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.

Crossover Day Arrives

Crunch-time has arrived for state lawmakers in the General Assembly session. Today is 'Crossover Day', the final chance for a bill with a start in one chamber to pass to the other chamber for a vote.

Among the issues and legislation to watch: In the House, a battle is on-tap over the proposal to do-away-with the yearly property tax on cars and trucks. Over in the Senate, it's gearing for a fight over legislation to restrict embryonic stem cell research in Georgia.

To follow the dozens of bills on this frenzied Day-30 of the Session, be sure to check back with state news this afternoon and on tonight’s Georgia Gazette on GPB Radio. You can also check our Georgia News Blog anytime by going to gpb.org.

Perdue Delivers State of the State

Governor Sonny Perdue was welcomed by the full General Assembly to the State Capitol’s House chambers this morning. He delivered his annual State of the State address to outline where Georgia goes from here, in the face of a massive budget shortfall topping $2 billion.

Perdue said "we must not allow ourselves to be trapped in a short-term mindset where rash decisions result in dire long-term consequences."

Perdue in his 33-minute address told lawmakers some of the budget-pain could be relieved by tapping the state’s reserves for $50-million now, and another $408-million next fiscal year.

While light on specifics in certain areas, he gave particulars on some others, such as Georgia’s Medicaid funding gap. While some federal help could come in a stimulus package proposed by the incoming Obama-adminstration, Perdue said waiting is not an option:

"For those of you who would like to sit back and wait for Washington--we’ve waited before if you remember. And while I’m hopeful we’ll receive additional funds from the federal government, when I had the obligation of putting this budget together, I did not have the option to budget for money that may never materialize."

To that end, Perdue introduced legislation designed for Georgia’s healthcare system to share the burden in replenishing Medicaid:

"My budget will reflect in an accompanying bill that we will propose...a 1.6-percent fee on hospitals and health insurance providers to fill the hole in Medicaid and to do what the health care community has asked of us to do for so long."

Another centerpiece of Perdue’s budget proposal would fund critical new infrastructure and further support Work Ready programs in the state to spur 20,000 new jobs. The Governor says the $1.2 billion construction borrowing package would be backed by Georgia’s AAA bond rating:

"In the past, we’ve often funded the design-phase of a project one year and the construction at a later date. This year’s package will fast-track some of those. We'll feature many projects in which both design and construction are funded in the same year, ensuring a more timely completion.”

Other points of highlight and proposals from the Governor's address:

- Transportation: Perdue says he shares a vision with Lieutenant Governor Casey Cagle and House Speaker Glenn Richardson to devise a plan to improve the state's needs. Perdue would back the right funding plan. He also is committed to reform of the Department of Transportation.

- Education: Legislation to ensure local school boards act properly. Perdue also wants lawmakers to pass legislation to reward principals of improving schools with bonuses, and award merit pay to top teachers.

- Trauma care: In conjunction with Medicaid fee proposal, the Super Speeder legislation would provide $60 million for the sustaining and enhancement of trauma care in Georgia.

- Perdue's budget proposal calls for no pay raises for state employees and teachers next year ; $428 million in property tax grants would be eliminated, possibly leading to property tax increases for Georgians.

Tuesday roundup of bills signed by Perdue

Several bills were signed into law by Governor Perdue on Tuesday.

-Legislation approved into law that gives consumers greater protection over their credit information. Consumers for a fee can ‘freeze’ access to their information.

-Approved is a bill that creates a special fund and speeds the process for the approval of reservoirs in the state.

-Three other bills approved deal with education—-all pave a smoother path for the creation of charter schools in Georgia.

-Perdue signed into law Tuesday a measure that reworks an earlier version of the sex offenders residency law that was struck down by the state’s Supreme Court. It brings back many restrictions to fix a 2006 law that bans sex offenders from living, working or loitering within one-thousand feet of nearly anywhere children gather.

