Legislative Update Number 2008.02 -- January 18, 2008

House votes to override 12 of governor’s vetoes

By Rep. Pat Gardner

On the first day of the 2008 session of the Georgia General Assembly, the House of Representatives made history by voting overwhelmingly to override Gov. Sonny Perdue’s vetoes of 12 bills adopted during the 2007 session.

All of the bills were approved unanimously or nearly so last year by both the House and Senate but were vetoed by the governor after the session. It takes a two-thirds majority to override a governor’s veto (120 votes in the House), and all of the Jan. 14 override measures were supported by at least 147 members.

The vetoes overridden by the House involved the following bills:

• HB 549, related to occupational speech and physical therapy services for children with disabilities.
• HB 229, which would change the way lottery reserve funds are measured to protect book allowances for HOPE recipients.
• HB 451, which would authorize a state tax refund to provide an incentive for developing tourist attractions in Georgia.
• HB 218, which would modify the authority for security guards for the Georgia Ports Authority to exercise police powers.
• HB 69, which would eliminate the fee charged for access to online driver’s records.
• HB 91, which would require the reporting of financial information by state agencies to the General Assembly.
• HB 529, which would correct references to the legislative budget office throughout state law to recognize the current status of the House Budget Office.
• HB 162, which would provide sales tax exemptions for the construction of performing arts centers and volunteer health clinics.
• HB 441, which would repeal a 2005 law regulating bank dividends.
• HB 559, which would authorize state health insurance benefits for public charter school teachers and employees.
• HB 807, local legislation for the city of Auburn.
• HB 413, a sales tax exemption for the sale of property to expand the Chattahoochee Nature Center.

All of the motions were sent to the Senate, where a two-thirds majority is also required to override the vetoes.

House members approved legislation Friday that would implement a new statewide water management plan. The plan, drafted by the Georgia Water Council, proposes to set up 11 water planning districts across the state. Among the activities under this plan are assessing how much water is available in the state’s lakes, rivers and underground aquifers without harming downstream users, and how much treated sewage can be safely discharged. The legislation seeks to balance the needs of rural Georgia versus metropolitan Atlanta with regard to the water supply and lays the groundwork for the construction of reservoirs in north Georgia.

While the resolution on water planning is really a "plan to make a plan", it is a small step in the right direction.  Many water partners from around the state were brought together to have a dialogue about the need to manage our water as statewide partners and sets the stage for stronger measures in the future.  It will help EPD get the money needed  to assess and analyze the availability and need for water throughout the state.    We are drafting additional legislation to require more local constituencies on the regional water boards and to address some other issues. 

I am supportive of a plan introduced by House Democrats this week to provide for a field study on expanding the popular pre-kindergarten program in Georgia to cover 3-year-olds. Experts content that the earlier children are prepared for school, the better they do academically. The pre-K program has delivered proven results, and thousands of families with 3-year-old children would benefit from this enhancement.

Gov. Perdue addressed a joint session of the legislature Wednesday and presented his proposal for the fiscal year 2009 annual state budget, a $21.4 billion spending plan that is a $1 billion increase over last year. On the positive side, the governor recommends a $53 million appropriation to upgrade the state’s trauma care system, including Grady Memorial Hospital. On the down side, Gov. Perdue has recommended another $141 million in cuts to local schools, bringing the total education cuts by his administration to $1.5 billion in six years. Also, his proposal for a 2.5 percent teacher pay raise is woefully insufficient.

I will be participating in Appropriations Committee hearings Jan. 22-25 while the full legislature is in recess and will report on the budget plans in more detail next week.

• 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.