Candidates Find Funds Trickling In

Campaign finance reports for Georgia's crowded gubernatorial field are trickling in. Among the Republican contenders, state Sen. Eric Johnson of Savannah raised nearly $963,000 since he entered the race in April. Secretary of State Karen Handel she raised more than $430,000 during the six-month reporting period, while Insurance Commissioner John Oxendine said he raised about $420,000. State Rep. Austin Scott has raised about $180,000 and long-shot GOP candidate Ray McBerry has also raised about $18,000. U.S. Rep. Nathan Deal had yet to report.

On the Democratic side, former Georgia National Guard commander David Poythress said he raised about $150,000 during the six-month span. And, House Minority Leader DuBose Porter says he's taken in about $231,000.

Reports for the other two Democrats running - former Gov. Roy Barnes, H and Attorney General Thurbert Baker - were not immediately available.

(Associated Press)

Lawmaker wants tighter controls for sports regulatory commission

A state lawmaker says Georgia is losing out on some popular sports events because of weak regulations.

Events like boxing and ultimate fighting matches can bring in big money to the state. Those and other sporting events are regulated by the Georgia Athletic and Entertainment Commission. It oversees the integrity of sports for fans, and safety for its participants.

Republican state senator Eric Johnson of Savannah calls the current laws the Commission has to work with “vague and ambiguous”. Because of that, he says some promoters of big events have bypassed Georgia—taking money with them.

Johnson hopes to change that with new legislation.

"One of the goals is economic development. One of the reasons I'm interested in it is Savannah has a great boxing history and good boxing enviroment, and we want to make sure we can get some of the fights all over Georgia. Augusta is the same way...it has a great boxing history. And of course we've got the former heavyweight champion living in Atlanta".

The World Wrestling Entertainment organization says it would consider leaving Georgia with tighter regulations. They’ve operated under a special exemption since July 2005.

Legislators question settled Grady lawsuit

Six state lawmakers want a Fulton County judge to open the records in a whistleblower lawsuit against Grady Hospital. The six include Senate President Pro Tem Eric Johnson and Georgia Senate Majority leader, Tommie Williams, according to the online news site Insider Advantage. The case involved former Grady doctor James J. Murtagh, Jr. In 2000, Murtagh accused Emory University and Grady of giving him a bad review after he accused them of conspiring to misuse federal research funds. The case was settled and the files subsequently sealed. But lawmakers say citizens have the right to know if publicly-funded Grady Hospital paid Murtagh for his silence. In recent months, mounting debt in the tens of milions has threatened to shut the dorrs to the region's only level one trauma center.

Lawmakers study, study, study

State lawmakers have formed more than 40 special committees to study everything from health care reform to reproductive technology rights. Some of the committees are meeting about pressing problems, like the future of Grady, Georgia's largest public hospital.

Then there are the more offbeat topics. Senate Speaker Pro Tem Eric Johnson (R-Savannah) is chairing a committee about property rights in the era of artificial insemination.

"What happens if you put your whole future procreation efforts into a freezer and the power goes out and it melts?" Johnson asks. "We want to find out how this works and whether or not there is a need for government."

Georgia currently does not regulate the market.

Many other committees are looking at complicated issues, including the state public defender system's finances and childhood obesity.

Most committees have to publish recommendations for new laws, but there is no guarantee of results.

Legislative staffers aren't positive, but they say this could be a record year. Participating lawmakers receive $173 each day they meet at the Capitol or across Georgia.

Perdue and some lawmakers make up

Gov. Sonny Perdue has extended an olive branch to lawmakers upset that he vetoed $142 million in the state budget. He met with the six budget negotiators Thursday.

"The governor and the legislature are working together to avoid the problems of the last session and make sure that we're focused on the future," says Senate Speaker Pro Tem Eric Johnson (R-Savannah), who attended the meeting.

Johnson says no one wants the next session—in an important election year—to be as bitter as this past one. It dragged on until late spring, when Perdue struck down many of lawmakers’ pet projects. He also told agencies to ignore lawmakers' instructions about spending their money.

