Georgia Legislative Watch

[UPDATE] SB 200 passes 91 to 84. Rep. Mark Hatfield’s motion to reconsider failed 77 to 97. Democrats are not happy about how long the vote was held open. It appears that some vote switching took place.

The debate on SB 200, the transportation governance bill, is well under way. In fact, Speaker Glenn Richardson is in the well right now speaking in support of the legislation.

Here’s an update from the AJC:

State Rep. Jay Shaw (D-Lakeland) was the first rural lawmaker to speak against it. “This is the most ridiculous thing I’ve seen in my life,” he said.

Shaw was called down by House Speaker Glenn Richardson, who has endorsed S.B. 200, called Shaw down when the lawmaker invoked Sonny Perdue’s name. Shaw said the legislation would allow Perdue, a former veterinarian, to “neuter” the Legislature.

State Rep. Mark Hatfield of Waycross was the first rural Republican to oppose it.

Just prior to the debate, the Georgia Highway Contractors Association, a major source of campaign money, endorsed S.B. 200 in a letter to House Transportation Chairman Vance Smith (R-Pine Mountain) — even though it largely strips power from a DOT board they’ve dominated for decades.

Download the letter by clicking here.

This is not quite a surprise, since members of the contractors association are said to be the motivation behind the House’s shift in November away from a regional sales tax for transportation to a statewide sales tax.

Travis Fain writes:

This vote is going to be close. Speaker of the House Glenn Richardson was just in the well, practically begging folks to vote for the bill. He spoke extensively about a promise the DOT made in 1992 to four-lane Ga. 92 in his home county.

“Still hasn’t been done,” he said.

Good luck if you’re trying to watch online. The feed is running very, very slow.

[UPDATE II] Here’s another update from the AJC:

House Rules Chairman Earl Ehrhart (R-Powder Springs) is the first supporter of the bill to take the floor. And he’s railing against opponents who worry about losing control of DOT.

“You don’t get to appropriate it (now), you don’t even get to think about it,” Ehrhart said. “Under this bill, the money is coming to us. Follow the money, folks.”
[...]
Transportation Committee Chairman Vance Smith (R-Pine Mountain) gets the last 20 minutes before a vote and he’s going to use some of it and yield some of it to others, including, apparently, Richardson. We’re getting close!

Here comes the vote.