Today is Day Thirty-Eight of the 2013 Session of the Georgia General Assembly. The State Senate and State House each convene at 10 AM today.
During this part of the Session, each chamber is dealing almost exclusively with bills that originated on the other side of the Gold Dome. So the Senate floor session consists of votes on House Bills, and the House floor session consists of votes on Senate Bills, with the one exception being House Resolution 146, the first item listed in House, which need only pass there.
If a bill passes both chambers in different forms, as with the fourth item under the Senate Rules Calendar below (HB 115 – with “Substitute” signifying that the Senate version differs from the House-passed), the bill will be sent back to the House, which can vote to “agree” accepting the Senate changes, or “disagree”.
If a bill passes in different forms and the originating chamber is unwilling to accept the changes, a conference committe will be appointed with three members of each body to attempt a reconciliation. If the conference committee reaches agreement, each chamber votes again on the compromise bill. Lather, rinse, repeat until a compromise is reached that passes both houses in identical form, or the bill is abandoned.
Georgia State Senate Rules Calendar
| HB 36 | Game and fish; definition of “game fish”; revise (As Passed House)(NR&E-1st) Watson-166th |
| HB 45 | Public property; writing off small amounts due to the state; change certain provisions (As Passed House)(APPROP-18th) Ehrhart-36th |
| HB 83 | Mortgage broker licensing requirements; licensed real estate brokers and salespersons assisting in a short sale real estate transaction; exempt (As Passed House)(RI&U-29th) Knight-130th |
| HB 115 | Local boards of education; suspension and removal of members under certain circumstances; revise provisions (As Passed House)(Substitute)(ED&Y-37th)Dickson-6th |
| HR 4 | Georgia and Tennessee; boundary dispute; propose settlement (As Passed House)(JUDY-48th) Geisinger-48th |
| HB 116 | Georgia Foundation for Public Education; state board donations, gifts and other property held in trust; authorize transfer (As Passed House)(ED&Y-37th) Dickson-6th |
| HB 161 | Trial juries; oath of bailiffs; change provisions (As Passed House)(JUDY-3rd) Atwood-179th |
| HB 192 | Podiatry; podiatric medicine includes the diagnosis and treatment of cosmetic conditions regarding the human foot and leg; provide (As Passed House)(H&HS-52nd) Kidd-145th |
| HB 193 | Sales and use tax; tangible personal property to certain nonprofit health centers; provide exemption only for a limited period of time(As Passed House)(Substitute)(FIN-8th) Stephens-164th |
| HB 208 | Nursing homes; annually offer influenza vaccinations to health care workers and other employees; require (As Passed House)(H&HS-40th) Watson-166th |
| HB 210 | Gasoline and aviation fuel; temporary suspension of the collection of taxes; provide legislative findings (As Passed House)(FIN-17th) Nimmer-178th |
| HB 246 | Georgia World Congress Center Authority; benefit programs to its officers, employees, and other agents; provide (As Passed House)(Substitute)(I&L-25th) Golick-40th |
| HB 274 | Game and fish; regulate practice of falconry (As Passed House)(NR&E-4th) Burns-159th |
| HB 283 | Education; update and revise terminology; provisions (As Passed House)(Substitute)(ED&Y-37th) Coleman-97th |
| HB 298 | Agricultural Commodity Commission for Georgia Grown Products; create (As Passed House)(AG&CA-50th) Dickey-140th |
| HB 304 | Freeport exemption; applicability to fertilizer production processes; clarify (As Passed House)(FIN-50th) McCall-33rd |
| HB 312 | Insurance; regulating insurance holding company systems; provide comprehensive revision of provisions (As Passed House)(I&L-8th) Carson-46th |
| HB 315 | Nurses; continuing competency requirements as requirement for license renewal; provide (As Passed House)(Substitute)(H&HS-45th)Cooper-43rd |
| HB 389 | Insurance; provide conversion and enhanced conversion rights and coverage; sunset requirements (As Passed House)(I&L-25th)Taylor-173rd |
