Public Bus System to Expand on Coast

Public transit on Georgia’s coast is expanding thanks to federal stimulus money. A bus system running through nine counties will begin operating weekdays during business hours starting late summer.

With the help of $2.5 million from the federal stimulus package, riders will be able to book a trip to anywhere in Glynn, Camden, McIntosh, Long, Chatham, Effingham, Bryan, Liberty and Screven counties for just $3 per county.

If they're popular enough, officials say the buses could run on weekends and longer hours during the week.

(Associated Press)

Officials Get First Road Stimulus Project Rolling

The first of hundreds of road projects injected by federal stimulus dollars got rolling today in Georgia.

A four-mile stretch of highway in Hapeville near Atlanta’s airport is the inaugural project. The resurfacing work represents more than $900,000 of the state’s transportation stimulus share. Once all projects are allocated, over $900-million will be used in work across the state.

State and federal transportation officials at Tuesday’s press conference trumpeted the creation or preservation of hundreds of jobs with the stimulus. But Governor Sonny Perdue says the state needs to have a long-view plan on managing budget issues once the well of stimulus money runs dry:

"If you become dependent on them, there are going to be tough decisions in the future. So we’re trying to manage state government in a way of transition—using these federal stimulus funds, but hopeful that our state economy will recover soon."

The rollout of additional road projects continues over the next few weeks and into the fall. Thus far, a combined $119-million in work has been awarded.
State officials say another $250 million will soon be certified to round-out Phase One of money from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. By fall, it's expected Phase Two money to be awarded will total $370 million.

More Stimulus Road Projects On The Way

Another 22 road projects are set to go for construction next month. The state DOT says the new round of work represents more than $56-million certified from the federal stimulus. The work includes resurfacing 20 miles of road on Interstate 575 in Cobb and Cherokee counties. It also includes bridge replacements in Tattnall, Gordon-Murray, Bulloch, Candler and Atkinson counties, along with safety work to be done in other counties.

The department says that so far 63 highway system stimulus projects valued at $119 million have been awarded. It says another 43 worth an estimated $250 million will be awarded within a few weeks.

Atlanta Transit System Could Get Fed Stimulus

State transportation officials are to decide today whether $25-million in federal stimulus money will be moved to help keep Atlanta’s transit system afloat. MARTA has been scrambling to find a solution to its budget deficit and keep 500,000 riders moving on the rails and buses. Opponents of the plan to use federal money say it doesn’t fix a deeper problem. Proponents say there is nothing else available to keep the system going for now.

GA And Other States Get Stimulus Oversight

Georgia is one in a group of 16 states getting federal oversight of how it uses stimulus money, but not out of a reason of suspicion. The Government Accountability Office, or GAO, is following these particular states because since they hold a majority of the nation’s population, the group is getting roughly two-thirds of the stimulus funds.

Of the nearly $800-billion of federal stimulus money available, Georgia officials say the state in the end could realize around $7-billion. Bert Brantley with the Governor’s office says some aspects of Georgia’s own stimulus accountability model are being used by federal officials:

"The GAO actually took a lot of what we were doing, a lot of the templates and the documents we’re using to track the spending and are sharing that with other states as well—kind of a model for other states to look at and use. They really like the way that we had begun our work in tracking and reviewing the spending."

Governor Perdue earlier this year announced Georgians could track the state’s federal stimulus spending through the website: stimulusaccountability.ga.gov.

The GAO already issued a first review at the end of April. Brantley says the next will follow sometime in July, with reviews to continue for the next few years.

$30-M In Stimulus For Public Safety In GA

Georgia law enforcement is getting an infusion of more than $36-million in federal stimulus dollars to help boost state and local public safety programs. Officials with Georgia’s Criminal Justice Coordinating Council say the money will go to victim and witness assistance programs that have been hit hard by budget cuts. The money is designed to shore up public safety programs while spurring job creation and retention. Attorney General Eric Holder says the cash will address Georgia's economic challenges while also meeting the state's public safety priorities.

Local West Georgia Police Department Banned From Stim Money

Police departments across the nation are sharing $1-billion of federal stimulus money to get more officers on the streets. But more than 20 local departments are banned from tapping those funds, including one in west Georgia.

The city manager of Manchester, Danny Walton, says his police department is feeling the pain:

"It just really hurts us not being able to get the stimulus money."

That’s because more than a decade ago, federal investigators found some departments across the country misused money from a Clinton-era program to put more police officers on the streets. Now, the Obama-administration is punishing the departments that erred by holding-back stimulus funding.

