January 9, 2001

For more information contact:

Stanley S. Jones, Jr.

404-817-6133

THEY ARE BACK!!! 

          The bells have rung and the gavels have dropped.  The 2001 Legislative Session of the Georgia General Assembly is now in full swing.  Yesterday, amid the various formalities, the 2001 General Assembly took the oath of office and elected their officials. 

          Speaker Tom Murphy was again re-elected to Speaker of the House of Representatives in a vote of 174 to 74, beating out Rep. Lynn Westmoreland, the Republican Party’s nominee for the position.  As one might expect, the votes split among the Democratic and Republican party lines.  Rep. Jack Connell of Augusta was elected Speaker Pro Tem. 

          Much of the day focused on general business with a Resolution being passed to notify the Governor that the General Assembly was ‘open for business’ as well as adopting the Rules of the House and Senate.  As one might expect, the third floor of the Capitol was abuzz with activity with many returning Legislators greeting the numerous lobbyists and family members who had made the trek downtown to take part in the day’s festivities. 

          Late yesterday afternoon, the Capitol enjoyed a special celebration commemorating 250 years of “Representative Government in Georgia.”  Special guests filled the House Chambers, including Former Governors Maddox, Harris, and Busby.  A Committee chaired by Dr. Thomas G. Dyer worked on this Celebration, along with members Mr. O. Ben Harris, Dr. Veula Rhodes, Honorable Bill Cummings, Honorable Charles Walker, Honorable Dubose Porter, Honorable Eric Johnson, Honorable Lynn Ratigan Smith, and Honorable Terrell Starr.  The Celebration commemorated the first assembly which occurred in Savannah, Georgia on January 15, 1751.  This first assembly of sixteen met for 24 days to discuss a variety of measures which they hoped would improve the colony as well as to address various grievances.  Yesterday, at the Celebration, a special presentation of the original resolution, adopted in London of Georgia’s trustees, was made by the Honorable Peter Marshall, British Consul General to the Southeastern United States. 

Newsworthy Information on Legislation 

          Speculation is still high on various issues which may be raised during this year’s Session.  The flag continues to be one area which will be debated.  Many legislators have concerns over a possible boycott being made against Georgia. 

          On health issues, some of the possible proposals are as follows: 

1)                  reimbursement for hospitals (Medicare cuts which were made need to be somehow be restored at the State level to ensure financial viability of institutions);

2)                  Cancer Research Initiative (using the State’s allocation of Tobacco Settlement Funds to create centers of excellence around the state in an effort to compete with Texas’ MD Anderson facility);

3)                  Healthcare coverage for the uninsured (There are approximately $1 million in the Governor’s Supplemental FY 2001 Budget to address needs for the uninsured.  Many Legislators feel that this is not enough to address the magnitude of the problem.  It will be necessary to see what is contained in the Governor’s FY 2002 Budget on this issue.  Sen. Jack Hill has stated that if everyone had such healthcare coverage then that would eliminate the fighting over the Indigent Care Trust Fund dollars);

4)                  Elimination of the State’s Certificate of Need Law will probably not come about during this year’s Session;

5)                  Patient Safety (Legislators have already had hearings on this issue.  No solution may be apparent but discussions on this topic have been ongoing.);

6)                  Healthcare workforce shortages (Georgia, like the rest of the nation, is suffering from a lack of healthcare workers (nurses, technicians, pharmacists, etc.).  Some of this is attributed to the booming economy and low unemployment rate.  Legislation and budget initiatives may be proposed to address some of the State’s needs.  This would include money for educating nurses, adopting a Multi-State Compact to address out-of-state licensed nurses, cancelable student loans, etc.);

7)                  Uncompensated care in hospitals (Jointly, the House and Senate have met to discuss the issue of indigent and charity care as well as bad debt incurred by the State’s hospitals.  This is a much greater burden than many believe.  No solution has actually been proposed.  Rep. Buddy Childers has suggested that each county pay for its own indigent’s needs.  This type of solution was proposed a number of years ago but did not gain enough support to pass.  The Committee, established under SR 516, will more than likely need to be ‘re-constituted’ according to Rep. Mickey Channell);

