THE ASHE ADVOCATE – April 6, 2007

House to address key legislation in final days

By Rep. Kathy Ashe

With no more than seven legislative days remaining in the 2007 session of the Georgia General Assembly, the House of Representatives will be considering a number of key bills and resolutions adopted earlier in the session by the Senate.

One such measure is SR 20, currently in the House Ways and Means Committee, a proposed constitutional amendment, which would prohibit the General Assembly from increasing the annual state budget by a percentage that is more than the state’s population growth, plus inflation.

Once the spending cap is reached, any excess funds would be disbursed in the following order:

1. Full funding of K-12 public education
2. Restore the state’s reserve fund to 10 percent of the previous year’s revenue
3. Pay off state debt
4. Return excess to taxpayers

The resolution also provides that any budget from a previous year can be used as a baseline, and the limits can be suspended upon exhaustion of the reserve funds and a two-thirds vote by both the House and Senate.

Another significant piece of legislation is SB 148, which is in the House Science and Technology Committee.  It seeks to promote medical research into stem cells derived from blood and birth tissues but not from embryos. 

The House will also consider SB 145, awaiting consideration in the House Non-Civil Judiciary Committee.  The bill would allow Georgia’s 49 district attorneys to pursue sentences of life without parole against murderers who have not been convicted of a previous violent felony without seeking the death penalty. 

Other bills from the Senate that will be addressed in House committees are:

SR 309—a proposed constitutional amendment to allow the creation of infrastructure development districts (private cities).

SR 130 / SB 89—in the House Governmental Affairs Committee; and proposes a Constitutional amendment whereby the General Assembly, by law,  may create townships for the limited purpose of exercising the power of zoning; the regulation of land use and development within the boundaries of such townships; and provide for the funding and operation of such townships.

SB 169—in the House Higher Education Committee; and would offer eligible Georgia students a state funded education loan through the Georgia Student Finance Authority.

Several measures I sponsored or co-sponsored were adopted by the House and are now under consideration in the Senate, including:

• HB 291-in the Senate Economic Development Committee; and would create the Georgia Arts Alliance, the development of a cultural policy for the State of Georgia, and the development of a Future Art and Music Teachers Pilot Program
• HB 465-adopted by the Senate; and address the appointment of members for community improvement districts in the city of Atlanta
• HB 559-in the Senate Education and Youth Committee; and would provide for teachers and employees of charter schools to be considered employees of public school systems for purposes of participating in the health insurance plans for teachers and other school personnel
• HR 351-in the Senate State and Local Governmental Operations Committee; and would create a joint study committee to undertake a study of the conditions, needs, issues, and uses of the Fulton County government structure and operations and the problems found by the Fulton County Blue Ribbon Commission

The Atlanta Journal Constitution reported this week that the HOPE scholarship program has $744 million in reserve.  It is critical that we, as lawmakers, use this money in an efficient and fiscally sound manner to ensure Georgia students have access to the resources necessary to obtain a quality college education.  As a supporter of higher education, I intend to do so. 

• Rep. Kathy Ashe (D-Atlanta) represents the 56th District (Fulton County) in the Georgia House of Representatives. Contact her at 409 Coverdell Office Building, Atlanta, GA  30334; by phone at 404-656-0116 or by e-mail at kathyashe56@mindspring.com.