-Despite his opposition to Sunday sales of alcohol in the state, the Governor Tuesday did sign a bill that allows for beer to be sold at Gwinnett County’s new baseball stadium on Sundays next year. In addition, Perdue signed the bill to allow Georgians to buy wine over the Internet.

Drought relief legislation now law

Governor Sonny Perdue signed the Water Conservation and Drought Relief Act of 2008, SB 342. The legislation will expedite the construction of new reservoirs throughout the state.

The Water Conservation and Drought Relief Act of 2008 brings state agencies together to ease reservoir construction and expansion. The Environmental Protection Division (EPD) will assist local governments' efforts to expedite aspects of permitting for new reservoir applications. This legislation creates a Water Supply Division (WSD) and establishes the Georgia Reservoir Fund (GRF) within GEFA.

The WSD will assist local governments with the reservoir and water supply permitting process in coordination with EPD. The WSD may also plan, design, acquire, construct, operate, manage and maintain new reservoirs on behalf of local governments. The GRF will be used for allocating the reservoir and water system infrastructure funds recommended by the Governor and approved by the General Assembly.

Initial funding for the Georgia Reservoir Fund was included in the Amended FY 2008 and FY 2009 budgets. In the Amended FY 2008 budget, Governor Perdue recommended, and the General Assembly appropriated, $40 million in grants for local governments to develop reservoirs. In the FY 2009 budget, the Governor recommended, and the General Assembly approved, $30 million in loans for local governments.

The legislation also seeks to minimize government expansion by requiring the WSD to use existing staff and the private sector to fulfill its mission. One final provision of this legislation emphasizes the importance of water-efficient products by extending the same sales tax break to qualified water-saving items during the upcoming sales tax holiday.

Charter Schools get boost from new laws

Governor Sonny Perdue signed three pieces of legislation into law to expand support for choice options within public schools: HB 881, 831, and 1277.

Jan Jones and known as the charter commission legislation, requires charter school petitioners to continue to seek approval from their local board of education. It also lets parents request charter approval directly from a newly-formed state charter commission if the local board of education rejects the petition, or if the petitioner seeks conditions different from those approved by the local board of education. In addition, HB 881 changes the way charter schools are funded. Many previously-approved charter schools operate on fewer dollars than traditional public schools receive.

House Bills 831 and 1277 build further on the infrastructure support for public charter schools. HB 831 enables the State Board of Education to establish a grant program to provide matching funds to charter school organizations for capital improvements or construction of charter schools, while HB 1277 provides charter school personnel access to the State Health Benefit Plan.

Another piece of charter legislation, HB 1065, was signed into law by Governor Perdue earlier this month and authorizes local charter schools and state chartered special schools to use their SPLOST funds for capital outlay projects.

New legislation protects consumers

Governor Sonny Perdue signed three pieces of legislation to protect Georgia's consumers and prosecute identity thieves: House Bill 130, Senate Bill 388 and Senate Bill 24.

"This legislation will protect Georgia's consumers and prosecute identity thieves who would prey upon innocent, hardworking people," said Governor Sonny Perdue. "I want to thank the members of the General Assembly and consumer advocates who supported these important bills."

HB 130 enables Georgia's consumers to freeze their credit and keeps criminals from accessing their credit history. It also prevents unauthorized individuals from taking out new credit cards or loans. This legislation sets the credit freeze amount at $3 and strikes a reasonable balance between the fees credit bureaus need to charge while giving consumers the ability to quickly and effectively protect their credit.

SB 388, an initiative that Governor Perdue announced in January, establishes the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) Identity Theft Task Force and transfers the authority to investigate identity theft from the Governor's Office of Consumer Affairs to GBI. In addition to this legislation, Governor Perdue proposed and the General Assembly approved $1 million in the FY09 budget for the creation of this task force, which will support eight new agents.

SB 24 protects Georgia's consumers by increasing the penalties against identity theft by the use of Internet phishing, a method criminals use to steal an individual's identity through the Internet.