PRE-LEGISLATIVE REPORT – December 30, 2005

School overcrowding tops Floyd’s 2006 agenda

By Rep. Hugh Floyd

On Monday, January 9, members of the Georgia General Assembly will convene at the State Capitol for our 2006 legislative session. I am honored to begin my fourth year in the House of Representatives, serving Gwinnett County from District 99.

During this session, I will continue my efforts to pass legislation that supports our public schools, protects access to affordable health care for all Georgians and strengthens our state’s economic conditions to create employment opportunities.

Specifically, I will be working to pass legislation I introduced to address overcrowding of local schools. House Bill 42 would allow the effects on local school systems to be considered in local government zoning decisions. I will also be working in support of House Bill 465, which I co-sponsored and addresses school safety and would make loitering or trespassing on school property during the school day an aggravated misdemeanor offense.

Other issues the legislature will address during the 2006 session include:

Education funding. An improving state economy and resulting budget surplus should make it possible to restore much of the almost $1.1 billion in funding cuts to local school systems initiated by Governor Perdue the past three years. Restoring these funds could help reduce class sizes and keep school districts from having to raise local property taxes.

Immigration reform. In an attempt to slow the stream of illegal immigrants coming to Georgia, some legislators have introduced bills to deny them drivers’ licenses, social services (such as food stamps) and enrollment in Georgia colleges and universities. This plan is based on a theory that people are coming here to enjoy these state-funded benefits, but nearly all evidence shows that these immigrants are here to work in available jobs that pay more than they could earn in their countries. But many lawmakers believe protecting our borders is a federal responsibility, and the only effective way to curb illegal immigration at the state level is to crack down on the employers who hire undocumented workers. I will be co-sponsoring House Bill 961 to address this part of the solution.

Eminent domain. Following a U.S. Supreme Court decision in a Connecticut case that a person’s land can be condemned for private development that boosts the local tax base or economy, many Georgia lawmakers have gone on record as planning to reassert the traditional application of eminent domain to public works projects and other public uses. Last session, the Senate passed Senate Bill 86, which would reject the kinds of developments the Supreme Court approved. Meanwhile, Senate Bill 5, which would have expanded eminent domain in that very same manner, died in committee after a strong public outcry. Since public infrastructure projects can impact local economic conditions, you can expect much debate over the protection of personal property rights and the definition of “public use” for eminent domain purposes.

Health care. Many legislators are concerned about Governor Perdue’s decisions to privatize Medicaid and award the State Health Benefit Plan contract to United Healthcare. Both of these changes have been described by many in the health care industry as unnecessary and potentially harmful to providers and patients. Concern over these decisions being made with little public debate or legislative input will also likely be addressed in committee hearings this session.

Home heating costs. Governor Perdue’s executive order reducing the state sales tax on natural gas from 4 to 2 percent for residential customers has been criticized as an insufficient means of addressing the expected major increases on heating bills this winter. Studies show the sales tax reduction takes only $2 off a $100 monthly bill. Other proposals include eliminating the entire tax during this winter; financial aid for elderly, disabled and low-income persons and families with young children; and changes to regulations on Georgia’s gas supply.

Voter ID law. A federal judge’s ruling that blocked implementation of Georgia’s voter ID law, passed in 2005, has the bill’s supporters proposing changes to improve the measure, such as enabling local governments to issue photo IDs to people without driver’s licenses and allowing voters to get IDs for free. But opponents of the law concur with the judge’s opinion that the law constitutes an illegal poll tax which unfairly targets poor and minority voters and would still create an undue hardship in forcing them to obtain photo ID cards in order to vote. The law’s provision expanding the absentee balloting period, opponents say, will increase rather than decrease the potential for voter fraud.

As the beginning of the 2006 session nears, I welcome your views on these and other issues. Please feel free to contact me whenever I can be of service.