Georgia Tax Revenues Way Down

Governor Sonny Perdue says revenue figures for June dropped 16 percent from the same month last year. June ends the fiscal year—the overall decline is 10.5 percent.

The news threatens to leave state reserves dangerously low. A spokesperson for the governor says when the books are closed in the next few weeks Perdue will likely have to transfer $350 million from the state’s rainy day fund to cover the budget shortfall.

Worsening revenues have forced state agencies to make substantial budget cuts already and to furlough workers. The governor has suggested agencies set aside 3 percent of their July budget to prepare for more cuts.

(The Atlanta Journal Constitution)

New License Tamper Proof

Georgia driver's licenses and ID cards will change this fall, as state officials add new features designed to combat document fraud.
New cards will feature ghost photos, a laser-engraved signature
over the primary photo to minimize alterations and a tamper
resistant coating placed over the card. The cards will get
machine-readable barcodes that can be used by banks, retailers and
other businesses to verify the information printed on the front.
All state customer service center locations will feature the new cards by November.
Previously issued Georgia licenses and IDs will remain valid
until the expiration date.
Gov. Sonny Perdue says the change will protect identities of
Georgia's citizens.

(Associated Press)

Perdue Clears Way for Road Projects

Gov. Sonny Perdue has cleared the way for 11 road projects funded by the federal stimulus package to move forward. The projects cost $51 million and span Georgia, from metro Atlanta to Washington County. They include a $14.4 million project to build auxiliary lanes along a busy Macon highway and $10.1 million to refurbish a stretch of Interstate 85 from Franklin to the South Carolina border. Another $9 million will be spent to replace and refurbish bridges in Coffee County, Colquitt County, DeKalb County and Douglas County. Some $7.6 million will improve a main road in DeKalb County. Perdue said the state is "using these federal dollars wisely to improve our transportation network and to put Georgians to work."

(Associated Press)

New Appointee to Top Commission

Gov. Sonny Perdue has appointed a former federal prosecutor to the panel that vets judicial nominees after another member recused himself because he is a candidate for Georgia's top court. Perdue appointed Spence Pryor to the Judicial Nominating Commission. He replaces James P. Kelly III, who recused himself from the proceedings because he is a candidate for the Georgia Supreme Court appointment. Perdue will soon nominate a replacement for Chief Justice Leah Ward Sears, who is stepping down at the end of the month. Presiding Justice Carol Hunstein will take her spot as the court's chief judge. Pryor is a former assistant U.S. attorney in the Eastern District of Virginia. He is now a partner with the Alston & Bird law firm.

(Associated Press)

38 People Apply for Georgia Supreme Court

Some 38 of the 48 judges and attorneys nominated for Georgia's top court have applied for the job.

Former Attorney General Mike Bowers will next conduct interviews with each of the candidates for the Georgia Supreme Court on June 29 and June 30. The commission will then send Gov. Sonny Perdue a short list of its recommendations.

Perdue, a Republican, is set to appoint a judge to succeed Chief Justice Leah Ward Sears. She is retiring from the court at the end of the month.

(AP)

State Senator: CRCT Cheating Should Be Crime

The head of Georgia’s Senate education committee says it should be a crime for educators to change answers on students’ standardized tests. Dunwoody Republican Senator Dan Weber wants the new law in the wake of an audit last week that showed answers had been changed on some fifth-grade CRCT’s at a handful of elementary schools. The Governor’s office says Sonny Perdue may be open to supporting such a measure if prosecutors feel current statutes are not enough. A Perdue spokesman tells the Atlanta Journal-Constitution those found cheating could be charged under an existing law prohibits tampering with state documents.

Perdue, Sears Compromise on Budget

Chief Justice Leah Ward Sears and Gov. Sonny Perdue have reached a compromise on his demand to reduce the judicial branch’s budget by 25 percent.

The Governor has agreed to withdraw his demand, while the Chief Justice and the state’s judges have agreed to withhold 25 percent from their June budget allotment by deferring some current obligations and expenses until the next fiscal year, which begins July 1. The understanding is that some of those expenses would then be requested during the Fiscal Year 2010 Amended Budget process.

"I know that we are both confident in the strength of our legal positions," the Chief Justice wrote in a letter delivered today to the Governor. "But I also know that as public servants our primary mandate is to do all we can on behalf of this state we both love so much."

