2008 session was positive in many ways

April 17, 2008 - 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. Read more...

Focusing on the future of manufacturing in Georgia

March 12, 2008 - Georgia prides itself in having a pro-industry business climate. But in light of the fact we have lost more than 130,000 manufacturing jobs in the last eight years, perhaps this would be a good time to step back and take a true assessment of whether our state is doing all we can to attract manufacturers who make quality products, create employment opportunities and contribute to the community – economically and otherwise. Read more...

Legislation a stamp of support for Georgia Manufacturers

January 29, 2008 - Despite more than 130,000 job losses in recent years, manufacturing is still very much a driving force in our state’s economy.The Georgia Department of Economic Development reports that approximately 450,000 Georgians are employed by nearly 10,000 manufacturing facilities – accounting by some estimates for at least 10 percent of all jobs in the state. Read more...

Wellness incentives would reduce health care costs for all

December 13, 2007 - This program, proposed by the Valdosta-Lowndes County Chamber of Commerce and the Lowndes County Partnership for Health, would establish the Georgia Health Care Innovations Fund to facilitate the research, creativity and experimentation needed for success. Innovative practices in prevention, disease management, technology, incentives and consumer education will be showcased to demonstrate a return on investment for participating employers and Georgia taxpayers. Read more...

Georgia standing alone in taxing energy for manufacturers

November 19, 2007 -- Valdosta, GA -- As the price of oil continues to climb dangerously closer to the magic number of $100 per barrel, and the price at the gas pump has once again exceeded the $3 mark, more and more state governments are taking action to soften the impact on the manufacturing economy. Read more...

Energy sales tax unfair to Georgia manufacturers
August 13, 2007 -- Atlanta, GA -- State Sen. Tim Golden (D-Valdosta) Last week, the North Carolina General Assembly overwhelmingly passed legislation that would phase out the energy sales tax for manufacturing and agricultural businesses in that state. Why is this important to us here in Georgia? Read more...

2006 legislative session matched policy vs. politics

April 4, 2006 - Throughout the recently completed 2006 session of the Georgia General Assembly, it seemed there was a constant competition between good public policy and election-year politics as the major legislative issues were being debated. Fortunately, policy won out over politics most of the time. Read more...

Georgia should lead, not follow, in attracting ‘boomers’ 

March 21, 2006 - According to the Washington-based Pew Research Center, over the next 18 years, approximately 72 million Americans will retire from their full-time jobs. At least 10 percent of them, or about 400,000 per year, will pull up their roots and purchase a retirement home in another state where it’s warmer – primarily in the South or West. It only makes sense for states to seize the opportunity to get a slice of a pie estimated at $2.3 trillion in annual spending power. Having saved for retirement and medical needs, the seniors who move to other states ask very little in return from state or local government. They’re looking for a place to enjoy the good life. We should be saying to them, “Why not Georgia?” Read more...

Stem cell research in Georgia: science or politics?

March 6, 2006 - Having served in the Georgia legislature for 16 years, I have been asked to vote on literally thousands of bills and resolutions, very few of which, frankly, have been a matter of life and death. But the issue of initiating a program of stem cell research in Georgia, currently being debated in the state Senate, certainly qualifies. Read more...

Tax relief needed to save Georgia manufacturing jobs

February 28, 2006 - According to the Selig Center for Economic Growth at the University of Georgia’s Terry College of Business, our state has lost more than 130,000 manufacturing jobs since 1998. Despite promises from the current administration that things are getting better, Georgia has continued to suffer more manufacturing employment losses every single year: 14,700 in 2003, 6,800 more in 2004, 6,700 more in 2005 – and 6,600 projected for this year. The closing of the General Motors and Ford plants in metro Atlanta should leave no doubt that the decline will continue until someone under the Gold Dome wakes up. Read more...

Protecting HOPE requires taking out the politics

February 3, 2006 - When deciding, as a member of the House of Representatives in 1991, to vote for then-Gov. Zell Miller’s proposal for a state lottery that would ensure that all deserving Georgia students would have the opportunity to attend college, I thought of my father.Had it not been for the GI Bill, my dad would not have been able to attend college. It occurred to me that the HOPE Scholarship could become the GI Bill for today’s Georgia students. And 15 years later, that has proven to be true. Now, as a state Senator, my concern is for HOPE’s next 15 years and more. I want this wonderful program to be there when my 9-year-old son and all of his classmates graduate from high school. I want it to be there for their children and their children’s children. Read more...