Political news for Tuesday, March 9th, 2010
Mar 9, 2010 - Atlanta Journal ConstitutionState revenue still spirals downward
Aaron Gould Sheinin reports that, if there is a linchpin to the 2010 legislative session, the moment when the speculation over sink or swim ended, it most likely was when e-mail in-boxes all over the Gold Dome started pinging Monday with bad news from Gov. Sonny Perdue. The news is the same as it has been: Tax and fee collections are down for the 15th consecutive month. In other words, a child born the last time the state saw positive revenue growth ought to be on solid food by now.
Mar 9, 2010 - Athens Banner-Herald
State deficit likely closer to $2B
Lee Shearer reports that the state actually may be short $2 billion next year — not $1 billion as Gov. Sonny Perdue projected, a key legislator said Monday as the state released revenue statistics for February. What the governor has been doing is hoping and praying that this thing would turn around, but it hasn’t turned around,” said Sen. Seth Harp, R-Midland, chairman of the Senate Higher Education Committee.
Mar 9, 2010 - Augusta Chronicle, Georgia Times Union
Revenue dip means more cuts
Walter C. Jones reports that tax collections continued to fall in February, according to figures released Monday, and legislative leaders say they'll have to cut more spending, not boost tax rates, to adjust the budget.
Mar 9, 2010 - Albany Herald
GBI cuts could create havoc
J.D. Sumner reports that when the Moultrie Crime lab closes its doors March 31, law enforcement officials and prosecutors say the justice system in Southwest Georgia could immediately begin feeling the impact in terms of backlogged cases and delayed prosecutions. Analysis of drugs seized in investigations are currently processed in Pennsylvania, officials say.
Mar 9, 2010 - Atlanta Journal Constitution
Advocates: Cigarette tax would save lives and close budget hole
Jim Tharpe reports that health care advocates on Monday urged Georgia lawmakers to pass a dollar-a-pack cigarette tax as a way to save lives, reduce teen smoking and partially close an estimated $1 billion hole in the state budget.
Mar 9, 2010 - Marietta Daily Journal
WellStar supports cigarette tax
Kathryn Dobies reports that anti-smoking advocates and Georgia health care providers conducted a rally at the state Capitol on Monday to promote a proposed $1 per pack tax increase on cigarettes. Representatives from WellStar Health System attended the rally with officials from the Georgia Hospital Association and the Georgia Alliance of Community Hospitals, along with members of advocacy groups such as the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids and the American Cancer Society.
Mar 9, 2010 - Chattanooga Times Free Press
Property tax bill may not require year-round appeals
Kelly Jackson reports that changes in the Georgia Senate to a proposed property tax reform bill would drop a requirement for year-round appeals, but local officials say the changes still would boost local governments' costs. The original bill proposes more than 40 changes to property tax law.
Mar 9, 2010 - Chattanooga Times Free Press
House approves local school board oversight
Ashley Speagle reports that the Georgia House passed legislation Monday that creates stricter statewide policies for local school boards, including one that gives the governor the power to remove local board members. Legislators say the moves will encourage state economic development. “When you get a reputation that you’re having schools lose accreditation ... that doesn’t encourage businesses to come here,” said Rep. Fran Millar, R-Dunwoody, vice chairwoman of House Education Committee.
Mar 9, 2010 - Athens Banner-Herald
House passes ethics bill for school boards
Morris News Service reports that local school boards would have until October to adopt a code of ethics, and members who violate it could be removed by the governor, according to legislation the House approved Monday, 137-33.
Mar 9, 2010 - Augusta Chronicle
Georgia's anti-meth campaign uses graphic ads to warn teens
Adam Folk reports that the Georgia Meth Project -- which debuted Monday on the steps of the Georgia State Capitol in Atlanta -- is designed to flood media with ads featuring graphic and startling images of teenage users. Across a wide array of formats, the campaign will feature Georgia teens talking about their experiences using the highly addictive stimulant.
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Mar 9, 2010 - Atlanta Journal Constitution
Seabaugh’s gun bill advances; colleges still wary
Ernie Suggs reports, under a revised version of a controversial Senate gun bill, the University System of Georgia would be allowed to determine whether guns would be allowed on its campuses. But university officials still want the law to remain as it is — specifically, a provision that bans guns from within 1,000 feet from any campus.
