Political news for Friday, March 12th, 2010
Friday Mar 12, 2010 - Atlanta Journal ConstitutionGovernor to release new, lower budget numbers
Aaron Gould Sheinin reports that Gov. Sonny Perdue said he will use nearly $350 million federal stimulus funds budgeted for the next fiscal year to help fill the gap in the current, fiscal 2010 budget. He said the fiscal 2011 budget, which begins July 1, will see an additional $443 million in cuts in state funds and will make up for the loss of the $350 million moving forward to 2011.
Mar 12, 2010 - Atlanta Journal Constitution
Perdue: Colleges to see smaller cuts, hospitals deeper ones
Aaron Gould Sheinin reports that cuts to higher education would not be as severe as feared, but hospitals would face hundreds of millions in new fees and taxes under Gov. Sonny Perdue's revised budget plan released Thursday.
Mar 12, 2010 - Gainesville Times
State school budget cuts could be severe
Mitch Clarke reports that school systems across Georgia may be forced to close schools, fire teachers or raise taxes to offset mounting budget deficits, according to a scenario presented Thursday to the state Board of Education. Georgia schools could be looking at as much as a $1.4 billion deficit in formula funding next year, money that is used to meet mandated class-size requirements and to pay teacher salaries. In Hall County, this could mean $13 million less in state funding next year, said Superintendent Will Schofield.
Mar 12, 2010 - Macon Telegraph
Bills calling for larger classes, fewer tests clear House panel
Travis Fain reports that legislation that would allow increased class sizes, and other bills meant to save public schools or teachers money, made it through committee Thursday at the Capitol and are a big step closer to becoming law. But another proposal, to delay the start of the school year until the third week in August, went down in flames.
Mar 12, 2010 - Chattanooga Times Free Press
Perdue slashes tax-free holiday
Ashley Speagle reports that Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue on Thursday proposed slashing Medicaid reimbursements and canceling the annual sales tax holiday for back-to-school shoppers to help cope with the continued freefall in state revenues.
Mar 12, 2010 - Macon Telegraph
Property tax legislation clears Senate
Travis Fain reports that the state Senate approved a major overhaul to Georgia’s property tax system Thursday, continuing a multi-year effort to hold down the taxes local governments depend on and homeowners seem to hate. Senate Bill 346, sponsored by Senate Majority Leader Chip Rogers, passed unanimously and moves now to the House of Representatives, where similar reforms also are popular.
Mar 12, 2010 - Atlanta Journal Constitution
Property Tax bill passes out of Senate
Ernie Suggs reports that a property tax bill that would assure that every taxpayer receives an annual assessment notice just passed the Senate. SB 346, authored by Senate Majority Leader Chip Rogers of Woodstock, was approved by a 54-0 vote.
Mar 12, 2010 - Atlanta Journal Constitution
State health commissioner resigns
Craig Schneider reports that Georgia's top public health official resigned Thursday as the state struggles to find the money to fund her agency. As commissioner of the Department of Community Health, Dr. Rhonda Medows has overseen one of the state's largest bureaucracies for the past 4 1/2 years. She is in charge of Medicaid, public health and emergency preparedness, and she has been integral in making decisions ranging from the distribution of swine flu vaccine to the state's response to any bioterrorism attack.
Mar 12, 2010 - Atlanta Journal Constitution
Made-in-China promotion of Census hits some wrong
Nancy Badertscher reports that legislators aren’t suprised when they come into their chamber and find small gifts, promoting this city or that special interest. But some weren’t happy when what was waiting for them Thursday were several items promoting the 2010 U.S. Census. One gift in particular had some of them shaking their heads: a red ball cap touting the Census with a label Made in China.
Mar 12, 2010 - Atlanta Journal Constitution
Milton County proposal could get House vote
Jim Tharpe reports that a controversial proposal to carve a new Milton County out of north Fulton County cleared a legislative hurdle Thursday, but it could be headed for a head-on collision in its first appearance before a full legislative chamber.
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Mar 12, 2010 - Albany Herald
Court rules in favor of Hodges
Jennifer Maddox Parks reports that the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled in favor of Ken Hodges, former Dougherty County district attorney and candidate for attorney general, in a battle over claims he abused his power in a high-profile case he was entangled in as a county prosecutor.
