ATLANTA (March 24, 2011) – Sen. Steve Gooch (R-Dahlonega) has been appointed to the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority Oversight Committee (MARTOC), which oversees Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA).  Members of this committee evaluate certain commercial development actions and the authority of MARTA.

“I’m honored by this appointment and look forward to working with my colleagues to find solutions to the issues facing the millions of commuters who rely on this vital system,” said Gooch. “MARTA will play a key role as we work to strengthen and diversify Georgia’s public transit. We must concentrate on how to move our state’s transportation system into the 21^st Century, and the work we do in the MARTOC Committee will help set the tone for that new direction.”

“With his background as a DOT board member, Senator Gooch will bring a unique perspective to Atlanta’s public transportation issues,” said Gov. Nathan Deal. “His experience and knowledge will be invaluable as we work in a cooperative, bi-partisan spirit to oversee MARTA’s future during these difficult budget times.”

MARTA is the ninth largest transit system in the U.S. and North America that provides bus, rail and paratransit service and transports an average of half a million passengers daily.  Since the beginning of MARTA rail service in 1979, MARTA has transported approximately 3.5 billion people, or 10 times the entire population of the U.S.   MARTA also employs more than 4,500 people in various capacities.

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Sen. Steve Gooch represents the 51^st Senate District, which includes Dawson, Fannin, Gilmer, Lumpkin, Pickens, and Union counties and portions of Forsyth and White counties. He may be reached at 404.656.9221 or by e-mail at steve.gooch@senate.ga.gov.

ROSWELL (March 18, 2011) – Crossover Day marks an important milestone in the legislative process. It falls on Day 30 of the 40-day legislative session and is the last day that bills can cross from one chamber to another. In an effort to pass the remaining important legislation before the deadline, the Senate debated and voted on a list of 50 bills on Crossover Day. Moving forward, we’ll start taking up House bills and working on compromises between similar legislation in conference committees.

An important piece of legislation that’s expected to go through several changes in conference committee is the immigration bill. Now that the Senate passed its version of immigration reform this week, a conference committee will be appointed to negotiate the details of a similar, but wider-reaching bill from the House of Representatives. Senate Bill 40 aims to strengthen the use of E-Verify for Georgia businesses to verify the immigration status and employment eligibility for newly hired employees. Public agencies and private companies working on public projects have stricter penalties if they do not use E-Verify.

Another high profile topic that saw passage in the Senate this week was the Sunday alcohol sales bill. While this has been a hotly-debated topic from all sides, the bill is rather straightforward in that it simply allows local governments to hold a vote to let citizens decide if they want Sunday alcohol sales in their community. Senate Bill 10 does not impose any state mandates or regulations, but simply strengthens local control by giving voters a say on the issue.  I voted in favor of SB 10 and believe the voters have a right to decide.

We also passed the “Georgia Government Accountability Act”, which aims to reduce the size of state government by discovering and eliminating government waste. Under Senate Bill 225, all state agencies and programs would be analyzed to identify areas of duplication or those not considered an essential service mandated by the Georgia Constitution. The bill creates a joint Legislative Sunset Advisory Committee comprised of 14 General Assembly members.  The committee would be tasked with reviewing and scrutinizing every state department to determine the efficiency, effectiveness and productivity of each agency. Over a thorough study, the Committee would ultimately rule on the validity and/or public need of each entity or individual function within that entity.  Duplicated services, low productivity, effectiveness of the entity, and performance measures would be some of the factors in deciding on the justification to continue funding the entity with taxpayer dollars.

A crucial component to the future of our state economy is the deepening of the Savannah harbor. After the Panama Canal expansion of 2014, we’ll need the capacity to accommodate larger container ships. The Senate unanimously passed a resolution urging the deepening of the ports of Savannah and Charleston. These ports are crucial to the region’s economic prosperity and future. The Port of Savannah is the fourth largest and has been the fastest growing container port in the U.S., responsible for moving over 8 percent of all U.S. containerized cargo and more than 18 percent of all East Coast trade. Approximately 300,000 Georgia jobs and $1.5 billion in state taxes are directly and indirectly dependent on Georgia’s ports. In February, the federal government included $600,000 in the budget for the Savannah Harbor Expansion Project, and state leaders are working hard to ensure that we receive the full funding going forward to complete this project.

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Sen. John Albers represents the 56^th Senate District, which includes portions of North Fulton County. He may be reached at his office at 404.463.8055 or by email at john.albers@senate.ga.gov.

ATLANTA (Friday, March 18, 2011) – On Wednesday, the Senate unanimously passed Senate Bill 234 which continues reform of the assessment and appeal process for property taxes. The measure, sponsored by Majority Leader Chip Rogers (R-Woodstock), further protects taxpayer rights to correct assessment errors and successfully appeal excessive property taxes.

