State Budget Moves Through Senate Panel

Senate budget writers have given their stamp-of-approval to the $18.6 billion spending plan for Georgia’s 2010 fiscal year ahead. The budget includes a boost of $140-million for Medicaid to help the program keep up with enrollment. To help cover the cost, state employees will be asked to pay a bigger share of their health insurance costs. The spending plan also includes $1.3 billion in federal stimulus funds to help soften the blow of cuts. The budget now moves to the full Senate Wednesday for a vote.

Homeowner's Tax Relief Bill Clears Senate, Awaits Governor's Signature

The State Senate decided today not to reconsider a bill that narrowly passed the chamber Friday. House Bill 143 would guarantee that counties get the $438 million in homeowner's tax relief grants from the state. Governor Sonny Perdue wanted to cut those grants from this year's budget. While some senators worry that wording in the bill could be deemed unconstitutional, the Senate voted 23-32 to not reconsider it. The bill now goes to Gov. Perdue's desk for his signature.

Lawmakers pass home owners tax relief for this year

The State senate passed a house bill that would guarantee counties get the 438 million dollar million dollars in home owner tax relief grants from the state. Governor Perdue wanted to cut the grants from this year's budget. After the bill passed senators agreed to reconsider the same bill on Tuesday. Some senators worry that wording in the bill would tie the hand of future legislatures and therefore could be deemed unconstitutional.

State Senate approves red light camera measure

The state Senate approved a bill Thursday that makes it tougher for local governments to use red light cameras as a revenue generator.

For the second time in as many weeks, debate over the measure banning red light cameras was fiercely contested. This time some lawmakers sought to attach an amendment that allocates a portion of the fines toward trauma care. However, some feared the entire bill faced certain death if tied to trauma care funding.

Senate President Pro Tem Eric Johnson had backed a proposal to fund trauma care with an additional car tag fee. He urged his colleagues to support the bill but reject the trauma care amendment.

"If you wanna do something for trauma, let's do it the right way and not the wrong way. If you vote for this, and people think they've fixed the trauma problem, they haven't and it'll make it harder to pass the 10-dollar fee for trauma care".

The trauma care amendment failed but the bill did pass the Senate 45-13. It requires local municipalities apply to the Department of Transportation for permission to install any new red light cameras. It also mandates the cameras be necessary for public safety and not to raise money.

--from Valarie Edwards at the Capitol

Senate says no to House death penalty proposal

The state Senate Thursday halted a move by the House to allow judges to impose the death penalty without a unanimous jury verdict.

The original Senate bill was meant to give prosecutors more leeway to pursue life without parole sentences in some capital cases, including felony murder. However, in a surprise move, the House added a provision that would have allowed judges to sentence defendants to death even if one or two members of the jury voted against it.

Speaking from the well, Republican Preston Smith of Rome said the measure would destroy the death penalty law.

"But now, if the jury is unable to reach a unanimous verdict, then the judge asks what their last vote was. They have made no recommendation. And whatever their last vote was, he dismisses them and he imposes a sentence of death, life without parole, or life".

In a 44-7 vote, the Senate rejected the House amendment. The two sides must now reach a compromise or abandon the measure altogether.

--from Valarie Edwards at the Capitol

State parley on planes, trains, trucks and cars

A state legislative committee will meet in Columbus next week to talk about planes, trains and automobiles.

Senators and representatives on the joint transportation funding committee will hear local and state officials, transportation executives, and academics discuss Georgia's infrastructure problems.

David Spear of Georgia's Department of Transportation says the committee will focus on finding funding for improving air, rail and overland transportation systems:

"Roughly, about 60-percent of our department's funding comes from the federal government. They have the same issues as we have in terms of their budget. The kinds of needs we have for infrastructure simply mean that we can't address them by ourselves... We're going to have to do everything we can do, and still rely on Washington for significant federal assistance, as well."

Monday and Tuesday's meetings are the third in a series of six information-gathering meetings the group has held across the state this summer.

Click here to read more on state bridges and infrastructure funding issues.