Tonight on Lawmakers, the Senate approves a measure that would allow a state income tax credit for a single family home purchase; more compensation for Georgia’s math and science teachers; a new income eligibility verification requirement for Medicaid and PeachCare for Kids passes the House; Senate Appropriations Chair Jack Hill shares the challenges of plugging holes in the State’s 2010 budget and we talk with Tom Crawford of CapitolImpact.com about this week under the gold dome.
Legislation aimed at boosting home purchases in a sagging real estate market passed the Senate today. House Bill 261 provides homebuyers with a tax credit of 1.2% of the purchase price or $3600- whichever is less- for the purchase of a qualifying single-family residence. Changes made in the Senate send that bill back to the House.
An education initiative of Governor Sonny Perdue passed the Senate today. House Bill 280 hopes to address Georgia’s shortage of math and science teachers by increasing compensation levels. This measure would move a teacher certified in math or science up in salary equal to six years of credible service.
The House today approved a measure that would require a new income eligibility verification process for those applying for Medicaid or PeachCare for Kids. Senate Bill 165 will authorize the Department of Community Health to obtain income verification from the Department of Revenue.
Voting has been delayed once again on Senate Bill 200, the Transforming Transportation Act. That legislation is the Governor’s reorganization of the State’s transportation agencies. Senate Transportation Chair Jeff Mullis explains the ongoing negotiations between the House and Senate on transportation funding measures. Lawmakers’ Valarie Edwards reports.
The House today approved a measure aimed at bringing attention to the ongoing genocide in the Darfur region of the Sudan. Senate Bill 155 keeps Georgia businesses with certain ties in the Sudan from bidding on state contracts.
It’s no secret that Georgia’s revenue picture is bleak and cuts to the 2010 budget are quite drastic, even with over $1 billion in federal stimulus funds. Senate Appropriations Chair Jack Hill took the well in the Senate this morning to explain why he is being conservative with using the State’s reserve funds and also looking forward a year or two when making these decisions.
Legislation that aims to reduce the incidents of sexual exploitation of minors passed the House today. Senate Bill 69 expands the definition of sexual exploitation. Lawmakers’ Minoo Hosseini has that story.
Legislation that expands the definition of child molestation to include the internet passed the Senate today by committee substitute. Currently, child molestation laws do not include electronic devices such as webcams or streaming video found online. House Bill 123 will change that. Lawmakers’ Tiana Fernandez has more.
Today marks the end of the tenth legislative week under the gold dome, a perfect time to check in with Tom Crawford, National Editor of CapitolImpact.com. Nwandi talks with Tom about transportation, the restructuring of the Department of Human Resources, Super Speeder legislation and funding for the State’s trauma care network.
A bill that would allow parents to send their children to any public school, provided there is adequate space at that school, takes another step toward becoming law. House Bill 251 passed the Senate Education and Youth Committee by substitute this morning. Lawmakers’ Brittany Evans reports.
All that and more tonight on Lawmakers at 7 PM.
Lawmakers repeats on GPB Radio at 8 PM tonight and tomorrow morning on GPB television at 5:30 AM. You can also watch a repeat of Lawmakers tomorrow morning on GPB Knowledge at 7 AM. GPB Knowledge is available to those with digital television receivers at .3 of your local GPB transmitter, for example 20.3 in Augusta, or 8.3 in Atlanta.
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Day 36- March 25, 2009
Tonight on Lawmakers, legislation that would impose strict fines for excessive speeding passes the Senate, but without a provision to direct those monies to trauma; a measure that would have increased the homestead exemption fails to pass the House; a bill that creates the sentence of life without parole passes the House; legislation aimed at improving Georgia’s graduation rate clears the Senate and changes in the Georgia 2020 Transportation Act in the House send those bills back to the Senate.
House Bill 160, legislation known as the “Super Speeder” bill targets those who drive excessive speeds passes in the Senate, but not without controversy. And, from the House, a compromise is reached on a transportation funding mechanism. Lawmakers’ Valarie Edwards reports.
A second chance in the House for a measure that would double the homestead exemption ends with Senate Bill 83 again going down in defeat. Representative Edward Lindsey is pushing for the tax reform that would have increased the exemption by $2,000 by 2012 and then added a cost of living increase in subsequent years. Lindsey told the House that the homestead exemption has not been increased since 1937. Senate Bill 83 failed by a vote of 109 to 63.
Senate Majority Leader Chip Rogers took the lead today in passing two tax bills that aim to create jobs in Georgia. House Bill 481, known as the Jobs, Opportunity and Business Success Act of 2009, and House Bill 482, which creates a ballot vote to exempt ad valorem taxation for property constituting the inventory of a business.