“Georgia property owners deserve a tax system that works. We must continue to streamline the existing property tax system making it easier for property owners to appeal and ensuring that true fair market values are reflected in property assessments,” said Rogers. “No Georgia property owner should ever be forced to pay a tax they do not owe.”

Significant taxpayer friendly provisions include:

• Allows taxpayers to provide written notice to the local tax commissioner or collector regarding any factual errors.  The errors must be corrected within 30 days of receipt of notice.  A corrected tax bill due date will be 30 days from reissuance date with no penalties or interest due. If a property assessment is deemed wrong by the court, the country will be subject to reimburse the taxpayer litigation costs and attorneys fees.

• Annual notices of ad valorem assessment must also contain the all-capped phrase “SUBSTANTIAL INCREASE” at the top of the notice if the value increased more than 10 percent in a single year and due to inflation. Any property owner who receives such an assessment may appeal directly to superior court.

• A member of the local board of equalization shall be removed if that member knowingly violates the oath of office, and they can only serve two consecutive three year terms.

• Requires tax assessors to forward value determinations to the tax commissioner.  Taxpayers will recover costs and attorneys fees plus interest and penalties for any final valuation of the property in their favor.

• Streamlines arbitration process making it easier and fairer for the tax payer.

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Sen. Chip Rogers serves as Senate Majority Leader. He represents the 21^st Senate District which includes portions of Cherokee and Cobb counties.  He can be reached at his office at 404.463.1378 or by email at chip.rogers@senate.ga.gov.

ATLANTA (March 16, 2011) – The Senate on Wednesday passed Senate Bill 223, the “Georgia Government Accountability Act.”

SB 223, if passed by the House of Representatives and signed into law, would create a Legislative Sunset Advisory Committee to review all state agencies and programs. If those state agencies and programs are not providing essential constitutionally-based services, they can be eliminated or privatized by the General Assembly.

“It seems we often create new agencies and departments but we seldom revisit them to make sure they are working constitutionally and needed,” said Sen. Judson Hill, R-Marietta, a co-sponsor of the bill. “This bill helps us work harder to find and eliminate government waste and to reduce the size of government. These are the important, fiscally responsible goals for which we should be striving.”

Last year, the House of Representatives and Senate passed a similar measure which was vetoed by Gov. Sonny Perdue.

ATLANTA – (March 16, 2011) The Senate passed SB 210 today, which protects women by allowing them to sue abortion providers if the provider does not conform to Georgia abortion law.

If passed by the House of Representatives and signed by the governor, Senate Bill 210 would allow a woman to sue an abortion provider if an abortion was performed on a minor without her parents’ consent; if an illegal abortion; if the abortion provider did not follow the requirements of the “Women’s Right to Know Act;” or if the abortion provider violated any other existing abortion laws.

Under the Women’s Right to Know Act, passed in 2007, an abortion provider must offer the woman a chance to view an ultrasound or listen to the baby’s heartbeat before she has the abortion. The law says it must be offered; the woman can decline.

“Generally speaking, Senate Bill 210 helps us enforce abortion rules that are already on the books,” said Sen. Barry Loudermilk, the bill’s sponsor. “Abortion is legal in Georgia and this will not stop that. SB 210 works with existing laws to make sure abortions are safe. Even the most ardent abortion supporter says abortions should be safe, legal and rare.”

Sen. Judson Hill, a strong supporter of SB 210, said: “This bill protects the rights of women and ensures they are given a fair day I court if they are coerced into having an abortion.

“The language in this bill will help make sure our existing abortion laws are followed. Georgia has specific laws that say doctors must offer to let the woman see a sonogram before an abortion and doctors must wait 24 hours after notifying an underage woman’s parents about a pending abortion. Without this bill, we don’t know if those laws are being followed.”

SB 210 also allows a woman to sue for wrongful death if an abortion occurs because of a crime, negligence or defectively manufactured equipment.

Editors note…Without checking the rolls, I’ll take a wild guess that nutjob Dr. No Vote Bobby Franklin cast the one vote against. If he wasn’t, then I still stand by my statement that he’s a nutjob and east Cobb should do much better at finding a House Rep next year.

ATLANTA – The Georgia House of Representatives today passed House Bill 265 by a vote of 169 to 1, showing broad bi-partisan support for the bill.  Introduced by State Representative Jay Neal (R-Lafayette), this legislation begins the process of reforming Georgia’s criminal justice system by creating the 2011 Special Council on Criminal Justice Reform for Georgians and the Special Joint Committee on Georgia Criminal Justice Reform.

