April 23, 2010
The Senate voted Wednesday to approve a $17.8 billion annual state budget for fiscal year 2011, which begins July 1.
The plan is now in the hands of a conference committee, which will reconcile differences between the Senate budget and the version approved by the House of Representatives. The budget is typically one of the last pieces of legislation to be finalized on the 40th day of the legislative session.
The Senate's version of HB 948 restores $25 million in bonds for water and sewer projects across the state and nearly $900,000 in funding for the Georgia Arts Council, which had been cut by the House. The plan also includes $790 million in new budget cuts identified by the Senate Appropriations Committee.
Because of the economy and declining state revenues, the state budget has been reduced by approximately $3.4 billion over the past two years. To help balance the 2011 budget, lawmakers are relying on an additional $250 million in revenues from a 1.45 percent hospital tax and increases in more than 80 state licensing, registration and user fees.
On Tuesday, the Senate gave final approval to the supplemental budget for the remainder of the current fiscal year, which ends June 30. HB 947, the amended version of the FY 2010 budget, reduces overall spending by $1.5 billion from the budget's original form passed last year. The House put its final stamp on the supplemental budget Wednesday, sending it to the governor for his signature.
Transportation Funding: After three years of trying to reach agreement on a solution to the state's transportation funding problems, a majority of the House of Representatives and the Senate gave final approval April 21 to HB 277, which is better than nothing, but not much. Under the legislation, Georgia will be divided into 12 regions, each of which will hold a referendum in 2012 for a special 1 percent sales tax to be used for transportation improvements within that region. Individual counties cannot opt out of the funding plan, but a "roundtable" of local elected officials can decide not to hold a tax referendum in their regions, whose boundaries mirror those of Georgia's regional commissions. Chattahoochee and Muscogee counties are in the River Valley region, along with 14 other counties. I voted against the legislation because it fails to meet the state's immediate needs for transportation funding. Putting these votes off until 2012 means it will be at least 2013 before any revenue comes in from the special sales tax to fund the transportation improvements needed in our area. Holding the referendums during the 2010 election cycle would have been preferable. HB 277 now goes to the governor for his signature.
Ethics Legislation: The Senate and House also sent new ethics legislation to the governor's desk for his signature on Wednesday. SB 17 doubles the fines for late reporting and other violations of campaign disclosure rules, demands more timely reporting of expenditures by lobbyists and makes sexual harassment by legislators a punishable offense. An amendment also brings the members of the State Transportation Board under ethics law provisions regarding personal financial disclosure and lobbyist spending. A downside to SB 17 is that it would require a citizen filing a complaint to pay the official's attorney fees if the Ethics Commission determines the complaint is frivolous. That could cost Georgia residents tens of thousands of dollars in legal fees and deter citizens from filing complaints.
Other Senate Action: The Senate approved a number of other legislative measures this week, including the following:
SB 374, which would establish a legislative oversight committee to monitor the state's economic development activities. The Senate approved of House amendments to the measure, sending it to the governor.
HB 571, which would correct certain provisions of the state's sex offender law that have been found to be unconstitutional and clarify the law to prohibit all sex between students and teachers, even if the student is of age and consents.
HB 788, which would prohibit the use of gas chambers to euthanize cats and dogs, requiring lethal injections instead.
HB 1016, which would change the definition of identity fraud to apply to businesses as well as individuals.
HB 1198, which would eliminate a $26- to-$52 tax credit for low-income Georgians. I voted against this legislation. While the state continues to award tax breaks in the hundreds of millions of dollars to corporate interests, I cannot support taking away a modest tax break from those who need the help the most.
HB 1405, which would create a "tax reform council" to review and recommend changes to the state's tax code. The recommendations would go straight to the Senate and House for an up-or-down vote, without being reviewed by legislative committees. I voted against this legislation because these are issues that should be debated thoroughly by the elected representatives of the citizens, rather than a hand-picked council.
April 16, 2010
Legislation I introduced was approved unanimously by both the Senate and House of Representatives and will become law if signed by the Governor.
SB 355, addresses the issue of who has the right to handle the disposition of the body of a deceased U.S. service member. I proposed this bill as a result of several stories from families who were plagued by the decision of who would handle their deceased loved one's body. Kept in the U.S. Department of Defense Record of Emergency Data, DD Form 93 allows the service member to designate an authorized person to handle their body in the event of death. My legislation would ensure this form is utilized in Georgia, ending any disputes over the matter. SB 355 was approved unanimously in the Senate 52-0 on Feb. 18 and by the House 169-0 on April 14.
Separate legislation that I introduced, SB 498, which would end the sales of synthetic marijuana in Georgia, is under consideration by the House Judiciary Non-Civil Committee. Recently, sale of synthetic marijuana also known as K2 or spice, have ballooned across the state. This bill would make the sale of these substances illegal, and add them to Schedule 1 on Georgia's controlled substance list. I was inspired to create the legislation after Atlanta area teens were hospitalized as a result of using the drug.
Georgia citizens need to be protected from products that may cause irreversible harm to their bodies. Teens assume these drugs are harmless because they are so easily accessible. These drugs, however, are so dangerous they are sending our young people to the emergency room.
Additional substances on Schedule 1 of Georgia's controlled substance list include heroin and meth. Use or sale of these substances carry the most severe penalties and are highly addictive. Synthetic marijuana is ten times stronger than marijuana, and cannot be detected by drug testing.
These drugs are not harmless recreational substances, but actually potent concoctions of harmful materials that can cause a variety of problems. The manufactures for these products do not put the ingredients on packaging, and do not have to follow any type of regulated standards. We need to act now before we have an epidemic of people addicted to these substances.
SB 498 received unanimous approval in the Senate on March 24.
District 15
Email: ed.harbison@senate.ga.gov
Senator Ed Harbison — Georgia Senate District 15
Capitol
432 State Capitol
Atlanta, GA 30334
Phone: 404.656.0074
Fax: 404.463.5547
P.O. Box 1292
Columbus, GA 31902
Phone: 706.610.7120
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