Mar 9, 2010 - Atlanta Journal Constituton - COLUMN/BLOG
Poltical Insider: Expensive cigs might lead your kid to switch to pot
The Political Insider, Jim Galloway, writes, This morning at his weekly press conference, Senate Majority Leader Chip Rogers (R-Woodstock) was drawn into a lengthy discussion about a cigarette tax. A reduction in the number of cigarette smokers might be considered a benefit, he said. But then there’s the possibility of increased black market sales. Rogers then speculated on a news report that said that where cigarette taxes went dramatically high, young people began turning toward marijuana more often.
Mar 9, 2010 - Athens Banner-Herald - EDITORIAL
Can't nibble around the edges on revenue
The editorial board writes, Georgia lawmakers dealing with an ongoing and severe revenue shortfall deserve credit for talking about initiatives such as a $1 per pack hike in the cigarette tax, and cracking down on businesses not remitting sales tax dollars to the state, to raise money to keep needed government services in place. But that doesn't necessarily make it any less frustrating that some considerable legislative time and effort is being put into initiatives representing nothing more than nibbling around the edges of the state's revenue issues.
Mar 9, 2010 - Marietta Daily Journal - EDITORIAL
The State Budget: Don't make higher ed bear brunt of cuts
The editorial board writes that these are dark days for entities that are funded via the Georgia state budget, and they may well be about to get darker. That's especially true for the state's colleges and universities.
Mar 9, 2010 - Atlanta Journal Constitution - COLUMN/BLOG
Georgia government is getting down to bathtub size
Jay Bookman writes, State revenue fell a startling 9.9 percent last month compared to February 2009. The news has turned the gaping hole in Georgia’s budget into a Texas-sized crater. But it no doubt makes Grover Norquist very happy. Norquist, a Washington-based anti-tax zealot, once bragged that he wanted to shrink government down “to the size where I can drag it into the bathroom and drown it in the bathtub.” Today at noon, he’s scheduled to address an anti-tax rally on the steps of the Georgia Capitol, where he will find his fondest wishes coming to fruition.
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Mar 9, 2010 - Savannah Morning News - EDITORIAL
Voucher robbery
The editorial board writes, The General Assembly should address an inequity in Georgia's school voucher bill. Under the 2007 version of the bill, the parents of special education students are eligible for a voucher to move their children to other public schools, or help offset the cost of private school tuition. The vouchers are equal to the amount in state education dollars a local school system would have spent on a given student. That sum is deducted from the state allotment to a given county.
Mar 9, 2010 - Savannah Morning News - EDITORIAL
Stop unfair subsidies
The editorial board writes, Georgia lawmakers should work smarter - not just harder - to fix the state's budget mess. Take fees. Georgia imposes nearly 1,800 fees. They're imposed on everything from pre-paid cellphones, to airports, to insurance agents, to firearms dealers and to politicians who are late filing their campaign disclosure forms. Unfortunately, many fees haven't been raised in decades. And in some cases, the state loses money by subsidizing services that should pay for themselves. It's time to revise those fees. Hike those that are too low.
Mar 9, 2010 - Atlanta Journal Constitution - COLUMN/BLOG
Kathy Cox: Please. No more cuts to k-12 education
Maureen Downey writes, Perhaps, state School Superintendent Kathy Cox knew what the afternoon would bring when she penned this piece and sent it out yesterday. We just received the state’s February revenue figures, and they are much worse than expected, setting the stage for further and deeper cuts.
Mar 9, 2010 - Brunswick News - EDITORIAL
Keep budget axe away from essential services
The editorial board writes that Georgia legislators said when heading to Atlanta for the 2010 session of the General Assembly that they would not consider essential services when searching for budget cuts to make up for the limp economy. As state representatives and senators, their job is to provide services that protect the public. That's the whole reason for even having the lawmaking body.
Mar 9, 2010 - Atlanta Journal Constitution - COLUMN/BLOG
House women take aim at aggressive military recruitment in schools
Maureen Downey writes, When DeKalb County proposed a military high school funded in part by the Marine Corps out of its recruitment budget, an immediate opposition formed, including former veterans who complained that the school would be a pipeline into the military. Now, the General Assembly is considering a resolution Wednesday reminding school systems of the legal limits of recruitment in schools.