“HB 265 and the reforms that it will ultimately create will allow Georgia to stop wasting money on expensive short term prison services for drug addicts and the mentally ill. Instead, it will allow the state to provide treatment that helps the individual, relieves our overburdened justice system, and saves the state money,” said Representative Neal.  “The goal of these reforms is to improve public safety and save taxpayer dollars.  Basically, we’re trying to make criminals into law-abiding taxpayers, not tax burdens.”

Currently, Georgia has the fourth-highest incarceration rate in the nation.  As a result, the state spends more than $1 billion annually on its corrections system.  However, recent studies suggest that an estimated three-fourths of the state’s prison population is believed to have some type of drug addiction, which could be treated at much lower costs than imprisonment.  For example, Georgia pays $49 per day per inmate housed in a state prison, compared to $1.50 per day for probation supervision or $16 per day for community treatment at a Day Reporting Center.

Many states, including Texas and South Carolina, have already implemented programs that supervise some non-violent offenders outside of prison and treat the root causes of their crimes.

Under HB 265, the Special Council on Criminal Justice Reform for Georgians would be comprised of 11 members appointed by the leaders of Georgia’s three branches of government.  Specifically, the governor will appoint one member, the Chief Justice of the Georgia Supreme Court will appoint two members, and the Speaker of the House and Lieutenant Governor will each appoint three members.  Additionally, the House and Senate Minority Leaders will each appoint one member to the Council.  The chairperson of the Council will be selected by a majority vote of Council members.

The Council will be tasked with studying the state’s current criminal justice structure and criminal sentencing procedures for nonviolent offenders, like drug users and the mentally ill.  The study would also review sentencing reforms and alternatives to imprisonment for nonviolent offenders.  Findings from the Council’s study would be submitted to the General Assembly by November 1, 2011.

Once the Council’s findings are submitted to the General Assembly, they will be reviewed and evaluated by the Special Joint Committee on Georgia Criminal Justice Reform.  This Joint Committee will ultimately use the Council’s findings to create and introduce legislation reforming Georgia’s criminal justice system.

The 17 member Special Joint Committee on Georgia Criminal Justice Reform will function in a bipartisan manner.  Committee members will include the House Speaker Pro Tempore, Senate President Pro Tempore, House and Senate Majority Leaders, House and Senate Minority Leaders, Chairman of the House Judiciary Non-Civil Committee, Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Chairman of the House Committee on State Institutions and Property, and Chairman of the Senate State Institutions and Property Committee.  The remaining six seats will be with the three state representatives appointed by from the Speaker of the House and three state senators appointed by the Lieutenant Governor.  The chairs of the House Committee on Judiciary Non-Civil and Senate Judiciary Committee will co-chair of the Joint Committee.

For more information on HB 265, please click here.

ATLANTA – State Representative Lynn Smith (R-Newnan) and other federal and state elected officials will host an event to support the troops and recognize the Atlanta- based Human Resources Command (HRC) TOMORROW, Wednesday, March 16, 2011, at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport at 1:30 PM.  During the event, letters of commendation will be presented from Governor Nathan Deal, Speaker David Ralston, Lieutenant Governor Casey Cagle, Senator Saxby Chambliss, Senator Johnny Isakson, and Georgia’s 13 congressmen.

This event is a way for the State of Georgia to recognize the United States Military and those who contribute to the success of the U.S. Central Command’s Rest and Recuperation (R&R) leave program and Military Personnel Assistance Point program, both of which are based in Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.  Working 365 days a year, these programs assist members of the United States Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, and Coast Guard with travel needs, including transportation to and from basic training, as well as Afghanistan, Iraq, and Kuwait.

WHO: Major General Terry Nesbitt, Adjutant General of the Georgia National Guard

Major General Maria Britt, Commanding General of the Georgia National Guard

Sergeant Major James Nelson, Jr., Commanding Sergeant Major of the Georgia National Guard

Brigadier General Marcia Anderson, Deputy Commander of the U.S. Army Human Resources Command

Major Mark Brown

Sergeant Major Jim Aiken

Sergeant Major Victor Allen

Rep. Lynn Smith, Georgia House of Representatives

Trey Kirkpatrick, Regional Director for Senator Johnny Isakson

Andy Bush, District Director for Congressman Lynn Westmoreland

Ben Spears, Outreach Coordinator for Congressman John Lewis

DETAILS: Question and Answer Session

1:30 PM

Small Executive Suite Conference Room

Fourth floor of the Airport’s Atrium

Main Terminal

Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport

(This is an open access area)

Recognition Event

2:00 PM

Gateway Conference Room

Fourth floor of the Airport’s Atrium

Main Terminal

Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport

(This is an open access area)

DIRECTIONS: http://www.atlanta-airport.com/GroundTransportation/directions.aspx

- Co-Authored by Senator Renee Unterman (R-Buford) and Allison Ashe of Covenant House Georgia

As we near the completion of another legislative session, time is running out for the Georgia General Assembly to enact laws that protect Georgia’s youth from the horrific nightmare of child exploitation.  We must act now so that we can help those who are already caught in this vicious cycle and prevent others from going down this dangerous path.  I would like to share a story with you that will help illustrate the severity of this problem.

