Georgia Politics, Campaigns & elections for February 20, 2012

Nash is a Treeing Walker Coonhound available for adoption today from Heart of Georgia Humane Society in Macon, Georgia.

According to volunteers, Nash is a big lovable goofball. He loves nothing more than hugs and kisses from humans. He enjoys the outdoors, but spent too many years chained outside to want to ever sleep outside again. He has a blanket in the house that is his spot, and he is very appreciative of the comforts of a home. Nash is a great dog. He needs a fenced in yard because he does love to run and can run amazingly fast. Potential adopters are encouraged to email.

Along with the Black Mouthed Cur and the Tybee Island dog, the Coonhound might be the quintessential Georgia dog. Apologies to the English Bulldog.

Queenie, a 3-year old, 46-pound female, is described as “a pitbull who thinks she’s a Jack Russell Terrier.” She can jump straight up in the air, all four paws off the ground, with an impressive hang time. Queenie has a very expressive face and the volunteers at Athens-Clarke County Animal Shelter think very highly of her.

Queenie is a middle-aged (approximately 7 years old) Golden Retriever mix female who is available for adoption from Athens-Clarke County Animal Shelter. According to her volunteer handlers:

“She’s a big girl, but she’s calm, gentle, and great on a leash.  Once we are in an interaction pen, she makes a circuit of the pen but  also comes to me to be petted.  Yesterday, we were in a pen when Dexter came into the adjoining pen.  Shiloh noticed Dexter right away and went to the fence to greet him.  Once she said hello, she was running circles around me showing off for Dexter.  Then she’d go back to the fence to play with Dexter some more.  I had never seen Shiloh so animated!  It made me think that she would be a good companion for another dog.  Shiloh is out of time and needs a new forever home.  Come meet this sweet girl.  Maybe she’s just the dog you’ve been looking for!”

Georgia Politics, Campaigns & Elections

Today is Legislative Day Twenty at the Georgia General Assembly – the halfway point in a forty-day Session.

On the Senate Floor today:

SB 11 by Senator Buddy Carter – Georgia Geospatial Advisory Council; reestablish; membership; duties (As Introduced) (Substitute) (NR&E-1st)

SB 69 by Senator Jack Murphy and others – Juvenile Justice Dept.; confidentiality of information supplied; penalties for breach of confidentiality (As Introduced) (Substitute) (JUDYNC-27th)

SB 86 by Senator Jesse Stone – Family Violence Order; provide greater protection of victims of family violence (As Introduced) (Substitute) (JUDYNC-23rd)

Senate Meeting Calendar

Click here for live streaming from the Senate Floor.

On the House Floor today:

HB 160 Mortgages; vacant and foreclosed real property registries; revise provisions (Substitute)(Judy-Jacobs-80th)

HB 208 Nursing homes; annually offer influenza vaccinations to health care workers and other employees; require (Substitute)(H&HS-Watson-166th)

HB 209 Pharmacists and pharmacies; revise definition of “security paper”; revise requirements (H&HS-Watson-166th)

HB 122 – Sexual Offender Registration Review Board; review and utilize records of Board of Pardons and Paroles in making assessments; authorize (Substitute)(JudyNC-Tanner-9th)

HB 178 – Georgia Pain Management Clinic Act; enact (Substitute)(H&HS-Weldon- 3rd)

HB 235 – Optometrists; revise definition of optometry; remove certain exemption (Substitute)(Ins-Ehrhart-36th)

Click here for video feeds of House Floor and Committee action.

House Meeting Calendar

Yesterday, Senator John Wilkinson and the Agriculture and Consumer Affairs Committee that he chairs showed themselves to be both the workhorse of the General Assembly and its racehorse, as the Senate passed SB 81 authored by Wilkinson and Senator Steve Gooch. According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution:

The key ingredient in everything from energy drinks to cosmetics would get an extra two weeks to mature before harvest under a bill passed Tuesday by the Senate.

The move came at the behest of the state Department of Natural Resources, which said Senate Bill 81 would help sustain Georgia’s booming ginseng crop.

Ginseng grows wild especially in the state’s northern piedmont region and the North Georgia mountains, where harvesters pick the plant for its roots. Once dried, the roots as recently as 2011 fetched about $350 per pound — although not without some work. According to state officials, it usually takes about 183 roots to make a pound.

