Senate to address key legislation
April 9, 2007 -- Atlanta, GA -- State Sen. Tim Golden (D-Valdosta) With no more than seven legislative days remaining in the 2007 session of the Georgia General Assembly, the Senate will be considering key legislation adopted earlier in the session by the House of Representatives.

One such bill is HB 94, the Supplemental Budget, which would increase the spending for the remainder of fiscal year 2007 by $700 million. The Senate version of the supplemental budget will likely be significantly different from the plan adopted by the House, which includes large amounts of “pork barrel” spending that is not of an emergency nature and can be considered for the annual budget for fiscal year 2008, which begins July 1.

Bipartisan leaders in the Senate are on record as supporting additional appropriations for critical needs, such as public school funding to meet the demands of growing enrollment, tornado disaster relief in the Americus area, and meeting shortfalls in the PeachCare for Kids and indigent defense programs.

However, in the Senate Appropriations Committee, we have adopted what we believe is a more fiscally responsible budget that does not include most of the spending that can be addressed later in the year, if at all. The Senate is scheduled to pass our version of the budget on Tuesday, April 10, when lawmakers return to the Capitol for the 34th legislative day.

Another significant piece of legislation is HB 340, which would reduce the number of families that could get health insurance for their children by lowering the eligibility level to 200 percent over the FPL (Federal Poverty Level) from the current level of 235 percent. 

Also, this bill would allow the Department of Community Health to reduce the rate to 185 percent over FPL if it so desires.  HB 340 would also require families to pay a premium for dental and vision care when the existing program provides it for free.

The Georgia Budget and Policy Institute estimates that 3,000 to 5,000 children will not be eligible for PeachCare if HB 340 becomes law.

The Senate will also consider HB 332, awaiting consideration in the Senate Education and Youth Committee.  The bill would delay the reduction of class sizes in Georgia for an additional two years.  Under the Education Reform Act of 2000, all school systems were required to lower class sizes, especially in core subjects such as English, Math, Social Studies, and Foreign Language. 

Other bills from the House that will be addressed in Senate committees are:

HB 2—now in the Senate State and Local Government Operations Committee; and would require a municipality, with an independent school system, to first receive consent from the county governing authority before annexing any land from said county.  If the consent is refused, then both parties would seek arbitration as requested by the municipality.

HB 131—now in the Senate Higher Education Committee; and would expand the HERO scholarship by providing $2000 a year, for up to four years, to spouses wanting to attend college.   

Several legislative measures I have sponsored or co-sponsored are in the House awaiting committee consideration, including:

SR 130-in the House Governmental Affairs Committee; and proposes a Constitutional amendment whereby the General Assembly, by law,  may create townships for the limited purpose of exercising the power of zoning; the regulation of land use and development within the boundaries of such townships; and provide for the funding and operation of such townships

SB 169-in the House Higher Education Committee; and would offer eligible Georgia students a state funded education loan through the Georgia Student Finance Authority

SB 111-in the House Appropriations Committee; and would provide that revenue collected by any or all institutions in the university system from tuition, departmental sales or services, continuing education fees, technology fees, or indirect cost recoveries shall not lapse

SB 96-in the House Industrial Relations Committee; and would provide for onsite testing to improve the maintenance of drug-free workplaces

SB 75-in the House Education Committee; and would establish a means for weighting of grades for honors, advanced placement, and international baccalaureate courses for purposes of determining eligibility for postsecondary scholarships, grants, and loans

SB 89-in the House Governmental Affairs Committee; and would give local communities an alternative, other than forming new cities, for handling zoning matters

• State Sen. Tim Golden represents the 8th District (Brooks, Cook, Lowndes and Thomas Counties). During the legislative session, he can be reached at 121-A State Capitol, Atlanta, Ga. 30334; by phone at 404-656-7580; or by e-mail at tim.golden@senate.ga.gov.