At 15, Natalie ran away from home to escape the sexual advances of her mother’s new boyfriend.  A few days later local law enforcement picked her up and returned her to her mother.  The Division of Family and Children’s Services came to investigate.  Upon finding no actual physical abuse, the mother and daughter were left to sort out a very complicated situation alone.  Not surprisingly, Natalie ran again.

Unable to find shelter or food, Natalie was thankful when a seemingly friendly young man approached her and offered her a place to stay.  He was a good caretaker and boyfriend at first, but then he asked her to help pay her way by providing sexual favors to his friends, beginning the sexual exploitation and abuse that will likely haunt her for the rest of her life.

Children like Natalie see a child protection system that failed to reach them in the moments when they needed it the most.  And when they give up on waiting for those around them for help, they leave home in search of something better only to find that even those organizations that would like to protect them are unable to as a result of state law.

Nearly a third of children who flee or are kicked out of their homes each year engage in sex for food, drugs or a place to stay according to the National Alliance to End Homelessness.  Georgia is certainly not immune to these problems.

Under our current law, it is a misdemeanor to assist children who have run away because it may contribute to their continued status as a runaway and interfere with parental custody.  Children who are kicked out of their homes by their parents are turned away as well because shelters cannot reliably distinguish between a child who has run away and a child who has been thrown out.

Representative Tom Weldon has introduced legislation in the General Assembly that will help get runaways off the streets and into safe, temporary shelter.  HB 185 allows shelters to provide emergency services to runaway youth without fear of criminal liability.  Also, it provides a limited exemption from criminal liability for registered or licensed service providers that contact a child’s legal guardian within 72 hours of the child’s acceptance of services or make a child abuse report pursuant to the mandatory reporter statute. Since Georgia does not have a statewide reporting system for runaway and missing children, the Act also provides one of the only mechanisms for heartsick parents to locate their children.

Georgia currently ranks 49th in the country in child homelessness.  We can do better.  Natalie needed better.  The Georgia General Assembly needs to pass HB 185 and open the doors to shelters for the safety of our children.  I encourage my colleagues in the Senate and the House to stand with me and support this legislation.  By failing to act, we are failing to protect this state’s most valuable resource: the youth that will lead us to a brighter future.

ATLANTA (March 15, 2011) – Sen. John Albers (R-Roswell) will host a town hall meeting in Johns Creek/East Roswell on Saturday, March 19, where he will deliver a presentation of legislative updates.  Attendees will then have the opportunity to participate in a question and answer session.  All residents of the 56^th Senate District are invited to attend.

WHEN: Saturday, March 19, 2011

11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

WHERE: Johns Creek New Town Community Club

3115 Old Alabama Road

Johns Creek, GA 30024

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Sen. John Albers represents the 56^th Senate District, which includes parts of North Fulton County.  He may be reached at 404.463.8055 or by e-mail at john.albers@senate.ga.gov.

ATLANTA (March 14, 2011) – The Georgia State Senate today passed Sen. John Albers’ (R-Roswell) legislation to curb the abuse of Medicaid fraud by integrating “smart card” technology. Senate Bill 63 requires that Medicaid cards integrate a computer chip that includes a digital photograph of the card holder. The use of smart card technology prevents such abuse as card sharing and phantom billing that cost U.S. taxpayers $60 billion a year.

“Georgia spends $2 billion on Medicaid every year, and it’s our responsibility as stewards of taxpayer dollars to ensure that this money is protected for those who need it most,” said Albers. “As Medicaid rolls continue to grow dramatically, we must utilize technology to allow us to work smarter, not harder.”

Smart card technology utilizes multi-factor authentication that ensures Medicaid patients receive the care they need while protecting patient privacy. When a Medicaid patient swipes their card, the doctor’s office can verify that patient’s identity using their digital photograph. Patients will provide a fingerprint scan when they enter the office and before they leave, providing proof that the patient received services and will prevent doctors from billing for services that were never rendered.

The technology will first be used in a pilot program to ensure that it is beneficial and cost-effective.