Walton says Manchester’s police department had bookkeeping problems, but to penalize them now is unfair:

"Sometimes we’ll go through six or seven officers a year, and when you try to backtrack that many years back...they didn’t say anything about it till two years ago, which was 10 years later. Trying to backtrack all that it’s just about impossible."

Walton says Manchester lost track of about $50,000 in grant money.

Without stimulus dollars, the city might have to consider layoffs—or worse—for its 19-member police department.

More Road Projects Get Fed Money

Governor Sonny Perdue has certified another 51 state road projects for federal stimulus money. The new round of work stamped for the go-ahead includes some needed bridge repairs, resurfacing projects, and another critical portion of the Fall Line Freeway bypass project in Wilkinson County. So far, Perdue has certified more than 100 road projects statewide, which represents 95-percent of federal funds required to be spent by the end of June.

Labor Commish Thurmond To Testify In D.C.

Georgia Labor Commissioner Michael Thurmond is in Washington D.C. this morning. He’ll be testifying before a House Subcommittee about how well federal stimulus money has helped to boost unemployment benefits for states. Thurmond is expected to tell committee members the program is working, but challenges still remain. Currently, the average out-of-work Georgian gets $267 a week. The stimulus is adding an extra $25 weekly. Georgia’s jobless rate is 9.2 percent.

First Round of Stimulus Money Approved for GA Road Projects

Governor Sonny Perdue has certified the first batch of federal stimulus money aimed at road and bridge projects in Georgia. The amount of $207 million is a portion of the total of more than $900 million the state is slated to receive.

Perdue says money is targeted for some of the most 'in need' projects in Georgia.

"This first batch of projects includes some badly needed bridge repairs, resurfacing projects on highways with some of our lowest pavement ratings and two widening projects that will improve congestion and safety and spur economic activity."

About half of the funds represented in these projects will be spent in parts of the state considered "economically distressed areas."

Perdue's office says another round of stimulus money for transportation projects in the state could be certified by the end of June.

State DOT Board Preps First Round Of Projects

State Transportation Board chairman Bill Kuhlke called it "a good day." The board Thursday approved a first slate of projects for bidding--worth more than $500-million. With a big dose of federal stimulus money on the way to Georgia, the board has jumped on trying to schedule projects. In the end, Georgia is expected to use more than $900-million in federal stimulus funds for road, bridge, and other infrastructure work. Contracts will be awarded beginning in April with work expected to start in June. However, Governor Sonny Perdue wants to see the list first, before signing-off for the go-ahead.

Bigger Unemployment Checks In The Mail

Beefed-up unemployment checks should begin arriving soon in the mailboxes of qualified Georgians who are out-of-work. The state Labor Department says weekly checks with an additional $25 are on the way to more than 180,000 jobless in the state with valid registration. The extra money is a result of federal stimulus money that Labor Commissioner Michael Thurmond and Governor Sonny Perdue recently accepted.

Perdue Wants Education Grant

Governor Sonny Perdue hopes to tap a major federal grant to bolster education in Georgia.

The state should be in-line to get more than $2 billion for education from the federal stimulus package. But in speaking to agency heads Wednesday, Perdue said he feels good about Georgia’s chances to also get more money from the newly-proposed grant called 'Race To The Top' that is part of the stimulus.

The program would reward states with innovative ideas in education reform.

Perdue says during his trip to Washington DC earlier this week he told the U.S. Education Secretary about his idea to pay new math and science teachers more than other new teachers.

"When he got through describing it, I asked him if he had looked at our proposal this year over science and math teacher differentiation--differentiated pay--paying for performance and all of those kinds of things, because that’s exactly what his vision is."

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Georgia, like other states, has a critical shortage of science and math teachers. At the same time the state has tougher curriculum requirements in those subjects.

Perdue Defends Accepting Stimulus Funds

Governor Perdue today defended his stance on accepting federal stimulus money. The governor has come under criticism for saying he may not accept all the unemployment insurance money because it would mean Georgia might have to expand benefits.

He spoke to reporters after briefing state department heads on the stimulus package:

“We’re gonna take every dollar we can. That means long term benefits... Georgians have paid their taxes in and when the Congress passes a law like this, I want Georgians to get everything to which they’re entitled.”

Governor Perdue says Georgia has already received $340 million in Medicaid funds. More stimulus money is expected in coming weeks.

As for when other state agencies might start to receive federal funds-Department of Transportation Chief Gena Evans says her agency is at the front of the line:

“We anticipate that we’ll probably be one of the first ones out of the gate. We think our money will be available sometime around March 10. And we have to have 50 percent of our funds obligated in 120 days so we’ve got a little bit different time frame than everybody else.”