Johnson says Perdue has promised to include lawmakers in upcoming budget talks. He dismissed the fight this year as a growing pain as Republicans get used to controlling both the legislature and the executive branch.

House Speaker Glenn Richardson was not at the meeting.

Republican leaders exchange written threats

A letter has renewed the budget battle between top state lawmakers and Gov. Sonny Perdue.

Six of the state's most powerful legislators—all Republicans—have sent a memo to state agency heads warning them not to stray from the budget passed by the General Assembly back in April.

That bill contained lawmaker's instructions on how agencies should spend their money. But Perdue told agencies to disregard it. He says the state constitution does not give lawmakers the authority to issue spending instructions.

In this memo, Sens. Eric Johnson (R-Savannah), Tommie Williams (R-Lyons), and Jack Hill (R-Reidsville), and Reps. Mark Burkhalter (R-Duluth), Jerry Keen (R-St. Simon's Island) and Ben Harbin (R-Evans) remind agencies that the General Assembly hold their purse strings, and will not hesitate to tighten them in January, when the legislature revisits the state budget.

Here is an excerpt from the memo:

You should be aware that any expenditure conflicting with the intent of the appropriation jeopardizes our confidence in your ability to act as a proper steward of public funds. In writing the 2008 Amended Budget, we reserve the option of reducing or eliminating funding for your agency by that amount.

Confused agency directors called Perdue's office. The governor shot back at lawmakers with his own letter.

An appropriation consists of (1) a recipient, (2) a purpose, and (3) an amount. Language beyond these three criteria is neither authorized by constitutional or statutory law, nor is it binding….In sum, it was within my authority to strike certain earmarks because the information language is not part of the appropriation.

In other words, Perdue says that he is sticking to his guns. But his spokesman, Burt Brantley, strikes a conciliatory note.

"We want to work issues out with the legislature," he says. "We do not want agencies to have to choose between one or the other. That is a tough position to be in."

Brantley says lawmakers know the governor is willing to work with them. Perdue ends his letter by saying that his door remains open.

Perdue to lead delegation to Europe

Some of Georgia’s top elected officials are going to Europe.

Governor Sonny Perdue is leading what he is calling an economic development and diplomatic mission. The state delegation will include Lieutenant Governor Casey Cagle, State Senator Eric Johnson, business and civic leaders.

They leave June 18th and will go to six countries … including the United Kingdom & Northern Ireland, France, the Czech Republic, Germany and Belgium.

The governor says the delegation will meet with European heads of government. He says they will focus on industries such as aerospace, automotive and life sciences.

Special session could be a rocky repeat

At least publicly, lawmakers remain miles apart on the midyear budget, which could make the special session as rocky as the regular one that ended Friday.

While House leaders vow to override Gov. Sonny Perdue’s veto of the 2007 midyear budget “again and again and again,” Senate President Pro Tem Eric Johnson (R-Savannah) released a statement Wednesday saying he would not support that.

In his statement, Johnson calls the $142 million property tax cut that Perdue had criticized, "a logistical nightmare" that would have given most homeowners less than the promised $100.

Johnson says lawmakers should put that money in the state’s reserves instead.

"I will not vote to override the Governor's veto as long as the surplus money is put into our reserve account," he says. "A permanent tax cut only will be possible once the reserves are full."

"After all our hard work to reach a compromise on the '07 Amended Budget, Senator Eric Johnson compared the final result to giving birth, saying that you can't have a beautiful baby without the pains of labor and declaring himself the proud parent of a $142 million tax cut," House Speaker Pro Tem Mark Burkhalter (R-Alpharetta) responds. "I guess he's decided to put that baby up for adoption."

The House, he says, continues to stand behind the tax refund. The midyear budget is supposed to allocate additional funding of state services through June 30. The bill included emergency funds for the Peachcare child health program, education, tornado relief and public defenders.

Gov. Sonny Perdue has not formally called a special session yet. When he does, it is expected to last at least five days, at a cost of $48,000 per day.