Two bills concerning post secondary education for high school students are being considered by the General Assembly this session. House Bill 149, the Move on When Ready Act passed the Senate today, while House Bill 400, the BRIDGE Act remains in the Senate Education and Youth Committee. Lawmakers’ Minoo Hosseini reports.
House Bill 23, a bill that bans cell phone and text messaging for drivers under 18 passed the Senate Public Safety and Homeland Security Committee today. Lawmakers’ Evan Seitz has that story.
The Senate Veterans, Military and Homeland Security Committee passed legislation that would place limits on cash rewards from bingo games held by veterans’ organizations. Lawmakers’ Tiana Fernandez has more.
All that and more tonight on Lawmakers at 7 PM.
Lawmakers repeats on GPB Radio at 8 PM tonight and tomorrow morning on GPB television at 5:30 AM. You can also watch a repeat of Lawmakers tomorrow morning on GPB Knowledge at 7 AM. GPB Knowledge is available to those with digital television receivers at .3 of your local GPB transmitter, for example 20.3 in Augusta, or 8.3 in Atlanta.
House Bill 160, legislation known as the “Super Speeder” bill targets those who drive excessive speeds passes in the Senate, but not without controversy. And, from the House, a compromise is reached on a transportation funding mechanism. Lawmakers’ Valarie Edwards reports.
A second chance in the House for a measure that would double the homestead exemption ends with Senate Bill 83 again going down in defeat. Representative Edward Lindsey is pushing for the tax reform that would have increased the exemption by $2,000 by 2012 and then added a cost of living increase in subsequent years. Lindsey told the House that the homestead exemption has not been increased since 1937. Senate Bill 83 failed by a vote of 109 to 63.
Senate Majority Leader Chip Rogers took the lead today in passing two tax bills that aim to create jobs in Georgia. House Bill 481, known as the Jobs, Opportunity and Business Success Act of 2009, and House Bill 482, which creates a ballot vote to exempt ad valorem taxation for property constituting the inventory of a business.
Two bills concerning post secondary education for high school students are being considered by the General Assembly this session. House Bill 149, the Move on When Ready Act passed the Senate today, while House Bill 400, the BRIDGE Act remains in the Senate Education and Youth Committee. Lawmakers’ Minoo Hosseini reports.
House Bill 23, a bill that bans cell phone and text messaging for drivers under 18 passed the Senate Public Safety and Homeland Security Committee today. Lawmakers’ Evan Seitz has that story.
The Senate Veterans, Military and Homeland Security Committee passed legislation that would place limits on cash rewards from bingo games held by veterans’ organizations. Lawmakers’ Tiana Fernandez has more.
All that and more tonight on Lawmakers at 7 PM.
Lawmakers repeats on GPB Radio at 8 PM tonight and tomorrow morning on GPB television at 5:30 AM. You can also watch a repeat of Lawmakers tomorrow morning on GPB Knowledge at 7 AM. GPB Knowledge is available to those with digital television receivers at .3 of your local GPB transmitter, for example 20.3 in Augusta, or 8.3 in Atlanta.
Monday, March 23, 2009
Day 35- March 23, 2009
Tonight on Lawmakers, transportation takes center stage as the Senate passes legislation aimed at a funding fix; Governor Perdue wants the federal government out of Georgia’s reapportionment process; legislation backed by the Governor to restructure the Department of Human Resources passes the Senate; a bill that requires certain inmates to undergo HIV testing before release clears House committee, but with changes; and our leadership interview series continues with Senate Democratic Caucus Chair Tim Golden.
The Senate took up House Resolution 206, the Transportation Trust Fund and House Bill 277, the Georgia 2020 Transportation Act today. However, the versions of those bills that passed out of Senate Committee were quite different from the House’s statewide transportation tax. In fact, the substitutes to those bills are the regional T-SPLOST or transportation special local option sales tax that passed the Senate earlier this session. We’ll have the highlights of that debate.
Hearings continue as the House Transportation Committee considers the Transforming Transportation Investment Act or Senate Bill 200, the Governor Perdue-backed measure creating a new State Transportation Agency. The Governor has made I clear that he wants this new management infrastructure in place before he’ll sign off on any transportation funding plan- be it the Senate’s regional approach with a T-SPLOST or the House’s statewide sales tax. One sticking point in the new plan: the role of the Board of the Department of Transportation and who decides how transportation monies are allocated. Lawmakers’ Valarie Edwards reports.
The Senate also voted today to create a Department of Health in the State of Georgia. House Bill 228 creates this agency as the lead planning agency for all health issues in the state, and is a part of Governor Perdue’s plan to restructure the Department of Human Resources.