Evans projects her department should get up to $900 million to help fund potentially thousands of projects.

Perdue To Talk Stimulus With Agency Heads

Federal stimulus money starts flowing into Georgia today. An injection of around $340 million is on the way to fill the gap in Georgia’s Medicaid program. Governor Sonny Perdue’s office says eventually, the state should see about $465 million for Medicaid.

Meanwhile, Perdue is back in Georgia today following his trip to Washington for the National Governor’s Association meetings. Perdue this afternoon is scheduled to meet with state agency heads to discuss how federal stimulus money will be parceled-out to the various divisions. Georgia is expected to get $6 billion from the stimulus package.

Georgia Unemployment Checks Get Boost

Georgians drawing unemployment benefits will soon see a boost of $25 in their checks. The average check will rise to $292, while the maximum check goes up to $355. The money is coming from the federal stimulus. Governor Sonny Perdue and state Labor Commissioner Michael Thurmond signed-off on an agreement to accept a portion of the available $220 million for unemployment. But the Governor has expressed concern that accepting all of it could create long-term costs to the state. Georgia is expected to receive a total of around six-billion dollars to potentially help 50 programs in the state. Meanwhile, Governor Perdue continues his meetings with fellow governors in Washington D.C. Monday, the group met with President Obama at the White House.

Thurmond Will Introduce Stimulus Amendments

On Sunday, Governor Sonny Perdue told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that he may not accept some of the stimulus funds because they may not be in the long-term interest of the state. But Labor Commissioner Michael Thurmond says even though it would require changing state law, he supports accepting $220 million dollars in federal stimulus money geared to unemployment benefits.

He says he plans to introduce two amendments to Georgia law this week to pave the way for federal stimulus money. One will change Georgia's requirements on part-time workers receiving unemployment benefits. The other would change job training rules.

Thurmond calls accepting the stimulus money "prudent," because it would help the state's unemployment fund remain solvent.

He says more unemployed people may become eligible for benefits-

"… if you really look at the impact it would be very, very miniscule. And at the end of the day accepting the money, in my opinion, will actually be of great benefit to Georgia because it would allow us to stabilize our trust fund …"

And that's good news for employers, according to Thurmond. He says if Georgia's unemployment trust fund runs out, the state would be required to raise employer taxes immediately.

Perdue Could Reject Some Stimulus Funds

Governor Sonny Perdue is considering leaving some of Georgia’s portion of federal stimulus money on the table. That’s because he doesn’t like some strings that might be attached.

Perdue shares an opinion of some fellow Republican governors that accepting all of a state’s allotment of stimulus funding might not serve the best interests of their residents.

Perdue spokesman Bert Brantley says there are about 50 programs that could get a boost by the roughly $6 billion Georgia would get. But for some areas of need--like more unemployment benefits--it’s not a slam dunk to take the funds:

"If there’s a pot of money that’s available that is going to require us to spend more money down-the-line and raise taxes on Georgians in order to meet those obligations, then that’s something we’re going to take a very hard look at."

Some other Republican governors, like South Carolina’s Mark Sanford, share the concern over unemployment benefits and the stimulus.

Perdue is in Washington D.C. continuing a National Governor’s Association meeting. Today the group is meeting with President Obama. Perdue returns to Georgia mid-week.

Federal Money May Nullify Plan to Raise Hospital Taxes

The federal stimulus package may nullify a state plan to charge hospitals and insurers new fees.

The addition of 1.73 billion dollars in federal money for Georgia’s Medicaid has almost certainly killed the proposed levy on hospital revenues, according to legislative leaders and health care industry officials.

A similar tax on health insurer revenues may die as well.

Governor Perdue proposed the fees to fill a projected 200 million dollar shortfall in Medicaid and to help fund the state’s trauma network.

However, Perdue’s spokesperson said earlier this week… the fate of the two taxes is still not finalized.

(The Atlanta Journal Constitution)

State Lawmakers Start Altered Schedule

Lawmakers in the Georgia House and Senate reconvene Tuesday to continue the General Assembly session. According to a House resolution approved by the Senate Friday, lawmakers will be meeting on a Tuesday through Thursday schedule until March 25th. The remaining days of the 40-day session would be filled in late June.

The hope for lawmakers is to buy time to see how Georgia's revenue holds-up in the coming months before a new budget needs to be finished by July 1st. Lawmakers also want to see what Georgia's share of federal stimulus money might be in the near future.