FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – April 23, 2010

Contact: Sen. Tim Golden, 404-656-7580 or tim.golden@senate.ga.gov

Funding for VSU Health Sciences building in Senate budget

By Sen. Tim Golden

The state budget for fiscal year 2011, as approved by the Senate on Wednesday, includes a $2.8 million appropriation for designing the new Health Sciences Center at Valdosta State University. This new building will provide growth space for programs to acquire more faculty members and to serve greater numbers of students.

The center's location on North Campus makes it more convenient to South Georgia Medical Center for the potential of a closer working relationship with the hospital. The new building will house a variety of health-related departments, including the College of Nursing, Social Work, Marriage and Family Therapy, Communication Disorders, Exercise Physiology and Sports Medicine. It will also share space with the Harley Langdale Jr. College of Business Administration.

The $17.8 billion budget for the next fiscal year, which begins July 1, is now in the hands of a conference committee, which will reconcile differences between the Senate budget and the version approved by the House of Representatives. The budget is typically one of the last pieces of legislation to be finalized on the 40th day of the legislative session.

The Senate's version of HB 948 restores $25 million in bonds for water and sewer projects across the state and nearly $900,000 in funding for the Georgia Arts Council, which had been cut by the House. The plan also includes $790 million in new budget cuts identified by the Senate Appropriations Committee.

Because of the economy and declining state revenues, the state budget has been reduced by approximately $3.4 billion over the past two years. To help balance the 2011 budget, lawmakers are relying on an additional $250 million in revenues from a 1.45 percent hospital tax and increases in more than 80 state licensing, registration and user fees.

On Tuesday, the Senate gave final approval to the supplemental budget for the remainder of the current fiscal year, which ends June 30. HB 947, the amended version of the FY 2010 budget, reduces overall spending by $1.5 billion from the budget's original form passed last year. The House put its final stamp on the supplemental budget Wednesday, sending it to the governor for his signature.

Transportation Funding: After three years of trying to reach agreement on a solution to the state's transportation funding problems, the Senate and House gave final approval to HB 277 on Wednesday. Under the legislation, Georgia will be divided into 12 regions, each of which will hold a referendum in 2012 for a special 1 percent sales tax to be used for transportation improvements within that region. Individual counties cannot opt out of the funding plan, but a "roundtable" of local elected officials can decide not to hold a tax referendum in their regions, whose boundaries mirror those of Georgia's regional commissions. Brooks, Cook and Lowndes County are in the Southern Georgia region, with 15 other counties. Thomas County is in the Southwest Georgia region with 13 other counties.

Ethics Legislation: The Senate and House also sent new ethics legislation to the governor's desk for his signature on Wednesday. SB 17 doubles the fines for late reporting and other violations of campaign disclosure rules, demands more timely reporting of expenditures by lobbyists, makes sexual harassment by legislators a punishable offense and bans lobbyists from communicating with legislators by Blackberry or other electronic devices while the legislature is in session. An amendment also brings the members of the State Transportation Board under ethics law provisions regarding personal financial disclosure and lobbyist spending.

Other Senate Action: The Senate approved a number of other legislative measures this week, including the following:

SB 374, which would establish a legislative oversight committee to monitor the state's economic development activities. The Senate approved of House amendments to the measure, sending it to the governor.

HB 571, which would correct certain provisions of the state's sex offender law that have been found to be unconstitutional and clarify the law to prohibit all sex between students and teachers, even if the student is of age and consents.

HB 788, which would prohibit the use of gas chambers to euthanize cats and dogs, requiring lethal injections instead.

HB 1016, which would change the definition of identity fraud to apply to businesses as well as individuals.

HB 1198, which would eliminate a $26- to-$52 tax credit for low-income Georgians who have no tax liability.

HB 1405, which would create a "tax reform council" to review and recommend changes to the state's tax code. The recommendations would go straight to the Senate and House for an up-or-down vote, without being reviewed by legislative committees.

Final Week of Session: The General Assembly will reconvene on Tuesday, April 27, for the 39th legislative day of the 2010 session. Thursday, April 29, is scheduled as the 40th and final day.

Sen. Tim Golden represents District 8 (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.