Georgia may one day have a “Comprehensive Community College System” similar to the Technical College System of Georgia. The Senate Higher Education Committee today gave Senate Resolution 627 a do pass recommendation. That resolution would create a study committee to investigate merging technical colleges and two-year colleges into a Community College System. Lawmakers’ Emily Banks has that story.
Governor Sonny Perdue wants the federal government out of Georgia’s reapportionment process. Late last month, the Governor filed an amicus brief in a current suit that is predicted to come before the U.S. Supreme Court next month. The Governor states that the results from President Barack Obama’s election are evidence that Georgia should no longer be subject to Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which requires federal oversight of Georgia’s reapportionment process. Lawmakers’ Nwandi Lawson spoke with the House Legislative and Congressional Reapportionment Committee Chair, Representative Roger Lane and Senate Reapportionment and Redistricting Chair, Senator Judson Hill.
Legislation that would require HIV testing for certain inmates prior to their release received a do-pass recommendation from the House State Institutions and Property Committee late this afternoon, but not without changes. Senate Bill 64 is sponsored by Senator Kasim Reed. Lawmakers’ Tiana Fernandez has the latest.
Our leadership interview series continues with Senate Democratic Caucus Chair Tim Golden. David Zelski had a chance to interview Senator Golden about transportation, federal stimulus dollars and the need for a statewide trauma care network.
All that and more tonight on Lawmakers at 7 PM.
Lawmakers repeats on GPB Radio at 8 PM tonight and tomorrow morning on GPB television at 5:30 AM. You can also watch a repeat of Lawmakers tomorrow morning on GPB Knowledge at 7 AM. GPB Knowledge is available to those with digital television receivers at .3 of your local GPB transmitter, for example 20.3 in Augusta, or 8.3 in Atlanta.
The Senate took up House Resolution 206, the Transportation Trust Fund and House Bill 277, the Georgia 2020 Transportation Act today. However, the versions of those bills that passed out of Senate Committee were quite different from the House’s statewide transportation tax. In fact, the substitutes to those bills are the regional T-SPLOST or transportation special local option sales tax that passed the Senate earlier this session. We’ll have the highlights of that debate.
Hearings continue as the House Transportation Committee considers the Transforming Transportation Investment Act or Senate Bill 200, the Governor Perdue-backed measure creating a new State Transportation Agency. The Governor has made I clear that he wants this new management infrastructure in place before he’ll sign off on any transportation funding plan- be it the Senate’s regional approach with a T-SPLOST or the House’s statewide sales tax. One sticking point in the new plan: the role of the Board of the Department of Transportation and who decides how transportation monies are allocated. Lawmakers’ Valarie Edwards reports.
The Senate also voted today to create a Department of Health in the State of Georgia. House Bill 228 creates this agency as the lead planning agency for all health issues in the state, and is a part of Governor Perdue’s plan to restructure the Department of Human Resources.
Georgia may one day have a “Comprehensive Community College System” similar to the Technical College System of Georgia. The Senate Higher Education Committee today gave Senate Resolution 627 a do pass recommendation. That resolution would create a study committee to investigate merging technical colleges and two-year colleges into a Community College System. Lawmakers’ Emily Banks has that story.
Governor Sonny Perdue wants the federal government out of Georgia’s reapportionment process. Late last month, the Governor filed an amicus brief in a current suit that is predicted to come before the U.S. Supreme Court next month. The Governor states that the results from President Barack Obama’s election are evidence that Georgia should no longer be subject to Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which requires federal oversight of Georgia’s reapportionment process. Lawmakers’ Nwandi Lawson spoke with the House Legislative and Congressional Reapportionment Committee Chair, Representative Roger Lane and Senate Reapportionment and Redistricting Chair, Senator Judson Hill.
Legislation that would require HIV testing for certain inmates prior to their release received a do-pass recommendation from the House State Institutions and Property Committee late this afternoon, but not without changes. Senate Bill 64 is sponsored by Senator Kasim Reed. Lawmakers’ Tiana Fernandez has the latest.
Our leadership interview series continues with Senate Democratic Caucus Chair Tim Golden. David Zelski had a chance to interview Senator Golden about transportation, federal stimulus dollars and the need for a statewide trauma care network.
All that and more tonight on Lawmakers at 7 PM.
Lawmakers repeats on GPB Radio at 8 PM tonight and tomorrow morning on GPB television at 5:30 AM. You can also watch a repeat of Lawmakers tomorrow morning on GPB Knowledge at 7 AM. GPB Knowledge is available to those with digital television receivers at .3 of your local GPB transmitter, for example 20.3 in Augusta, or 8.3 in Atlanta.
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