In her letter, Chief Justice Sears thanks the governor “for your willingness to work with me in a way that constructively addresses a very real fiscal problem while avoiding an equally important constitutional dilemma. It is my hope that our state will be better off with this compromise.”

(Source: GA Supreme Court)

Interior Secretary To Tour Lanier With Governor

The reservoir at the center of a decades-long battle between Georgia and neighboring states will get a first-hand look by the Secretary of the Interior this morning. Ken Salazar will be joined by Governor Sonny Perdue in taking a helicopter tour of Lake Lanier and areas previously under drought. Despite above-normal rainfall in north Georgia in recent months, Lanier is still more than five-feet below full pool. The 20-year fight between Georgia, Alabama and Florida over water from the Chattahoochee River remains mired in court. Georgia wants policies to keep more water in the reservoir, which supplies water to metro Atlanta. The other states want more water released downstream during times of drought.

Perdue Signs FY 10 Budget

Governor Sonny Perdue signed the state budget for fiscal year 2010 on Wednesday. It's two point five billion dollars less than the previous budget.

Perdue calls this 18.6 billion dollar budget a "thoughtful and conservative way to ensure Georgians are receiving value for their tax dollars." Some 23 million dollars will go towards trauma care funding, with cuts to Medicaid and education spending dampened by federal stimulus dollars. Perdue also used his line item veto to axe three minor projects totalling less than two hundred thousand dollars.

Meanwhile, state tax revenues are still down, with the April numbers showing a more than twenty percent drop off from the previous year. Furloughs for state employees are likely to continue, with about twenty five thousand state workers already taking some unpaid furlough days.

National Appointment for Perdue

Perdue has been appointed to the National Assessment Governing Board. He got the appointment from U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan. Perdue will serve three years on the board that oversees the National Assessment of Educational Progress exams. The exams - often called "the Nation's Report Card" – are designed to measure how well students in each state have learned math, reading, social studies, history and science.

(Associated Press)

Super-Speeder Fines On The Way

Governor Sonny Perdue today will sign the so-called 'super speeder' legislation. The bill will slap Georgia drivers who speed much higher than the speed limit with stiff new fines. Lawmakers who back the legislation say 23-million dollars would be generated, and would be directed toward Georgia’s cash-starved network of trauma hospitals. An extra $200 fine would be levied against drivers busted driving 85 miles-an-hour on four-lane roads or interstates, or 75 mph on two-lane roads. This has been legislation Perdue has been pushing for three years.

2nd Georgia Swine Flu Case Confirmed

State health officials say Georgia now has a 2nd case of swine flu, or the H-1/N-1 virus. It has been confirmed in a 14-year-old boy in Henry County - his illness prompted the closing of a private school there for 14 days. Meanwhile, the director of the State Division of Public Health says there are 3 more suspected cases, and they're likely to be confirmed for the virus. Those cases involve a 3-year-old boy in Cobb County, an 8-year-old Clayton County girl, and a 36-year-old pregnant woman in DeKalb County. Officials stress that the three and the 14-year-old in Henry County, all have mild symptoms of 'H-1/N-1', and are at home. The first case in the state was a Kentucky woman who traveled to La Grange, and landed in the hospital there.

Governor Sonny Perdue on Monday gave an update on the virus in Georgia:

"...We are still taking all precautions for those who have flu-like symptoms. At this current time there seems to be no pandemic, epidemic of flu symptoms over the state... The fact is, aside from the visitor that we had in La Grange, none of these patients are hospitalized, they are being treated at home..."

Perdue says rapid result testing kits for the virus will soon be available in Georgia.

Governor says Don't Panic Over Flu Case

Governor Sonny Perdue issued the following statement today regarding the first H1N1 flu case in Georgia.

“Today’s confirmed case of the H1N1 flu in Georgia is a reason for precaution, not panic. I want to stress that it is an isolated case appearing in a woman visiting our state for an event who had also recently traveled to Mexico. The State of Georgia has worked diligently over the past several years to prepare for a situation like this, and we are partnering with local and federal officials to respond appropriately. I encourage Georgians to follow the advice of public health professionals and take the recommended precautions to protect themselves and their families. At this stage, the simplest things – washing hands and using disinfectants – can be the most effective safeguards. I am confident in our planning and preparation and our ability to respond over the coming days.”

The most up-to-date information on H1N1 flu developments in Georgia is available at the Division of Public Health's website at http://health.state.ga.us/swineflu/.

