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Taxation
Leaders of the House and Senate joined together last week to introduce the Jobs, Opportunity and Business Success (JOBS) Act of 2010 - sending a clear signal that Georgia is open for business.The legislation (HB1023 and 1024) is designed to stimulate the state's economy through provisions including an angel investor tax credit, tax credits for hiring the unemployed, reduction of the capital gains tax and a phase out of the sales tax deposit for small business.
Education
SB84, school board reform legislation based on recommendations made by the Commission for School Board Excellence, received its first hearing by House committee last week.The bill is expected to pass out of committee soon and is timely as it was announced last month that the Warren County school system could lose its accreditation as a result of poor governance.
Law & Judiciary
HB1016, which will restore protections for businesses under Georgia's identity theft laws, received a favorable vote from the House Judiciary Non-Civil Committee on Friday.
HR178, which will bring clarity to employment law in Georgia by ensuring that reasonable agreements between employers and employees are enforceable in court, is expected to receive its first committee hearing soon.If passed, voters will have the opportunity to vote this November on a constitutional amendment that will allow judges to make reasonable modifications to enforce the original intent of these agreements.
Transportation
As legislators await Governor Perdue's transportation legislation, the Department of Transportation voted to change accounting procedures - a decision with which the Governor, Speaker Ralston and other legislative leaders strongly disagree.While the Georgia Chamber remains hopeful that transportation funding legislation will pass this year, this and several other hurdles remain to solving this critical issue.
Water
The State of Georgia received a positive ruling from the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals with regard to the state's ability to appeal the ruling made by Judge Paul Magnuson last July which would severely restrict the use of water from Lake Lanier in 2012.In addition to the appeal, Governor Perdue is expected to ask legislators to adopt a number of the conservation, control and capture measures recommended by the Water Contingency Planning Task Force late last year.
