Georgia Chamber of Commerce Business Day at the Capitol is this Thursday, February 26th at the Georgia Freight Depot. To RSVP or for more information, email businessday@gachamber.com.
For links to legislators and the legislation mentioned in this update, visit www.gachamber.com and click on Government Affairs.Transportation
HB277 and HR206, sponsored by Representative Vance Smith (Pine Mountain) were unanimously passed by the House Transportation Committee last week. SB39 and SR44, sponsored by Senator Jeff Mullis (Chickamauga) have been assigned to the House Transportation Committee. Given the momentum these bills have enjoyed, the Georgia Chamber is hopeful that a consensus on transportation funding will be reached this year.
Governor Perdue, with the support of Lieutenant Governor Cagle and Speaker Richardson, has proposed a sweeping new governance plan for statewide transportation planning that would merge the Georgia Regional Transportation Authority (GRTA) and the State Road and Tollway Authority (SRTA) into a new State Transportation Authority (STA), which would be responsible for planning, policy and funding decisions. The current Department of Transportation would remain responsible for operations, maintenance and certain construction projects.
Education
SB84, a proposal by Governor Sonny Perdue that contains a number of the school board reform recommendations developed by the Commission on School Board Excellence, was passed by the Senate Education and Youth Committee.
Representative Jan Jones (Alpharetta) has introduced the Move On When Ready Act (HB149), which would allow high school juniors and seniors to attend post-secondary colleges and technical schools and receive high school credit. The Georgia Chamber supports this legislation.
Representative Fran Millar (Dunwoody) has introduced the Building Resourceful Individuals to Develop Georgia's Economy (BRIDGE) Act, which would require high schools to offer both college and career track options for students.
Trauma
Care Efforts to pass legislation in support of a statewide trauma care network were bolstered on Monday during Trauma Day at the Capitol. The Georgia Chamber of Commerce supports HB148 (Representative Austin Scott, Tifton) and SR277 (Senator Greg Goggans, Douglas), each of which propose a $10 vehicle tag fee, which would provide an estimated $80 million or more annually.
Legal Reform
HB200 (Representative Harry Geisinger, Roswell), which would allow the fact that someone did not wear their seat belt to be admissible as evidence in court, passed the House Judiciary Committee. SB23 (Senator Lee Hawkins, Gainesville), which also would allow seat belt admissibility, is expected to come before the full Senate for a vote in the near future.
Employee Free Choice Act
A number of measures have been proposed to protect an employee's right to secret ballot when voting on unionization, which would be abolished by the federal Employee Free Choice Act. Bills include HR22 and HR23 (Representative John Lunsford, McDonough), HR71 (Representative Larry O'Neal, Bonaire), SR49 (Senator Preston Smith, Rome), and SR109 (Senator Eric Johnson, Savannah). The Georgia Chamber of Commerce opposes EFCA and supports an employee's right to vote by secret ballot.