8)                  Prescriptive authority (Advanced Practice Nurses, Psychologists and Optometrists (and probably other healthcare professionals) will seek expansion in their scope of practice to include prescribing rights.  Fights will more than likely ensue with the Medical Association of Georgia in an effort to limit such expansions); and

9)                  Drug costs (Escalating drug costs are impacting all the State’s health programs.  Approximately $43 million has been set aside for the 2001 Supplemental Budget to cover these costs). 

There will be other major issues such as Education Reform (currently, the Governor has approximately $1 billion in classroom space and other initiatives in the Supplemental Budget).  Water quality, child welfare, teen driving, ethics, and justice for the poor are also among top legislative ideas.  

Committee News 

          The House has made committee assignments: 

Chairs of the House Committees: 

Agriculture and Consumer Affairs:  Rep. Robert Ray

Appropriations:  Rep. Terry Coleman

Banks and Banking:  Rep. Butch Parrish

Children and Youth:  Rep. Georganna Sinkfield

Defense and Veterans Affairs:  Rep. Ken Birdsong

Education:  Rep. Jeanette Jamieson

Ethics:  Rep. Tom Bordeaux

Game, Fish and Parks:  Rep. Bob Lane

Governmental Affairs:  Rep. Bob Holmes

Health and Ecology:  Rep. Buddy Childers

Higher Education:  Rep. DuBose Porter

Human Relations and Aging:  Rep. Roger Byrd

Industrial Relations:  Rep. Paul Smith

Industry:  Rep. Newt Hudson

Insurance:  Rep. Jimmy Lord

Interstate Cooperation:  Rep. Gerald Greene

Intra-Governmental Coordination:  Rep. Nan Grogan Orrock

Journals:  Rep. Doug Teper

Judiciary:  Rep. Jim Martin

Legislative and Congressional Reapportionment:  Rep. Tommy Smith

MARTOC:  Rep. James E. “Billy” McKinney

Motor Vehicles:  Rep. Bobby Eugene Parham

Natural Resources and Environment:  Rep. Bob Hanner

Public Safety:  Rep. Mike Snow

Regulated Beverages:  Rep. Carl Von Epps

Retirement:  Rep. Bill Cummings

Special Judiciary:  Rep. Curtis S. Jenkins

Special Rules (Policy): Speaker Tom Murphy

State Institutions and Property:  Rep. David E. Lucas, Sr.

State Planning and Community Affairs:  Rep. A. Richard Royal

Transportation:   Rep. Ralph Twiggs

Ways and Means:  Rep. Thomas B. Buck, III 

          The Senate Committee assignments have also been made: 

Chairs of the Senate Committees: 

Agriculture:  Sen. Harold Ragan

Appropriations:  Sen. George Hooks

Banking and Financial Institutions:  Sen. Don Cheeks

Corrections, Correctional Institutions, and Property:  Sen. Greg Hecht

Defense, Science and Technology:  Sen. Mike Polak

Economic Development, Tourism, and Cultural Affairs:  Sen. Peg Blitch

Education:  Sen. Richard Marable

Ethics:  Sen. Michael Meyer von Bremen

Finance and Public Utilities:  Sen. Nathan Dean

Health and Human Services:  Sen. Connie Stokes

Higher Education:  Sen. Jack Hill

Insurance and Labor:  Sen. Robert Brown

Interstate Cooperation:  Sen. Donzella James

Judiciary:  Sen. Rene’ Kemp
Natural Resources:  Sen. Hugh Gillis

Public Safety:  Sen. Rooney Bowen

Reapportionment: Sen. Tim Golden

Retirement:  Sen. Vincent Fort

Rules:  Sen. David Scott

Special Judiciary:  Sen. Charlie Tanksley

State and Local Governmental Operations:  Sen. Nadine Thomas

Transportation:  Sen. Van Streat

Veterans and Consumer Affairs:  Sen. Ed Harbison 

Committees will commence meetings tomorrow. 

