Georgia Legislative Watch

State Sen. David Shafer has proposed a resolution that would solve a border dispute that that is more than 100 years old:

Desperate for water amid a historic drought, some Georgia lawmakers are trying to reopen an 1818 border dispute with Tennessee.

They have set their sights on a stretch of the 652-mile long Tennessee River that flows tantalizingly close to the Georgia line - and by some historic accounts, should be within Georgia’s borders.

“It’s never too late to right a wrong,” said state Sen. David Shafer, R-Duluth.

Shafer’s Senate resolution says a flawed survey in 1818 mistakenly marked Georgia’s border one mile south of the 35th parallel - and thus excluded the Tennessee River from Georgia’s reach.
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The resolution would not change Georgia’s borders, but it would create a “boundary line commission” that aims to resolve the dispute. It was co-sponsored by all of Georgia senators, and a similar proposal was introduced in the House.

The border debate centers on an 1818 survey that has entered the folklore of north Georgia. As the story goes, surveyors charting out the 35th parallel were either frightened by a nearby Indian party or simply used flawed math to draw the line.

The resolution, which can be viewed here, creates a commission to review the disputed boundary.

Shafer addressed the issue in the Senate today:

However, our friends from Tennessee are are hostile to the idea. As one legislator put it, “If they ever tried, the governor, and me, and everybody else would be waiting for them.”

The State Senate approved a measure dealing with the immigration issue today. SB 340 would strip funding for so-called “sanctuary cities” in Georgia by a vote of 45 to 8.

As the article notes, no “sanctuary cities” exist in Georgia.

When lawmakers arrived today, the amended FY2008 budget was sitting on their desks. The budget has to sit for 24 hours after presentation and will be taken up during the tomorrow’s session.

No copies have been distributed. As soon as one comes available, we’ll get it posted.

[UPDATE] You can view the amended FY2008 budget here.