Leaders' fight kills tax cut, trauma care, more
By REP. CHARLES JENKINS

Charles Jenkins

The talk of the 2008 legislative session, from beginning to end, was tax relief. A number of proposals to reduce Georgians' property taxes, automobile tag taxes and income taxes were discussed and passed by either the House of Representatives or the Senate. But when all was said and done, much more was said than done.

Because House Speaker Glenn Richardson and Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle could not agree on a final form of tax relief legislation by the end of the session Friday, Georgians will continue to pay their automobile tax each year on their birthday and the full amount of their state income tax. Nor will there be a property tax valuation assessment freeze, except for Towns County in District 8. Governing officials of Hiawassee, Young Harris, and Towns County Schools joined together with Commissioner Bill Kendall to request that I introduce legislation in the House to incorporate a property tax valuation assessment freeze at 3% on most residential properties in Towns County. Copies of the legislative bills that I introduced in the General Assembly that provide detail information on the assessment freeze are available in Commissioner Kendall's office at the Towns County Courthouse.

Another major issue the leadership failed to address is Georgia's transportation funding crisis. Although the House approved an amended version of SR 845, which would authorize counties to join together and implement a one-cent transportation sales tax on a regional basis, if approved by the voters in those counties, the Senate failed to agree to the measure.

A third victim of the in-fighting between House and Senate Republicans was Georgia's trauma care system, which faces a severe funding shortfall. An agreement on details of a $10 car tag renewal fee that would have provided $74 million in revenues for trauma care could not be reached before midnight on the 40th and final day of the session.

Both the House and Senate did agree on the final version of a $21.2 billion annual state budget for fiscal year 2009, which begins July 1, 2008. HB 990 includes a 2.5 percent pay raise for educators and other state employees, $1 billion in school construction projects $98 million to fully fund PeachCare for Kids and $30 million in bonds for reservoirs.

The budget reflects a $90 million reduction in state funding for local schools, bringing the six-year total cuts to $1.5 billion. These cuts hurt both our students and local property owners, who are forced to shoulder more of the tax burden. But at least the legislature was able to restore $50 million of the $140 million the governor had proposed to cut this year.

Also approved on the final day of the session was a major revision of the state's certificate of need (CON) law, which regulates the construction of new health care facilities. SB 433 allows some ambulatory centers to operate without a CON if they meet certain criteria and treat indigent patients. The legislation also allows for a Cancer Treatment Center of America to open in the Atlanta area.

Lawmakers also adopted SR 822, which seeks to correct the state's northern boundary, which was incorrectly surveyed in 1818. The original border with North Carolina and Tennessee was about one mile north, which would put a portion of the Tennessee River in Georgia and give our state another source of drinking water. The resolution seeks to create a boundary commission to look into correcting the error, but the Tennessee legislature has already voted against participating in such a process.

Other legislation approved by the House during the final week of the session includes:

SB 1, prohibits registered sex offenders from intentionally photographing a minor without the consent of the minor's parent or guardian. The legislation also states that no registered sex offender may reside or work within 1,000 feet of any child care facility, church, school or areas where minors congregate - unless they resided, owned property or worked at the location before a child care center, church or school was built.

SB 196, provides scholarships to University System institutions for children of military personnel who are killed or disabled as a result of combat wounds.

SB 417, requires the state Department of Transportation to submit an annual report to the governor and House and Senate leaders, detailing the progress on every construction project valued at $10 million or more.

SB 169, authorizes the Georgia Student Finance Authority to provide direct loans to students at an annual interest rate of 1 percent.

SB 466, would exempt permanent outdoor car washes that recycle their water from outdoor watering restriction. The use of water to fill swimming pools would not be in violation of watering restrictions, if failure to maintain the pool would create unsafe, unsanitary or unhealthy conditions.

House members defeated SB 174, which would have required weight loss mandates for state employees, and SB 183, which would have allowed insurance agents to charge additional fees.

Rep. Charles Jenkins (DBlairsville) represents the 8th District (Rabun, Towns, Union and White counties) in the Georgia House of Representatives. Contact him at 411 Coverdell Office Building, Atlanta, GA 30334; by phone at 404-656-0126 or by e-mail at charles.jenkins@house.ga.gov.