| HB 458 | Condominiums; maximum allowable casualty insurance deductible imposed by associations; change (As Passed House)(I&L-3rd)Atwood-179th |
| HB 361 | Labor organizations membership; provide for definitions; provisions(As Passed House)(Substitute)(I&L-21st) Lindsey-54th |
| HB 150 | Law enforcement officers; the reproduction of arrest booking photographs; enact provisions (As Passed House)(SJUDY-23rd)Bruce-61st |
| HB 187 | Controlled substances; date of incorporation of local ordinances by reference; change (As Passed House)(JUDYNC-17th) Dickerson-113th |
| HB 354 | Early Care and Learning, Department of; provide certain information to owners of early care and education programs; require (As Passed House)(ED&Y-23rd) Clark-101st |
| HB 454 | Budget report; require certain items to be included in tax expenditure review (As Passed House)(APPROP-19th)Martin-49th |
Georgia State Senate Meeting Calendar
| 8:00 AM | JUDICIARY | 310 CLOB |
Georgia State House Rules Calendar
| HR 146 | Congress; enact the FairTax and express the State of Georgia’s commitment to ratify the repeal of the 16th Amendment; request (W&M-Kirby-114th) |
| SB 216 | Pharmacies; provide that medical director of an emergency service provider may contract with more than one pharmacy (Substitute)(H&HS-Powell-32nd) Carter-1st |
| SB 83 | Counties; support of paupers; provide for cremation as an alternative for deceased indigents (GAff-Tanner-9th) Gooch-51st |
| SB 156 | Surface Mining; revise a definition (NR&E-McCall-33rd) Tolleson-20th |
| SB 160 | Public Employers; provide annual report relative to compliance with certain laws; provide for certain report to Dept. of Audits and Accounts (Substitute)(JudyNC-Hightower-68th) Ginn-47th |
| SB 168 | Public Contracts; contracting and bidding requirements (Substitute)(Judy-Hamilton-24th) Tippins-37th |
| SB 225 | Criminal Procedure; relieve a surety from liability under certain circumstances (Substitute)(JudyNC-Atwood-179th) Stone-23rd |
Georgia State House Meeting Calendar
| TBD | Floor Session (LD38) | HOUSE CHAMBER (10:00am) |
| 8:00 AM – 9:00 AM | HUMAN RELATIONS & AGING | 515 CLOB |
| 8:30 AM – 9:30 AM | Ramsey Subcommittee of Judiciary Non-Civil | 132 CAP |
| 9:00 AM – 10:00 AM | RULES | 341 CAP |
| 3:00 PM – 4:00 PM | JUVEVILE JUSTICE | 406 CLOB |
| 3:00 PM – 5:00 PM | HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES | 606 CLOB |
| 4:00 PM – 5:00 PM | ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT & TOURISM | 415 CLOB |
Solar Legislation Press Conference today at 9:30 AM – State Rep. Rusty Kidd and several others will be unveiling a repackaged version of the failed Georgia Solar Utility legislation that the General Assembly rightly rejected. It’s called House Bill 657. I’m disappointed that State Rep. Buzz Brockway has sponsored this heavy-handed legislation that takes everything contained in a bad bill, slaps the word “Rural” on it, adds some more big-government nanny state language and pretends that the legislature can say something will not cost consumers more money by waving their magic wand and saying it won’t cost more. Make no mistake: this is Obama-style legislation and just like Solyndra, it will cost Georgians millions of dollars Lipstick on a pig.
Ethics Legislation
The House Ethics Legislation is on the operating table this week, and the prognosis is grim. After the House passed HB 142 to regulate lobbying one month ago today, the Senate passed a dramatically different version of the same bill. Different as in its mother wouldn’t recognize it.
Senators unanimously passed legislation that relies on a $100 cap to keep lobbyist gift giving to elected officials in check.
An alternative passed by the state House of Representatives wouldn’t allow lobbyists to give gifts of any value but contains nine loopholes the Senate found unacceptable.
“We’re passing the strongest ethics bill that’s ever been under the Gold Dome,” said Sen. Jeff Mullis, R-Chickamauga, who steered the legislation through the Senate. “This bill is what the public is asking for.”
