Georgia Politics, Campaigns & Elections for March 13, 2013

Today is the Thirty-Third Legislative Day in the 2013 Session of the Georgia General Assembly. The Senate and House both convene at 10 AM today.

Someone asked me what it means where it says a bill is “sponsored in the Senate” by a member. Generally once a house bill passes and is sent to the Senate, the House Member will continue to follow-up on its progress, but will ask a Senator to “carry” the bill in their chamber, being responsible for speaking for the bill in committee and on the floor, answering questions for fellow Senators and garnering votes. A Senator may be asked to carry legislation because of a personal relationship with the House member, as when members whose districts overlap carry each others local legislation, it may be due to subject-matter expertise, reputation within their respective chamber, or just plain willingness to carry another bill and their current workload.

Senate Rules Calendar

HB 234 by State Rep. Lynn Smith, sponsored in the Senate by Sen. Steve Gooch – Contracts; new chapter that provides for notice of automatic renewal provisions in service contracts

HB 255 by State Rep. Terry Rogers, sponsored in the Senate by Sen. Jeff Mullis – Unified Carrier Registration Act of 2005; administration responsibilities from Department of Revenue to Department of Public Safety

Senate Meeting Schedule

1:00 PM	REGULATED INDUSTRIES & UTIL	307 CLOB
1:00 PM	STATE & LOCAL GOV OP	310 CLOB
1:00 PM – 2:30 PM	GA BEHAVIORAL HEALTH CAUCUS	606 CLOB
2:00 PM	HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES	450 CAP
2:00 PM	TRANSPORTATION	MEZZ 1
2:00 PM	INTERSTATE COOPERATION	125 CAP
3:00 PM	HIGHER EDUCATION	125 CAP
3:00 PM	JUDICIARY NON CIVIL	307 CLOB
3:00 PM	RETIREMENT	310 CLOB
3:00 PM	APPROPRIATIONS Sub Com Education	450 cap
4:00 PM	AGRICULTURE & CONSUMER AFFAIRS	310 CLOB
4:00 PM	JUDICIARY	307 CLOB
4:00 PM	STATE INSTITUTIONS & PROPERTIES	450 CAP

House Rules Calendar – It looks like Rules Committee will meet at 9 AM to compile the Calendar for today.

House Meeting Calendar

TBD	Floor Session (LD33)	HOUSE CHAMBER (10:00am)
8:00 AM – 10:00 AM	AGRICULTURE & CONSUMER AFFAIRS	403 CAP
8:00 AM – 9:00 AM	INSURANCE	606 CLOB
8:30 AM – 10:00 AM	Jacobs Subcommittee (One) Judiciary Civil	132 CAP
9:00 AM – 10:00 AM	RULES	341 CAP
1:00 PM – 2:00 PM	Academic Support Subcommittee of Education	403 CAP
1:00 PM – 2:00 PM	INTERSTATE COOPERATION	415 CLOB
1:00 PM – 3:00 PM	JUDICIARY NON-CIVIL	132 CAP
1:30 PM – 3:00 PM	HUMAN RELATIONS & AGING	506 CLOB
2:00 PM – 3:00 PM	PUBLIC SAFETY & HOMELAND SECURITY	406 CLOB
2:00 PM – 3:00 PM	RETIREMENT	515 CLOB
2:00 PM – 3:00 PM	CODE REVISION	403 CAP
2:00 PM – 4:00 PM	BANKS & BANKING	341 CAP
3:00 PM – 4:00 PM	STATE PROPERTIES	403 CAP
3:00 PM – 4:00 PM	MOTOR VEHICLES	506 CLOB
3:00 PM – 5:00 PM	HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES	606 CLOB
4:00 PM – 5:00 PM	REGULATED INDUSTRIES	406 CLOB
4:00 PM – 5:00 PM	Environmental Quality Subcommitee of Natural Resources	403 CAP

Budget

The House passed a $19.8 billion dollar budget (HB 106) for state government for FY 2014, which represents a half-billion dollar increase over FY 2013. From Dave Williams at the Atlanta Business Chronicle,

With tax collections still sluggish despite early signs of economic recovery, the budget would not provide raises to most state workers and public school teachers.

However, it does include $12.9 million to restore 10 days to Georgia’s pre-kindergarten calendar, giving the program its full complement of 180 days.

The budget also provides $13.4 million to restore Medicaid reimbursement cuts to health-care providers.

House lawmakers supported Deal’s requests for $50 million as the state’s latest contribution toward the deepening of Savannah Harbor and $20.75 million for the Governor’s Water Supply Program.

