WEEKLY LEGISLATIVE REPORT—April 17, 2008

2008 session was positive in many ways

By Sen. Tim Golden

Seemingly lost during the rancorous end to the 2008 session of the Georgia General Assembly were some very positive legislative accomplishments that have not been widely publicized.

Plenty has been written and spoken about the fussing and feuding that killed trauma care, transportation funding and tax relief legislation on the final day of the session, all of which was very disappointing. But on balance, from my perspective, it was a much better session than you might have heard.

Good for the 8th Senate District

More than $18 million in appropriations that will have a positive impact on Brooks, Cook, Lowndes and Thomas counties are included in the annual state budget for fiscal year 2009 that passed the Senate and House of Representatives and now awaits the governor’s signature.

These include direct line-item allocations of $12.76 million for a classroom building at Southwest Georgia Technical College (thanks to Sen. John Bulloch), $4.075 million for Nevins Hall at Valdosta State University, $1 million in rail lines for the St. Augustine Road Switching Yard expansion and $600,000 to replace boilers at Southwestern State Hospital. The City of Quitman, Cook County, Reed Bingham State Park and the City of Valdosta each received a $10,000 grant for specific projects.

The Veterans Services Office in Valdosta will be able to add a benefits counselor position thanks to additional funding, and the Lowndes County Partnership for Health will benefit from a planning grant for the Georgia Wellness Incentive Pilot Program.

Also, our district and other rural areas of the state will benefit from a less-publicized but very positive bill. HB 1273 will result in more employment opportunities by offering a $3,500 job tax credit for qualifying businesses in designated “opportunity zones” in Georgia.

Valdosta City Manager Larry Hanson informed me that this legislation will be most helpful in connection with the city’s efforts toward the proposed Market Street development, a $400 million project with a major retail store, which would bring in 400 new jobs.

Our smaller towns across the state have suffered disproportionately from job losses the past several years, particularly in the textile industry. This legislation will help stimulate the economy in many of those communities.

Good for Georgia manufacturers

Georgia can begin to reclaim its status as a business-friendly state after what was clearly the best legislative session for the manufacturing industry in many years. In an atmosphere of economic uncertainty and global competition, we passed several pieces of legislation that will be good for employers and employees alike.

Two measures that I am most proud of are SB 359, which I introduced, and SR 1097, which I co-authored. SB 359 creates the “Made in Georgia” campaign promoting the sale of goods produced in our state, while SR 1097 establishes a Senate study committee to take a comprehensive look at the future of Manufacturing in Georgia.

I have strongly supported for many years a number of issues for manufacturers that provide much-needed and overdue tax relief and were passed this year.  HB 237 provides a sales tax exemption for machinery and parts used in the manufacturing process, and HB 272 which places a cap on the state sales tax on spiking energy costs to manufacturers.

I would again like to thank the Georgia Industry Association, the Georgia Traditional Manufacturing Association, Georgia Forestry Association, Georgia Mining Association, Georgia Chamber of Commerce and other business organizations whose efforts were crucial to the success of these legislative initiatives.

Good for all Georgians

Admittedly we have a long way to go to make up for $1.5 billion in school funding tax shifts over the past six years, but at least the legislature was able to restore $50 million in state QBE dollars for local schools. That’s hopefully the start of a new direction.

With HR 1276 and HB 1211, we also set in motion the process for forest land owners to receive tax benefits for keeping their trees and making large tracts less vulnerable to development or non-forest uses. All Georgia families and retail businesses will benefit from the special sales tax holiday periods for back-to-school purchases (July 31-Aug. 3) and energy efficient products (Oct. 2-5), as provided in HB 948.

HR 1022 and SR 701 implemented a statewide water management plan, and SB 342 will speed up the construction of reservoirs in north Georgia to boost the drinking water supply. Other good legislation includes SB 169, providing student loans at a 1 percent interest rate; HB 130, allowing consumers to freeze their credit reports to thwart identity theft; and HB 301 will stiffen the criminal penalties for those convicted of dog fighting.  And HB 1234 makes changes related to the CMO’s by providing some relief to benefit health care providers.

While there were some major disappointments during the past legislative session, I am happy to report there were many times when solid legislative initiatives won out over partisan rancor and political posturing, and it shows that good sound public policy can prevail. 

I continue to be honored to represent you in the state Senate. Please contact me whenever I can be of service.

• Sen. Tim Golden represents the 8th District (Brooks, Cook, Lowndes, and Thomas counties) in the Georgia State Senate.  Contact him at 121-A State Capitol, Atlanta, GA 30334; by phone at 404-656-7580; or by e-mail at tim.golden@senate.ga.gov.