The total ban on lobbyist gifts championed by the House would not apply to spending on groups of lawmakers, including committees, subcommittees, caucuses and legislative delegations.
The Senate scrapped those exemptions while allowing gifts valued at up to $100.
The Senate bill also would allow lobbyists to pay travel costs for elected officials only when the travel is domestic and in connection with their official duties. Travel by spouses and staff members would not be covered.
The Senate also removed new restrictions in the House bill requiring volunteer lobbyists representing nonprofits to register as lobbyists and pay a fee if they spend more than five days a year at the Capitol seeking to influence legislative decisions.
House Speaker David Ralston (R-Blue Ridge) is not amused by the bill or the Senate’s timing.
House Speaker David Ralston, R-Blue Ridge, remained unimpressed, as senators Friday called parts of his original House Bill 142 “opaque” and “shameful,” and celebrated their version as the best for Georgians.
The House had already adjourned by the time the Senate voted on its version of HB 142.
“They quit early!” said Sen. Fran Millar, R-Dunwoody. Added Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle: “It looks like they got a little bit frightened.”
Ralston, who watched the Senate vote in his office, appreciated the humor. But not the bill and the looming deadline.
“The serious part is this issue’s been out there for months,” Ralston said. “We introduced the only ethics bill this session when the calendar still said January. We went through multiple meetings, we spent a lot of time to get a good bill, a credible bill. We passed a bill out of the House on Feb. 25, which was now almost one month ago. And they take up that bill during rush-hour traffic on Friday afternoon on Day 37? The clock is becoming a factor. I’m seriously disappointed in the timing.”
Ralston said that “event” exemption “would allow unlimited spending.”
“It really goes beyond the loophole — it’s a sinkhole for lobbyists’ spending,” he said. “It’s time we leave the personal egos out of the way and the special interests and get down to see if we’re going to work out a serious bill in a very short amount of time we have left.”
Jim Galloway writes that the fight now is for the moral high ground.
In any fight over what is – and what isn’t – good and moral behavior, moral high ground is essential. That’s what the coming few days will be about, and the House speaker knows it. “I think what both chambers have to ask themselves is, what really keeps the faith with the people of Georgia?” Ralston said.
For the last year, the House speaker has criticized the concept of a gift cap as “gimmicky.” GOP senators justified their version of ethics reform by pointing to a July primary question put to Republican voters. Eighty-seven percent endorsed a $100 gift cap.
Ralston pointed out that the question put to voters wasn’t multiple choice. “The people of Georgia weren’t given an option last summer on zero. They weren’t given an option on $50,” the speaker said. “I suspect I know what they would have done with zero.”
But is a total ban on gifts a deal killer? “I don’t know that anything’s a deal killer. They seem determined to want to take lobbyists’ money,” Ralston said of the Senate.
Growth and Opportunity Project Report
Political Consultant Heath Garrett discussed the findings of the Republican National Committee’s Growth and Opportunity Project Report when he spoke to the Cobb County Republican Women’s Club.
“We are in the middle of destroying through factions, and it’s not just one or two, it’s multiple factions, the organization that you have to put together to win the electoral vote,” Garrett said.
He called on the Republican establishment and tea party movement to unite, since it was the only way either group would achieve its goals.
The former chief of staff of U.S. Sen. Johnny Isakson (R-east Cobb), Garrett also said it’s time to retire the word RINO or Republican In Name Only.
“I mean, if we could please end the use of a term if we want to win elections,” he said. “Everybody’s definition of a RINO is anybody that doesn’t agree with them 100 percent of the time, and I’ll tell you (the late economist) Friedrich Hayek would tell you right now if you find someone you agree with 100 percent of the time somebody is not thinking because rational human beings disagree.”
There are a number of things the Republican Party did well. It still has 30 governors, it elected new attorneys general and it held on to the U.S. House.
“Thank goodness because it’s the last great fortress we have against European-style socialism over the next three and a half years in this country,” he said.