The proposal is intended to place nonviolent youth offenders into community based programs that treat root causes of crimes rather than putting them behind bars.

Georgia spends more than $90,000 per year on each youthful offender behind bars. About 65 percent who are released end up back in jail.

On Monday, tax commissioners from Gwinnett, Fulton, DeKalb and Cobb counties held a news conference asking residents for patience as they switch to the new system, a one-time title tax that replaces sales tax and the annual “birthday” tax. They said motorists should use phone or mail-in options to avoid long wait times.

Claudia Lawson, DeKalb County’s tax commissioner, predicts that the change will be frustrating for taxpayers.

House Bill 176, legislation to regulate local communities’ ability to restrict cell phone tower locations is drawing fire from local government who argue the measure unduly hampers their ability to making zoning decisions within their jurisdiction.

“Essentially, we have no way of denying them,” Commission Chairwoman Charlotte Nash said, summing up a string of provisions Stephens outlined. “We’ll be put through a public hearing process, where people think we have the ability to say yes or no. … It sounds like it’s going to be a farce.”

Already faced with few parameters to deny a request based on federal law — since issues like health concerns cannot be considered and radio frequency needs are hard to contradict — the new bill would put state limitations on governments using a search ring to find a more suitable site for a tower when neighbors object.

“We will not have a practical means of denying a cell tower within a residential area,” Stephens said.

Additionally, last night, Sandy Springs City Council member Gabriel Sterling wrote on Facebook that the city adopted a resolution opposing passage of the bill.

HOT Lanes are spreading toward Hall County:

A project calls for extending the high occupancy toll lanes, or Express Lanes, on Interstate 85 from Old Peachtree Road to Hamilton Mill Road in Gwinnett, a 10-mile stretch skirting past Interstate 985.

According to a Georgia Department of Transportation fact sheet, public hearings are set for 4-7 p.m. March 21 at the Gwinnett Center, 6400 Sugarloaf Parkway, Duluth; and 4-7 p.m. March 28 at the Braselton Police and Municipal Court Building.

If past years are any indicator, this will be an opportunity for frustrated suburban commuters to vent at their elected officials. I wonder whether their creep toward Hall County will raise the level of complaints to certain statewide elected officials who call Gainesville home.

Lawsuits Seeking to Overturn Legislation

The embattled DeKalb County Board of Education filed suit in Fulton County Superior Court asking for a Temporary Restraining Order to block a process that could lead to the removal of all members of the Board. Apparently, not being content with the limp they have from shooting their own left foot, they proceeded to shoot it a second time, then a third,  before aiming squarely at the right foot as well.

The action, filed in Fulton County Superior Court by an attorney paid with taxpayer funds, elicited outrage from parents and other observers. The suit seeks a temporary restraining order to prevent a hearing by the Georgia Board of Education on Thursday.

The state board could recommend suspension of the DeKalb board, giving Gov. Nathan Deal authority to remove the DeKalb members under the provisions of a 2011 law.

DeKalb’s suit, filed by the district and outgoing school board chairman Eugene Walker, claims the law is unconstitutional because it authorizes removal of local elected officials “without any individualized finding of misconduct.” The law allows the state to unseat board members who preside over districts that an accrediting agency has placed on probation, as happened in DeKalb last year.

[Governor Nathan] Deal said litigation may only prolong the pain in DeKalb, Georgia’s third largest school district with nearly 100,000 students.

“The longer this is drawn out, the more protracted it becomes and the more the story becomes one that concerns people everywhere,” Deal said.

The lawsuit was filed by Decatur attorney Robert Wilson. He had no comment about the case after arriving at the courthouse Tuesday afternoon to get a court date.

As of the close of business, Judge Kelly Amanda Lee had not scheduled one. It’s unclear if she’ll do so prior to the state board hearing.

A similar lawsuit filed by a majority of the school board members in Sumter County halted a similar state hearing. Board member Kevin Pless and other unnamed members sued in Fulton Superior Court in November. Judge Bensonetta Tipton Lane granted a temporary injunction, ordering the state board not to convene the hearing. The Sumter lawsuit was transferred to Judge Shawn Ellen Lagrua, and no court date is set.

