2008 Ga. Senate off to busy start
By STATE SEN. CHIP PEARSON

Chip Pearson

Though we are in the early days of the 2008 Legislative Session, it has been very busy in the Georgia Senate as we move quickly to take care of the people's business. At press time, we were preparing to hear Governor Perdue's State of State speech in which he will outline his new budget initiatives for Fiscal Year 2009, and his legislative agenda for 2008. By all indications, state revenues are up for 2007, and there will be more funds available to support education, healthcare, transportation and new water projects to increase capacity. This is very good news given the current doom and gloom predictions in the media about the nation heading into an economic slowdown.

After we hear the State of the State, the process really gets rolling, as we head into committees to review bills and resolutions, and attend the annual budget

hearings. This week, I'd like to discuss the key issues that have been identified by Gov. Perdue and Lt. Governor Casey Cagle as the major issues that we will address in 2008.

Education

In 2007, the General Assembly took important steps to improve our system of education with the passage of the Charter Systems Act, Special Needs Scholarship and the further implementation of graduation coaches. We are seeing positive results, as Georgia's high school graduation rates are higher than ever. In FY 08, Gov. Perdue added $21.3 million for graduation coaches in each middle school. It is troubling to think that more than 42,000 of our children are not on track to graduate, and more than 2,000 students have dropped out of school before the ninth grade. With this year's education agenda, I think we will see more funding and implementation of more graduation coaches, among many other pieces of legislation.

Transportation

As vice chairman of the Senate Transportation Committee, you've heard me talk a lot about transportation this year. We spent the summer studying Georgia's current transportation issues in the Joint Study Committee on Transportation Funding. Among the potential issues that might be before the General Assembly during the 2008 Session are the establishment of a State Infrastructure Bank to finance transportation projects, the creation of a Transportation Mobility Trust Fund also to provide dedicated funding to transportation projects, enhancement of the design/build process, the possibility of managed lanes during rush hour traffic on interstates and the expansion of public/private initiatives. We've also heard recently from Gov. Perdue that new Department of Transportation Commissioner Gena Abraham is planning several changes within the Department, and we look forward to her leadership as we plan for Georgia's transportation future.

Healthcare

In some of my previous columns, I've discussed some ideas for revolutionizing the way Georgia citizens get the best healthcare available. A three-pronged approach that includes the expanded availability of a portable, high-deductible catastrophic insurance policy, the "private" or "personal" doctor or clinic and the healthcare savings account could potentially fix our nation's healthcare insurance woes. This year we will look at several issues affecting healthcare in Georgia, including Lt. Gov. Cagle's initiatives - the Georgia Health Marketplace and the Healthcare Safety Net, a statewide trauma network, Grady Hospital and many others. Overall, proposals should be measured by their impact in creating a marketbased healthcare system that lowers the number of uninsured in Georgia while offering portable, stable and affordable individual coverage.

Natural Resources - Water

In recent weeks, the Water Council approved the Statewide Water Management Plan and it now moves to the Legislature for consideration. The plan is the culmination of three years of work by various external groups, local officials, business leaders and fellow lawmakers. As we begin to consider the water plan, lawmakers will also be working towards increasing water reservoir capacity throughout the state. A bill I sponsored, the Reservoir Development and Drought Relief Act, is a plan to provide real, long-term solutions to some of our water issues. The ongoing drought underscores our need for enhanced water storage, and the Reservoir Development and Drought Relief Act will make the state of Georgia a partner with local governments and water authorities in enhancing water storage capacity. Under the legislation, communities can apply for funding to enlarge existing reservoirs and obtain permits to construct new ones. Additionally, the bill will make the state a true partner with local communities to secure the federal permits necessary to build reservoirs by offering a one-stop shop for all of the state components of a federal reservoir application. Couple the legislation with reservoir funding in the FY 09 budget and increased conservation measures, and we hope to keep all of Georgia supplied with clean, fresh water forever.

For 40 days we will write, study and debate legislation as we work to represent the people's interests at the state level. In addition, each legislative session, we are mandated by the Georgia Constitution to pass a balanced budget that is of benefit to all Georgians, and we'll look to do this again in 2008. The men and women you elected to political office take this job very seriously and we, like you, want to make Georgia the best place to live, work and raise a family. Remember to contact me in my office on the issues that are affecting you and your area.

Please feel free to contact Sen. Chip Pearson at his office in Atlanta at 404.656.9221 or by email at chip@team51.org.