Garrett spoke of three macro trends that proved detrimental for Republicans in those 314 counties, trends the party must address if it intends to win the Senate next year and the presidency in 2016.
Those trends will also determine whether Georgia maintains a Republican state Legislature by 2020.
Winning back the presidency and the Senate doesn’t mean Republicans abandon their principles. But it does matter how they talk about those principles. He quoted political consultant Frank Luntz, who said if Americans are asked if they favor the estate tax on rich people 80 percent will say “yes.” But if the same group is asked if they support the death tax, 80 percent will say “no.”
“The principle hasn’t changed, but how you talk about the issue matters,” Garrett said. “So when we talk about abortion, when we talk about gay marriage, when we talk about guns, when we talk about immigration, how we talk about it matters as much as what we talk about.”
#Social Media and Politics
Rachel Dodsworth offers “4 New Media Points to Add to the Growth & Opportunity Report” that are helpful whether you agree with many of the substantive points in the Project or not.
Wondering about how to win your next Senate race? Its simple – have more Facebook likes than your opponent. “In Senate races, the candidate with more Facebook friends than his or her opponent has won 81% of the time,” according to Open Site. The tip is to get your supporters to share your social media postings by offering exciting information, being the first to offer news, telling others how to get involved, and becoming the primary information source for the election.
Reach is not a new concept and should not be overlooked by any political group. Back in 2010, I shared the need for campaigns to measure reach as part of its new media strategy. Read more about reach in my article “5 Ways Political Campaigns Should Measure Social Media”.
GOP Calendar
Today
10 AM Congressman Jack Kingston McIntosh County Congressional Day – McIntosh County Courthouse, 310 North Way,, Darien, GA, 31305.
3:30 PM Georgia Tech College Republicans with Senator Johnny Isakson – Georgia Tech Campus, the Campanile (Near Student Center), 225 North Avenue NW, Atlanta , GA, 30332. Contact Andrew Mullins at 912-661-4845 or amull91@gmail.com for more information.
6:00 PM Georgia Republican Party Presidents’ Day Dinner with Jeff Foxworth – Marriott Marquis, 265 Peachtree Center Ave, Atlanta , GA, 30303 Click here for a Google Map.
Tuesday, March 26, 2013
10:00 AM Congressman Tom Graves: Small Business Outreach Seminar – Paulding County Chamber of Commerce, 455 Jimmy Campbell Parkway,, Dallas , GA, 30132.
10:00 AM Congressman Jack Kingston: Brantley County Congressional Day – Brantley County Board of Commissioners, 33 Allen Road, Nahunta, GA, 31553.
6:00 PM Congressman Paul Broun Columbia County Town Hall – Greenbrier Middle School, 5120 Riverwood Pkwy , Evans, GA, 30809
6:30 PM Georgia Black Republican Council Mixer with Senator Barry Loudermilk and RNC National Committee Member Linda Herren – Buckhead Bottle Bar & Bistro, 267 East Paces Ferry Rd, Atlanta , GA, 30305.
7:00 PM Dawson County GOP Meeting with Phil Kent – Bowen Center for the Arts, 334 Highway 9 North, Dawsonville, GA 30534.
Wednesday, March 27, 2013
10:00 AM Congressman Jack Kingston: Bacon County Congressional Day – Bacon County Chamber of Commerce (Old Primary School), 504 North Pierce Street, Alma, GA, 31510.
2:00 PM Congressman Jack Kingston: Ware County Congressional Day – Waycross City Hall, 417 Pendleton St, Waycross, GA 31502.
5:00 PM Council for Quality Growth’s 9th Annual Meet & Greet with County Commission Chairs and Metro Mayors – The Georgian Club, 100 Galleria Parkway, Atlanta, GA, 30339.
6:30 PM Georgia Public Policy Foundation 2013 Annual Dinner – 2 Galleria Parkway SE, Atlanta, GA, 30339.
7:00 PM Atlanta Young Republicans Meeting with Senator Johnny Isakson and Congressman Rob Woodall – 5 Seasons Restaurant & Brewery, 1000 Marietta Street, Atlanta, GA, 30318.
Comments ( 1 )