Assuming the State Board of Education makes a finding that the DeKalb Board of Education are asshats should be removed, there was still the possibility that Governor Deal would have been disinclined to remove the entire DeKalb Board of Education. Does this aggressive and expensive action by Board members more interested in preserving their own little fiefdom force his hand?

Senator Fran Millar, who represents North DeKalb County and previously Chaired the Senate Education Committee has not been amused in days. From the Dunwoody Crier about an earlier story:

“I’m outraged,” said state Sen. Fran Millar (R-Dunwoody), the former senate education committee chairman. “It’s an outrage first of all that they did this before they knew who will be on the school board if the governor takes action. And because the state Education Department and the Georgia Association of School Boards provides this training at a nominal cost.”

And yesterday after the DBOE filed suit:

“I would like to know who voted in favor of this motion because obviously it’s all about them and not about 100,000 children,” said Millar, the former chairman of the Senate education committee. “All this delay does is increase the likelihood of loss of accreditation,” Millar said. “How selfish can people be?”

The Bibb County Democratic Party has not mentioned filing suit yet, but they’re appealing the institution of nonpartisan elections for some local offices to the United States Department of Justice, claiming the measure violates the Voting Rights Act. That often leads to a lawsuit eventually.

And let’s go ahead and assume that this one leads to a round of lawsuits as well: redistricting of the Fulton County Commission is drawing fire from one of the usual suspects, Senator Vincent Fort.

State Sen. Vincent Fort and other leaders encouraged residents in the packed meeting to get involved with the current Fulton County redistricting plans.

“It’s what you say, and how you feel about the issue,” said Fort.

African American leaders believe the lines which are being redrawn by the state are reducing their representation. One at-large position would be eliminated. And two current African American county commissioners would have to run against each other for one position under the new map.

And check out Bernie Tokarz in that video, saying, “I’m not going to be the most popular person in the room,” like it’s not the first time those words have come out of his mouth.

Georgia Republican Party

Former State Senator Seth Harp announced via email yesterday that he is running for Chairman of the Georgia Republican Party. I’ve heard two possible explanations of what Harp brings to the table.

First is the story that Harp was encouraged to run by a group of legislators who believe that the next Chairman of the GAGOP should come from their ranks in order to ensure that the State Party prioritizes legislative races, supporting candidates, and winning these races.

Second is an idea that this represents an effort by the Old Guard of the Georgia GOP to take back control of the Party. In addition to his service as a legislator and local party chair, Harp’s roots in the Georgia Republican Party stretch back at least to the George H.W. Bush administration.

Third, and I haven’t heard anyone articulate it yet, but it comes from conversations with friends in South Georgia who are active in the State Party, is the idea that South Georgia is tired of being marginalized by those of us who live north of I-20. Among examples of this are the fact that while the Columbus region was one of only three that passed T-SPLOST, there are current legislative proposals to remove the stick-and-carrot approach that was part of the deal that was made.

Make of it what you will.

Good Economic News

Georgia Ports set a record for exports for the fourth year in a row.

“Georgia’s ports are an important part of that success, they’re really hitting on all cylinders,” says Dr. Jeff Humphreys, the Director of Economic Forecasting at the University of Georgia.

State exports rose to nearly $36-billion dollars in 2012.  Humphreys says that’s up 3.2% compared to the previous year.

As for the products that brought the state the most money last year…..

“Number one was nuclear reactors/boilers/machinery, which is a broad category.  That’s followed by aircraft/spacecraft.  Vehicles also show up in our top three,” saysKathe Falls, with the Georgia Department of Economic Development.

Falls says Georgia’s top five export destinations were Canada, China, Mexico, Singapore and Japan respectively.

Interesting facts about Georgia’s export economy, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics report:

• Georgia’s top export industry in 2011 was civilian aircraft, engines, and parts.

• In 2011, Georgia exported over $5 bil‐ lion in civilian aircraft, engines, and parts, ranking fifth in the United States.

• In 2011, Georgia led the United States, with nearly $1.3 billion in wood pulp product exports.

• Georgia ranked first in the United States, with $798 million in exported frozen chicken cuts and edible offal.

• Georgia exports for gas turbine parts amounted to nearly $947 million in 2011.