New poll shows support for school vouchers

A small coalition that assembled at the State Capitol cited a new poll conducted by the conservative firm Strategic Vision. The poll found 60 percent of respondents like school choice and vouchers for all children.

“We do feel that academic justice is important for not just disabled students, but also minorities and low-income students,” said Jamie Self of the Georgia Family Council.

Sen. Eric Johnson (R-Savannah) is sponsoring a bill that would create state vouchers only for special-needs students. There’s not enough support for a broader voucher measure “because there are a lot of parts of this state, rural areas, that don’t have a private-school network,” Johnson says. “Then, there are good public school systems like Gwinnett or Cobb, where they see vouchers as threatening what they have.”

Johnson’s bill, SB 10, already passed the Senate but time is running out in the House. The House Education Committee is expected to vote on the bill this week.

Budget fight between House and Senate escalates

A day after the Georgia House reaffirmed its midyear budget; the State Senate has released its own version. The Senate’s budget is lean, and puts $20 million aside for a rainy-day fund.

But the dispute impacts politics more than programs. The House would spend millions now on tourism, patrol cars, and other things the Senate deems “non-essential.” Senators aren’t saying no to these items, but they would rather pay for them in the fiscal year that starts in July.

“It’s a big deal for taxpayers,” says Sen. Eric Johnson (R-Savannah). “We should avoid using the supplemental budget for unnecessary things. It ought to be for what we need to do and not what we want to do.”

The Senate is playing a shell game, according to House Speaker Glenn Richardson’s spokeswoman, Clelia Davis.

In a statement, Davis asks, “How does shifting the same amount of spending by 4 months make the Senate conservative and the House not conservative?”

Both chambers have to approve the same budget before the governor can sign it into law.

State House and Senate standoff over budget

No sooner had the State House passed the midyear budget, than representatives learned they had a problem: too much pork, according to Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle and Senate leaders.

In a statement, Cagle says the amended budget should be “reserved for limited spending on urgent matters.”

The House version would send more funds to the Peachcare and public defender programs, which are both running out of cash. But it also contains money for tourism projects, like Governor Sonny Perdue’s “Go Fish” initiative to add boat ramps and other amenities for anglers.

“We have all advocated that the amended budget should be for mid-year education adjustments and emergencies only,” Senate Speaker Pro Tem Eric Johnson (R-Savannah) said in a written statement. “We are not opposed to the projects and proposals put forth by the Governor or the House. We simply believe they should be debated within the FY 08 budget."

House members were not pleased with the Senate’s stand.

“For them to come here at the last minute with this little game, it’s unfortunate,” said House Appropriations Chairman Ben Harbin (R-Evans). “It doesn’t slow the process down, but it makes us have to work a little harder. But, if it’s the game they want to play, we’re going to make sure we send them a really good budget before we get it over there.”

Harbin says his committee will review the budget again tomorrow and Friday. But he stands by the House's product. As of now, he says, "nothing is negotiable."

The General Assembly must pass both the midyear budget and next year’s budget in the next 11 legislative days. It has delayed budgetary decisions because lawmakers wanted to know that the U.S. Congress would help fund Peachcare. Those assurances came last week.

Top senator calls for slavery apology

Georgia Senate Speaker Pro Tem Eric Johnson (R-Savannah) says he’s joining with black lawmakers to call for an official apology for slavery in Georgia.

"It’s not that we personally or our parents participated in slavery, but the state of Georgia did," Johnson says. He says it's appropriate for Georgia to express regret for those actions as a step to reconciliation.

Johnson met with leaders of the Legislative Black Caucus and Labor Commissioner Michael Thurmond, who is one of the highest-ranking African Americans in state government. He says they're still discussing the details but some sort of apology could be tacked onto a measure establishing April as “Confederate History and Heritage Month” in Georgia.

According to a spokesman, Johnson has no problem with that legislation because it also honors Georgia’s history.
Meanwhile, other state leaders, including House Speaker Glenn Richardson (R-Hiram) have resisted the call for an apology, saying they had nothing to do with slavery.