Georgia Chamber Insight: Don't Forget to Register for a Conference Call with Georgia's Senators on Dec. 3
Tuesday, December 01, 2009
Top Stories
Don't Forget to Register: Conference Call with Senators Chambliss, Isakson on December 3
A Message From the Co-Chair of the Water Contingency Planning Task Force
Get Your Tickets Now for the Annual Meeting Dinner and Eggs & Issues Breakfast
Georgia Chamber Submits Amicus Brief in TBS v. McDavid Appeal
Special Elections to be Held January 5
GPEE Report Profiles the Status of Secondary Education in Georgia
Georgia Employers' Association to Host Seminar Following Eggs & Issues Breakfast
Find Us on Twitter and Facebook
Send Your News to the Georgia Chamber
Dates to Remember December 9 & 10: Government Affairs Council Meeting Legacy Lodge and Conference Center, Lake Lanier
December 15: Terry College of Business Economic Outlook Tour Kickoff Georgia World Congress Center, Atlanta Website
January 11, 2010: Annual Meeting Dinner Georgia World Congress Center, Atlanta Purchase tickets here
January 12, 2010: Eggs and Issues Breakfast Georgia World Congress Center, Atlanta Purchase tickets here
Don't Forget to Register for a Conference Call with Senators Chambliss, Isakson on December 3 A conference call with Senators Saxby Chambliss and Johnny Isakson will be held on Thursday, December 3 for members of the Georgia Chamber. This unique opportunity will provide Georgia Chamber members with the latest news on federal issues, including health care and climate change.
If you are interested in participating in this conference call, please RSVP to connect@gachamber.com by the close of business TODAY (Tuesday, December 1). Participants are welcome to include questions to ask the Senators, and our moderator will select questions from those submitted. Call-in information will be sent to confirmed participants on the morning of December 3.
A Message From the Co-Chair of the Water Contingency Planning Task Force Tim Lowe, CEO, Lowe Engineers LLC As you may be aware, I was asked by Governor Sonny Perdue to co-chair the Water Contingency Planning Task Force, which is working this fall to develop recommendations to remedy the water supply shortfall should U.S. District Judge Paul Magnuson's ruling limiting withdrawals from Lake Lanier go into effect in 2012. The task force has met twice and will convene once more before presenting a list of prioritized options to Governor Perdue.
At our last meeting, we reviewed a list of potential solutions within three basic categories - enhancing current conservation efforts, increasing our ability to capture more rain and ground water, and reviewing current control policies. No solutions have been endorsed or recommended as of yet and all of them are being put through a rigorous review process that considers among other screens cost, yield, time to implement and environmental impact.
Governor Perdue has been very clear that any and all options should be brought through this analysis. Over the next few weeks, you will likely hear discussion about potential solutions such as conservation pricing, expanded or new reservoirs, aquifer storage and inter-basin transfers. While some solutions will rise to the top of the prioritized list due to ease of implementation and reasonable cost for yield, others will fall to the bottom due to high cost or negative impact.
As a co-chair of this task force I am committed to ensuring that the needs of our entire State are considered throughout this process and will look forward to sharing the prioritized recommendations once the group has completed its work. In the meantime, please let me know if you have any questions or if there is any additional information we can provide.
Get Your Tickets Now for the Annual Meeting Dinner and Eggs & Issues Breakfast Tickets are still available for the Georgia Chamber's Annual Meeting Dinner on January 11 and the Eggs & Issues Breakfast on January 12! This is your chance to hear reflections on the year and what's on tap for the upcoming legislative session.
Tickets purchased on or before December 18 will receive preferential seating at both events, so get yours today!
To purchase tickets/tables for the Annual Meeting Dinner or Eggs and Issues Breakfast, click here.
Georgia Chamber Submits Amicus Brief in TBS v. McDavid Appeal Last December, a Georgia jury rendered a record $281 million verdict against TBS in a breach of contract case over the sale of the Atlanta Hawks and Atlanta Thrashers professional sports franchises in 2003. This case is important to the Georgia Chamber of Commerce because it could cause a chilling effect on complex business negotiations in our state. The amicus asks the Georgia Court of Appeals to reverse the decision of the lower court that found a phone conversation created a binding agreement on a highly complex negotiation involving hundreds of millions of dollars.
If this verdict is affirmed, Georgia would become an outlier state since courts in other jurisdictions hearing similar evidence have never permitted the finding of a binding oral contract. The Georgia Chamber supports well-established precedent requiring signed written agreements in similar cases and will continue to monitor this important case.
Special Elections to be Held January 5 Two special elections have been scheduled for January 5 in the Augusta area to fill the District 22 Senate seat vacated by Ed Tarver (who accepted a U.S. Attorney appointment) and the District 122 House seat vacated by Hardie Davis (who plans to run for the Senate seat). Runoff elections, if necessary, will be held February 2.
Qualifying for the two legislative races will start at 9 a.m. December 2 and close at noon on December 4 at the elections division of the Secretary of State's office.
GPEE Report Profiles the Status of Secondary Education in Georgia The Georgia Partnership for Excellence in Education (GPEE) has published a new report that describes the status of secondary education in the state. Achieving Excellence in Secondary Education: Georgia's Unfinished Business assesses where our middle and high school system currently stands and where it needs to improve.
In the report's foreword, Georgia Partnership President Dr. Steve Dolinger says, "The paradox of Georgia's public education is that despite the exemplary models of teaching and learning found in so many schools and systems, our state has been unable to shake its national reputation as a persistent laggard.
"As you read this report you will learn about where Georgia's system of secondary education currently stands. You will find suggested actions that can accelerate the pace of progress. We may not be there yet, but excellence is achievable."
Achieving Excellence in Secondary Education is available on the organization's website at www.gpee.org.
Georgia Employers' Association to Host Seminar Following Eggs & Issues Breakfast The Georgia Employers' Association will host its fifth-consecutive executive update seminar following the Georgia Chamber's annual Eggs & Issues breakfast on January 12. This year's seminar will begin at 9:45 a.m. and run until 12:15 p.m., with a focus on preparing for the challenges and changes in 2010.
Click here for more information about this seminar.
Find Us on Twitter and Facebook Twitter: @gachamber Facebook: Search "Georgia Chamber of Commerce"
Send Your News to the Georgia Chamber Do you have good news to share about your business? Please contact Jennifer Yarber at 404.223.2272 or jyarber@gachamber.com with your news topics for inclusion in an upcoming newsletter.
