisco.

June 26, 1948: The Western allies begin an airlift to Berlin after the Soviet Union blockades West Berlin.

June 26, 2008: The U.S. Supreme court rules in District of Columbia v. Heller that the handgun ban in the District of Columbia is unconstitutional.

Have a great weekend,

SM

There are no simple solutions to working with the public or government. At Brock Clay, we integrate our services across lobbying, grassroots and public relations in order to create comprehensive solutions to complex problems. Whether we need to set up a town hall meeting, start a letter-writing campaign, work the halls of the Capitol or create a press release, we will find the right way to meet the challenge. As Harry Truman said, “It is amazing what you can accomplish if you do not care who gets the credit.”