New Legislation 

SB 1 – Sen. Hill and others introduced this bill to amend Article 2 of Chapter 5 of Title 40 of the Code concerning issuance, expiration and renewal of drivers’ licenses.  This would change provisions relating to persons not to be licensed, minimum ages for licensees, and school attendance requirements.  It would also provide for a supervised driving experience requirement for certain applicants as well as change certain provisions relating to instruction permits, graduated licensing, and related restrictions and temporary licenses.  

SB 2 – Sen. Ladd along with others also introduced a bill concerning driving requirements.  This would amend O.C.G.A. § 40-5-22 relating to persons not to be issued motor vehicle drivers’ licenses, minimum ages for licenses, and school attendance requirements, so as to require a course of driver education for certain applicants for drivers’ licenses in counties having populations of 220,000 or greater according to the United States census. 

SB 11 – Sen. Thompson authored this measure amending Article 6 of Chapter 1 of Title 7 of the Code concerning business development corporations so as to change the powers of business development corporations and delete a prohibition against incurring secondary liability.  It would also clarify powers relating to commercial residential and historical real property and clarify that business development corporations are authorized to acquire real estate for the purpose of constructing residential buildings, industrial plans, industrial parks, or business establishments, and to dispose of real estate to others for such purpose. 

SB 14 – This would amend Chapter 4 of Title 34, “Georgia Minimum Wage Law.”  Sen. Walker and others have dropped this legislation in order to provide an increase to the State’s current minimum wage law.  This would change the minimum wage to $5.15 per hour as long as that employer was not a farm owner, sharecropper, or land renter or any employee whose compensation consists wholly or partially on gratuities.  Also, this legislation proposes that if the federal minimum wage “exceeds the amount specified in this Code section, then the minimum wage shall be increased so that it is equal to the federal minimum wage.” 

SB 16 – Sen. Cheeks and others have offered this amendment to Chapter 1 of Title 7 relating to Financial Institutions.  This also proposes changes relating to real estate loans, changing the provisions relating to corporate stock and securities, and changing the provisions relating to merger plans. 

SB 17 – Sen. Cheeks and others also introduced this amendment to Chapter 9 of Title 16 relating to crimes involving forgery and fraudulent practices in order to create the criminal offense of unlicensed commercial loan sharking. 

HB 5 – Reps. Franklin and Joyce have authored this bill to amend O.C.G.A. § 48-7-27 which would exempt persons age 65 or older from being subject to the State income tax. 

HB 16 – Rep. Brooks and others have authored this proposal to amend O.C.G.A. § 50-3-1 concerning the description of the State’s flag.  The new design proposed would have equally divided horizontal bands with the upper and lower being scarlet in color and the middle band being white. 

HB 31  - Rep. Walker has introduced this bill amending O.C.G.A. § 9-13-140 regarding the advertisement of judicial sales.  This changes the requirements for the description of the real property to be sold.  The advertisement would be “sufficient if it includes a description of such real property adequate to allow the definite identification of the property through the real property records of the county.  The description of the real property should include the street address of real property when the real property has been assigned a street address by a unit of government.”  The bill also outlines examples of such sufficient descriptions. 

HB 36 – Rep. Turnquest has introduced this amendment to Chapter 12 of Title 50 in order to create the Georgia Commission on African American Males.  This Commission would, among other duties, have the responsibility of studying and researching educational needs and opportunities of African American males as well as looking at their health issues.  The Commission would be comprised of 15 members:  five appointed by the Governor; five appointed by the President of the Senate; and five appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives.  This Commission would publish a report summarizing its activities, findings, and recommendations and distribute such to the Governor, President of the Senate, Speaker of the House, and all members of the Senate and House of Representatives on or before November 1 of each year.