Legislative Update Number 2008.01 -- January 11, 2008
2008 legislative session gets under way January 14
By Rep. Pat Gardner
On Monday, January 14, members of the Georgia General Assembly will reconvene for our 2008 legislative session, with some very big issues to be addressed. As the session gets under way, I am very concerned about the situation with Grady Memorial Hospital and the commitment by state and local government to adequately fund trauma care in our state.
It is regrettable that the Fulton County Commission has voted to cut $24 million in funding to Grady, putting the facility in further economic peril. Many trauma hospitals treat patients who do not have insurance, and currently the state reimburses only 80 cents on the dollar. It is critical that the state legislature takes the action necessary to keep these trauma units in full operation.
Three other issues that have dominated the news in the past several months are water, taxes and transportation.
Water. It is a shame that it has taken record drought conditions for our state government to get serious about the necessary steps to ensure we have an adequate water supply now and in the future. This crisis has shown that the metropolitan Atlanta area, with a population of 5 million, cannot depend on its current source of water under such conditions without dramatic conservation efforts. Water is already a very contentious issue between Georgia and our neighboring states of Alabama and Florida, and when the debate reaches the legislature, it is certain to pit various geographic areas of the state against one another. For more information, please visit the Georgia Water Council web site at www.georgiawatercouncil.org.
Taxes. House Speaker Glenn Richardson is proposing a drastic change in Georgia’s tax code, which would eliminate some property taxes at the state and local levels while levying a sales tax on many goods, services and transactions that are not presently taxed. Under the Speaker’s proposal, known as Georgia’s Repeal of Every Ad Valorem Tax (GREAT) Plan, the state government would then dole out revenues to local school boards, city and county governments to make up for lost property tax proceeds. This is a very controversial proposal that would require a constitutional amendment. For more information on the Speaker’s plan, visit www.thegreatplanforgeorgia.com and for an opposing view, visit www.gmanet.com/taxreform/.
Transportation. Georgia is facing a $20 billion funding shortfall for transportation projects that have already been approved over the next six years, according to the recent findings of a legislative study committee. That means the state must address this funding crisis simply to catch up with the maintenance and construction projects already scheduled across the state, many of which are vital to the metro Atlanta area, before we can talk seriously about any meaningful improvements to our transportation system. Unfortunately, the executive branch of state government has been asleep at the wheel on the transportation issue for the past five years while the situation has continued to worsen. For more on the severity of the transportation funding situation, visit www.gatransfunding.com.
Of course, there will be many other issues on our 2008 legislative agenda, and I hope to hear from you on these matters throughout the session. This is my eighth year in the state House of Representatives, serving DeKalb County and the City of Atlanta from the 57th District. It is a great honor and privilege to represent you at the State Capitol.
- Rep. Pat Gardner (D-Atlanta) represents the 57th District (Atlanta and DeKalb County) in the Georgia House of Representatives. Contact her at 604 Coverdell Office Building, Atlanta, GA 30334; by phone at 404-656-0265 or by e-mail at pat@patgardner.org.