GBPI: Tax Cuts Mean Service Cuts

A new report released Monday shows proposed tax cuts would cost Georgia some 1.5 billion dollars over the next five years.

The report comes from the Georgia Budget and Policy Institute, an organization that looks at how state spending impacts government services. The group is concerned
about a pair of legislative bills that would give companies that hire out of work employees a 2400 dollar tax credit and cut the capital gains tax in half.

Conservative lawmakers who designed this plan say it would create at least two thousand jobs in the state. It's now on the Governor's desk waiting for his approval. GBPI's Allen Essig says the Governor needs to continue "being a responsible budget Governor. If he signs these bills, it will guarantee the state will have untennable deficits in the future."

Essig says that would mean a reduction in education, road and health care funding. Governor Sonny Perdue has not indicated what action he will take. The Governor's press office did not return calls for comment.

GA Power "Pay It Forward" Plan Challenged in Lawsuit

A bill that would charge Georgia Power customers to pay early for the construction of two nuclear reactors awaits Governor Sonny Perdue’s signature. The governor has indicated he’ll sign it.

Meanwhile, it has become the target of a lawsuit by the Fulton County Taxpayers’ Foundation. The group sued Governor Perdue, Lt. Governor Casey Cagle and House Speaker Glenn Richardson among others last week.

The lawsuit argues Senate bill 31 is illegal because it originated in the state Senate instead of the House, and that any measure that increases revenues should originate in the House.

Publish Post

Georgia Power officials say they aren’t worried about the lawsuit.

(The Atlanta Journal Constitution)

Governor Declares April 18th "Hope For Life Day"

Governor Sonny Perdue has declared this day Hope For Life Day.

Several groups are marching against abortion at the Federal Courthouse in Atlanta today.

April 18 marks the day in 2007 when the Supreme court upheld a federal ban on partial birth abortion. The groups say that they hopeful with this first ban that ultimately abortions will not be a reality.

Cancer Institute Gets National Recognition

Georgia is on the cutting edge of cancer treatment and prevention-- that's according to the National Cancer Institute.

Governor Sonny Perdue announced this morning Emory’s Winship Cancer Institute has earned the NCI center of excellence designation.

"Thirty-seven thousand people that sometime in the next year in Georgia will hear those dreaded words I’m sorry to tell you this but you have cancer," said Governor Perdue. "Fortunately though because places like the Winship Center it doesn’t have the implication or lack of hope it once had. Those 37,000 people are the bigger winners in today's announcement."

The designation also translates into $4.2 million in grant funding for the next two years, and officials say with the recognition, the center will attract top cancer researchers throughout the world.

The state had a part in Emory’s success… it matches money from the private sector.

The Winship Cancer Institute in Atlanta researches cancer treatment and prevention, and provides state of the art patient care to Georgians.

Lawmakers Lure Math, Science Teachers with More Money

Governor Sonny Perdue's plan to attract more math and science teachers to the state passed the Senate Thursday with flying colors.

Georgia has a critical shortage of teachers in math and science. One estimate says 1,800 are needed by next year.

That's why the governor wants to pay new math and science teachers at the same rate as fourth-year educators for grades six and up. And elementary teachers certified in either field would get a $1,000 bonus as well.

Perdue hopes the incentive drives more educators to the state.

Teachers already working in schools would get the same benefits.

But eligible teachers would have to meet performance standards to keep the extra cash.

Because the Senate made minor changes, the bill now heads back to the House.

Perdue: FY 09 Budget Focuses on 'Core Services'

Governor Sonny Perdue's signing of an $18.9 billion budget that includes property tax break funding already promised to Georgia homeowners, slashes about two billion dollars in state spending to close a huge budget hole.

"This is a budget that focuses on the core services of government," Governor Perdue said in a statement released from the Governor's Office Friday.

"We have made effective use of federal stimulus dollars and the state’s rainy day fund, which we worked so hard to build up, to lessen the impact of this economic downturn and plan for next year’s budget. Through sound management by our agency leaders and wise decisions by lawmakers, Georgia will endure a challenging economy and emerge ready to prosper."

The budget contains $625 million in federal stimulus dollars for Medicaid and education. That federal cash helped the state fund some $428 million in homeowner tax relief grants, which translates into about $200 to $300 per household. That money was already included in property tax bills. But the relief could disappear next year because a new law will link future grants to the state's economy.

The budget covers the fiscal year that ends June 30th.

Click here for more details on the budget: www.legis.ga.gov

(AP)

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.