WEEKLY LEGISLATIVE REPORT – February 2, 2007
House approves resolution for Zell Miller statue
By Rep. Hugh Floyd
Not often does a person come along who has as monumental an impact on an entire state as Zell Miller has on Georgia. He is the only Georgian to have served as Lieutenant Governor (1975-90), Governor (1991-98) and U.S. Senator (2000-2004).
His greatest public achievement – creation of the HOPE Scholarship – has stood the test of time. In the past 13 years, 1 million of our state’s best and brightest students have been able to attend Georgia’s colleges, universities and technical colleges without having to pay for tuition, books or fees – thanks to the vision of Zell Miller.
This week, the House of Representatives voted 153-3 to honor his many years of public service with House Resolution 16, which urges the Capitol Arts Commission to erect a statue of Sen. Miller on the statehouse grounds.
I am pleased to report that, thanks to public comment after the introduction of HR 51, which I co-sponsored, the Board of Natural Resources voted last week to change the proposed rules under the Coastal Marshlands Protection Act and send them back out for public comment. Of the 499 comments received, 74% opposed the rules.
This tremendous response from the public gave the Board no option but to improve the rules. The most important change is that the rules now require a 50-foot buffer on small sections of the marsh. While this is an important and positive change, the proposed rules as a whole still weaken existing protections, are largely unenforceable, and do not apply to all of Georgia marshlands.
Legislation has been introduced that would soften some of the restrictions put in place in 2004 to phase out book and fee payments for HOPE Scholarship recipients if lottery revenue dwindles. Under the 2004 law, book fees would be limited to $150 for the following year whenever year-end collections fall below those of the previous year, and would be eliminated if that occurred two years in a row.
House Bill 229 wouldn’t be that strict. Year-end balances could dip as low as 90 percent of prior year receipts before the restrictions would apply. The measure is under consideration in the House Appropriations Committee.
A longstanding debate over how Georgia regulates the construction of medical facilities through the Certificate of Need (CON) Law is receiving legislative attention this session. Under current law, the Department of Community Health issues a CON before any health care facility can be built and deliver certain types of medical services. Before issuing a certificate, the state analyzes the need for medical services as well as the impact on existing health care facilities.
Supporters of the CON law, which are usually hospitals, say it is necessary because it reduces the number of duplicative medical facilities. Opponents, including many physicians, want to be able to operate medical facilities without being required for a CON. House Speaker Glenn Richardson this week appointed a special committee to address the issue.
Gov. Sonny Perdue traveled to Washington, D.C., this week to testify before a U.S. Senate Committee and request immediate action to provide federal funding to save the PeachCare for Kids health insurance program. Top state officials have said that if the governor’s efforts to secure the needed federal funding, then the state will have to come up with $57 million in short order to keep the PeachCare program in business – which would have a ripple effect throughout the state budget now under consideration.
Please join me in keeping my colleague, State Rep. Mike Glanton of Jonesboro, and his family in your thoughts and prayers. Rep. Glanton’s daughter is serving in Iraq, and on Friday Mike read a very emotional letter from her regarding the dangers our troops are facing on a daily basis. Mike also had two deaths in his family last week. It was a reminder that politics is not the most important thing in life, even for a state legislator.
The legislature is in official recess until Thursday, February 8, which will be the 15th legislative day of the 2007 session. On February 10, the General Assembly will meet for a rare Saturday session as Family Day is observed. This will give Georgians who are unable to visit the Capitol during the work week an opportunity to see the lawmaking process in action.
- Rep. Hugh Floyd (D-Norcross) represents the 99th District (Gwinnett County) in the Georgia House of Representatives. Contact him at 611 Coverdell Office Building, Atlanta, GA 30334; by phone at 404-656-0314 or by e-mail at hughfloyd@mindspring.com.