The House budget also includes $11.75 million for a new parking deck at the Georgia World Congress Center in downtown Atlanta.

As far as that last item, cue the whining from people who hate stadiums.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution notes an increase in school spending:

House members approved filling holes in the state’s public health care programs and an increase in funding of a more than $200 million for k-12 schools.

About three-fourths of the new construction money would go for schools and libraries.

After the Senate votes on its version of the budget, the leaders of the two chambers will negotiate a final spending plan for the upcoming year. The General Assembly must pass a budget before ending the 2013 session, probably at the end of the month.

Unhelpful Headline

in the Macon Telegraph yesterday:

GOP takes Middle Georgia bills hostage

That kind of headline damages the Republican Party’s reputation outside Atlanta.

DeKalb Board of Education

Governor Nathan Deal will name six new members to the DeKalb County Board of Education today at 11 AM in a press conference. The new members are being chosen from among 63 interviewed by the nominating panel.

Public Service Announcement

Patch.com brings to your attention the April 1 due date for applications for a homestead exemption in Gwinnett County. This is the due date statewide for at least the state portion of the homestead exemption, and I suspect it covers county exemptions as well. Either way, if you think you may need to file a new application for a Homestead Exemption, go ahead and check with your county tax office.

Washington Desk

Senator Johnny Isakson held a Skype session with students from Etowah High School.

Congressman Tom Graves issued a statement on balancing the federal budget:

“Our new budget shows that Republicans have the courage to lead and do what is right and necessary for our country to prosper. It is the only budget in town that balances, and it does so within ten years. It is the only budget that repeals Obamacare and modernizes Medicare so that the next generation will have the same safety net as their parents and grandparents. It is the only budget that takes a jobs-first approach by reducing the tax burden on America’s families and businesses.”

Congressman Doug Collins also wrote about the GOP budget proposal.

“We have a long way to go in the fight to repair our country’s financial footing,” Collins said. “But today, my colleagues on the House Budget Committee took a courageous step in the right direction by introducing a plan to balance the federal budget in ten years through meaningful spending reductions, necessary entitlement reform and eradicating the number one job killer in America – Obamacare.”

“I only wish their counterparts in the Senate would have done the same. Instead, Senate Democrats showed little concern for my children and yours when they proposed adding an additional $1 trillion to the financial burden America’s future generations are already facing.”

Congressman Tom Price calls the Republican budget the “Path to Prosperity.”

“Budgets are about priorities. The priorities that the American people overwhelmingly support include: getting federal spending under control, getting our economy moving economy again so that folks can get back to work and getting our debt crisis under control so that we may preserve the American Dream for future generations.”

“These are precisely the priorities that are incorporated within The Path to Prosperity— our budget. This is the way to a responsible, balanced budget. American families all across this great land know that the federal government shouldn’t spend more than it takes in. We agree.”

“Sadly, the budgets proposed by President Obama have never, ever gotten to balance. The legal deadline for the president to present his budget to Congress this year was February 4th. It is now March 12th. And past experience tells us that when he does bring his budget, that one won’t balance likely either. American families can’t live this way, and neither should the federal government.”

Congressman Rob Woodall received an award from the National Association of Manufacturers.

“Washington should be in the business of paving the way for opportunity for American businesses.  The Seventh District of Georgia is a hotbed of innovation not because of anything the folks in Washington did, but because local entrepreneurs saw a void in the free market and worked to fill it with their business prospects.  I am honored to work on this district’s behalf to make sure these job creators and innovators can continue to realize that opportunity, and I am humbled to receive the Manufacturing Legislative Excellence Award,” Woodall said.

Columbus, Georgia: Explosions and Whitewater

From the Columbus Ledger-Enquirer, where they had live video.

The area around Columbus City Mills dam is shut down and cleared as authorities prepare to blow the dam at 10:30 a.m.

Columbus Police Capt. J.D. Hawk said streets around the blast site closed down at 9 a.m. and at 10 a.m. police monitoring the blast safety zone expect to declare it clear for the countdown.

The explosion is expected to be more powerful than two previous blasts at the Eagle & Phenix cam downstream. The Ledger-Enquirer is to have live video of the blast online.

Breaching the City Mills Dam, near 18th Street just north of the TSYS campus, is one of the final steps as organizers prepare to open the course Memorial Day Weekend. A year ago, two holes were blown in the Eagle & Phenix Dam, which has almost been fully removed.