State Democrats: When 2nd Stimulus Comes, We Will Spend It

Georgia Democratic Senate leader Robert Brown of Macon says he believes Congress will pass a second round of stimulus spending.

US House speaker Nancy Pelosi suggested earlier this month that is a possibility.

So, Brown is leading a Senate delegation to study where the next round of stimulus money should be spent, and whether it should bypass the state and be released directly to organizations like non-profits or municipalities.

"If it’s clear the existing state apparata [sic] is not the way to do it, than we may need to present that to our Congressional delegation."

Some Democrats in Georgia, Mississippi and South Carolina are complaining that Republicans are creating federal stimulus projects to satisfy political, not infrastructure, needs. Brown would not link his study group to those objections.

Stimulus Accountability Website Goes Live

Georgia today launched the Stimulus Accountability website. The site details the state’s use of funds made available through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA).

“The accountability website will allow all Georgians to hold their state government responsible for how we spend their tax dollars,” said Governor Perdue. “I want to be able to point to concrete results when my grandchildren ask me how we spent stimulus money.”

The website allows Georgians to view a video of Governor Sonny Perdue’s directives to state agency leaders given during a meeting last month.

A direct link to each state agency is available from the site and agency contacts are provided who can answer questions regarding funding, timelines, the grant process and other issues.

The site also provides a link to allow Georgians to report fraud and abuse to the Office of the State Inspector General, as well as links to federal and local governments and associations that will play a role in receiving stimulus dollars, according to a statement from the Governor's Office.

Aflac CEO to Forgo $2.8 M Bonus

Aflac Inc. says its chief executive is forgoing his $2.8 million bonus, while the company's chief financial officer has volunteered to trim his bonus by 35 percent, or about $477,000.

The Columbus, Ga.-based insurer said the compensation committee for the company's board of directors accepted the decision by Aflac Chairman and Chief Executive Daniel P. Amos, noting that the company's stock price has been hurt by market turbulence and doesn't reflect what it called a "strong operating performance in 2008."

Last year, Amos received a salary of $1.3 million and President and CFO Kriss Cloninger received a salary of $857,700.

Shares fell $1.21, or 7 percent, to close earlier at $15.80 - less than one-quarter of the $68.81 the stock traded at last spring before the market meltdown. Earlier this month the insurer reported a steep fourth-quarter profit drop and operating earnings that missed analyst expectations. Credit ratings agency Standard & Poor's also cut Aflac's financial strength rating to "AA-" from "AA" and its debt rating to "A-" from "A" last month.

(AP)

Federal Funding May Give Georgia Bllions of Dollars

Billions of dollars could be headed to Georgia through President Barack Obama’s federal economic stimulus plan.

The bill is now before Congress. If passed, Georgia would receive more than 5.6 billion dollars and save or create 143 thousand jobs.

A lot of the money is aimed at transportation, infrastructure and K through 12 education.

Additional funding would also help fill the 208 million dollar hole in Medicaid funding and help bolster budgets used to pay state employees including teachers, police, and firefighters.

Obama has called on Congress to approve the plan by mid-February.

(AJC)

Millions in unclaimed tax rebates

Tax season is long over, but thousands of Georgians have yet to file their taxes, and that means no Economic Stimulus rebate checks for them either.

So the AARP is heading up an effort to get what they approximate at 50 million dollars in rebates into the state. It’s holding a 3 day blitz to sign up recipients with 25 offices around the state open to help.

The checks ranging from 300 to 600 dollars are part of the federal growth package approved earlier this year to combat a faltering economy. Tax payers must send their income tax return by October 15 in order to get the rebate.

For more information, go here, or call 1-877-926-8300.