Mar 12, 2010 - Atlanta Journal Constitution - COLUMN/BLOG
Political Insider: 11th Circuit rules that Ken Hodges can’t be sued over Phoebe Putney case
The Political Insider, Jim Galloway, writes that the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled this afternoon that former Dougherty County prosecutor Ken Hodges can’t be sued by an Albany accountant who said he was wrongly prosecuted for his criticism of a local hospital system. However, the court ruled that a federal lawsuit against Hodges’ chief investigator, James Paulk, could proceed.
Mar 12, 2010 - Athens Banner-Herald - EDITORIAL
Lawmakers move too fast on crime scene photos
The editorial board writes, The rush to get House Bill 1322, the Meredith Emerson Privacy Act, through the Georgia General Assembly is completely understandable. It's difficult to criticize state Rep. Jill Chambers, R-Atlanta, House Speaker David Ralston, R-Blue Ridge, and other lawmakers for quickly bringing their power as elected officials to bear to keep crime scene photos of the lifeless, decapitated body of murdered 24-year-old hiker Meredith Emerson out of the hands of a reporter working for a pornographic magazine. However...
Mar 12, 2010 - Macon Telegraph - EDITORIAL
Voters should not forget how we got into this mess
The editorial board writes, this is not a good time for public education in Georgia. The state’s 128,000 teachers are worried that state lawmakers — the same ones who got us in this mess — will try to balance the state’s budget on their backs. They have reason to worry. Public education has not been on state lawmakers’ priority list.
Mar 12, 2010 - Augusta Chronicle - EDITORIAL
A seal of disapproval
The editorial board writes, An anonymous "ranter" complained this week that this page's handlers "must have graduated from the college of negativity" for all our criticisms of Barack Obama. Blame The Chronicle all you like. But if anyone thinks this page is alone, or even off base, in its urgent criticism of this president's misbegotten policies, they're just not tuned in to reality.
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Mar 12, 2010 - Savannah Morning News, Atlanta Journal Constitution - OP-ED
Essig: Better way to solve Georgia's budget crisis
Alan Essig, executive director of the Georgia Budget & Policy Institute, writes, Due to the fiscal crisis facing the state, Georgia is at a crossroads. Georgia's economic well-being and overall quality of life is at stake. Decisions legislators make today will determine Georgia's fate for the next 10, 15 and 20 years. While the General Assembly took a two-week break, it heard from state agency heads and average citizens about the impact of slashing state services by another $1 billion during unprecedented joint budget committee hearings. These testimonies make the long-term, negative impact of additional draconian cuts crystal clear.
Mar 12, 2010 - Atlanta Journal Constitution - OP-ED
A vote on stimulus funding, explained
U.S. Rep. Phil Gingrey writes, Recently, I have seen and heard criticism leveled at members of Congress — myself included — who opposed the stimulus bill but did not stand in the way of their communities asking for and receiving stimulus funding from state and federal sources.
Mar 12, 2010 - Atlanta Journal Constitution - COLUMN
Taxing the unborn is unjust
In today's Thinking Right weekend free-for-all, Jim Wooten invites you to pick a topic: Rep. John Linder and free trade, Doraville, raising service fees, CRCT cheating, Chief Justice John Roberts, Toyota, cigarette tax, more.
Mar 12, 2010 - Albany Herald - EDITORIAL
State hospitals take big hits
The editorial board writes that the state hospital industry’s pushback against a proposed bed tax by Gov. Sonny Perdue may end up costing them more. Thursday afternoon, Perdue announced his plans for dealing with new projections on state revenue that show an already weak forecast as being even weaker. Perdue said the 15-straight months of decreasing state revenues has forced him to reduce state revenue projections by $342 million.
Mar 12, 2010 - Macon Telegraph
Senate panel advances legislation to crack down on illicit massage parlors
Travis Fain reports that State Sen. Cecil Staton’s effort to crack down on illegitimate massage parlors moved passed committee Thursday with new sanctions for parlor owners instead of just the women who work there. Senate Bill 364 passed the Senate Judiciary Committee unanimously, and Staton, R-Macon, said he hopes to see the bill before the full Senate next week, or the week after.
