No Tax Reform, No Transportation or Trauma Funds

The 2008 legislative session ended last night with name calling and no tax reform.
It was in the 11th our, when it became clear that the State Senate would not give in to House demands for a constitutional amendment to cut the ad valorem tax on cars . House speaker Glenn Richardson had tried all session to get some kind of tax cut to voters. He has started with the so called GREAT Plan that would eliminate all property taxes in lieu of expanded sales taxes. When the only measure left of his original idea did not make it through the House/Senate conference committee he blamed the failure on the Lieutenant governor, a fellow republican.

"It's called the Cagle birthday tax, and every time they pay it they can thank Casey Cagle for leaving it on there," the speaker told his colleagues.

He urged Georgians to flood his office with phone calls and elect a new Lieutenant Governor. For his part Cagle took the comments in stride.

"What's most unfortunate is the name calling and to have a person over there attack your caracter, that's sad, but life goes on."

Cagle defended his position saying he wanted to cut income taxes and the tag tax cut would have taken too much money out of local government funds.

Democrats looked at the in-party fighting with an eye on the November elections.

"What you campaign on is the infighting. The result of the infighting is that the major issues of the state did not get addressed and resolved," said house minority leader Dubose Porter.

The State senate failed to approve a constitutional amendment for a one cent regional transportation tax.,The measure was meant to raise money to ease traffic congrestion, especially in Metro Atlanta. It fell 3 votes short of passing in the Senate.

A ten dollar fee on cars to fund trauma care also failed.
House Majority Leader Jerry Keen said he's not too concerned over trauma care not getting funded this time. He said there is $59 million dollars in the suplemental budget, which should hold the system over until next January. That's when lawmakers could try to fix it again.

Some bills did make it this session. HB 89, the famed parking lot bill made it through but with a lot of alterations. For one, property rights supersede gun rights. The small percentage of Georgians who hold a concealed weapons permint would be allowed to carry guns into some restaurants, but they can't drink. Churches and public sporting events are still off limits.

In some ways the session ended just as it began, with water. The first measure passed by both chambers was the Statewide water plan, the last bill to pass was about reservoirs. That bill enables the construction of reservoirs, but not everyone is happy. Conservationists wanted to add language that prohibits inner- basin transfers. They worry that Metro Atlanta could one day take water from the Savannah or other rivers. But that language did not make it into the bill.

Lawmakers did do what they are constitutionally required to do in 40 days, pass a budget. They approved a 21.2 billion dollar spending plan for the fiscal year which starts July 1. It includes a 2 and half percent pay raise for teachers and state employees.