GEORGIA LEGISLATIVE UPDATE – December 3, 2007
Water, taxes, transportation:
big issues for 2008 legislative session
Next month, members of the Georgia General Assembly will reconvene for our 2008 legislative session with some very big issues to be addressed. The three issues that have dominated the news in the past several months are water, taxes and transportation.
Water: It is a shame that it has taken record drought conditions for our state government to get serious about the necessary steps to ensure we have adequate water supply now and in the future. This crisis has shown that a metropolitan area of 5 million people cannot depend on Lake Lanier alone to provide for our needs under these conditions without dramatic conservation efforts. Water is already a very contentious issue between Georgia and our neighboring states of Alabama and Florida, and when the debate reaches the legislature this, it is certain to pit various geographic areas of the state against one another. Click here to review the latest information from the Georgia Water Council, including the updated draft of the State Water plan.
Taxes: House Speaker Glenn Richardson is proposing a drastic change in Georgia's tax code, which would eliminate all property taxes at the state and local levels while levying a sales tax on many services and transactions, such as health care, real estate and legal services, which are not presently taxed. Under the Speaker's proposal, known as Georgia's Repeal of Every Advalorem Tax (GREAT) Plan, the state government would then dole out revenues to local school boards, city and county governments to make up for lost property tax proceeds. This is a very controversial proposal that would require a constitutional amendment. Click here for more information on the GREAT Plan. For an opposing view from the Georgia Municipal Association, click here. Members of the Gwinnett legislative delegation recently met with leaders of the Gwinnett Municipal Association, and it was clear from that discussion that our city officials are very concerned about the repercussions of having all tax revenue doled out from the state as opposed to local control.
Transportation: Finding better ways to get from Point A to Point B in metro Atlanta should always be at the top of our agenda. Unfortunately, the findings of a joint House-Senate study committee have revealed that any effective solution will be very costly. Georgia is facing a $20 billion funding shortfall for transportation projects that have already been approved over the next six years. This funding gap must be addressed before the state can talk about implementing any effective solutions. Click here for more on the severity of the transportation funding situation.
Joint Study Committee: During the past several months, I have participated on the Joint Study Committe on Continuing Education and Collegiate Sports Programs for Students with Disabilities.
This committee has reveiewed what alternatives are open to the General Assembly to identify and create opportunities for student athletes with disabilities at the collegiate level and explore the development of pilot programs, recruitment of athletes, and nonprofit and private sector support for different collegiate programs. We shall also explore current high school, community, and collegiate sports programs and facilities. Between August and October, the committee held three meetings at Warm Springs, Ga., at Georgia Southern University and Mercer University. We have concluded our work and have determined there is a need for a program and facilities to accommodate these students. We will propose legislation to begin pilot programs at Mercer University, Kennesaw State University and the University of West Georgia.
Gwinnett County Districts: I continue to receive positive feedback on my legislation to redraw the current four Gwinnett County Commission districts to a new six-district plan and will be working to pass that legislation, HB 741, in 2008. Click here to review the proposed map.
