Schedule

  The Legislature reconvened Tuesday for day 19. They will be in session on Tuesday through Thursday nearly every week until they reach day 35, expected in late March, whereupon they will adjourn until possibly June 22. This break and the remaining five days have been reserved to evaluate potential stimulus dollars that may be used to fill budget shortfalls and to allow for future action should budget estimates continue to drop. The remaining five days may not be used. One major implication of the break is that candidates for statewide races, including the offices of Governor and Lieutenant Governor, and the General Assembly may not resume fundraising until the Session has officially closed for the year and Sine Die has been called.

Taxes

  House Resolution 1, a Constitutional Amendment that would cap property taxes on residential and commercial property to 3% per year, fell 15 votes short of the two-thirds required for passage. The Resolution will be reconsidered by the House on Tuesday.
  House Bill 233, which freezes assessment increases for the next two years, passed the House by a vote of 110-63. Proponents say the measure is necessary to keep the lid on tax increases in this weak economy and to better reflect the recent drop in home values. Others question the Constitutionality of the bill and its immediate effect on local government.
  On the Senate side, Senate Resolution 1 by Senator Chip Rogers, known as “The Taxpayer Protection Amendment”, received bi-partisan support and earned a Constitutional majority. If passed by the House and voters in 2010, the Amendment will limit the spending of state budget surpluses to education programs or state debt, or the funds will be refunded to taxpayers. The measure would maintain a 10% rainy day fund.

Transportation

  No action was taken to advance transportation funding this week. The Senate Regional T-SPLOST (Transportation Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax) legislation, SB 39 and SR 44, having passed the Senate, remains in House Transportation Committee where it has not been acted upon. The House statewide sales tax for transportation, HB 277 and HR 206 , remain in the same House Transportation Committee.

Energy

  The Georgia Nuclear Energy Financing Act, SB 31, which would allow Georgia Power Company to begin charging customers for finance costs incurred in the construction of new nuclear reactors, passed the Senate and has been assigned to Representative Don Parsons’s committee on Energy, Utilities and Telecommunications. A sub-committee will hear the bill on Wednesday with a possible sub-committee vote on Friday.

Legal Reform (Excerpt courtesy of the Georgia Chamber)

  The three legal reform bills announced by Gov. Sonny Perdue at the Georgia Chamber of Commerce’s annual Eggs & Issues breakfast have now all been filed; all three supported by the Georgia Chamber:

• SB 75 – to provide liability protection for landowners who make their property available for agri-tourism and hunting;
• SB 101 – to provide liability protection for pharmaceutical manufacturers and medical device manufacturers in Georgia who meet or exceed federal safety standards. The measure applies only to defects in design, which undergo a strenuous federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval process, but it does not cover defects that occur in the manufacturing process; and
• SB 108 – a measure to discourage frivolous lawsuits dismissed in the earliest stages of litigation. “SB 108 will free up our courts to pursue justice in cases with merit, protect our existing businesses that provide jobs for Georgians and attract new investment,” Gov. Perdue said on the bill’s filing.
• Sen. Lee Hawkins’ SB 23, which would end Georgia’s “gag rule” on the admissibility of the failure to wear seat belts in motor vehicle accidents in court when the failure to buckle is material to the case, passed the Senate Judiciary Committee February 6. Current law in Georgia expressly – specifically – prohibits judges and juries from considering evidence of the failure to wear safety belts as a contributory factor when awarding medical or compensatory damages. When enacted, these bills would bring significant cost savings to Georgia trauma care system and further encourage seat belt use by bolstering the notion of personal responsibility for one’s own safety. State Rep. Harry Geisinger has filed companion legislation in the House, HB 200.
  
  
  Track business legislation by category through the GA Chamber: http://www.gachamber.com/Track-Business-Legislation.65.0.html