Georgia Legislative Watch

The Georgia Senate barely passed Senate Bill 454, a bill that would permit the sale of alcoholic beverages on Sunday in “public stadium, coliseums, and auditoriums,” on a vote of 30 “yeas” to 20 “nays.” Twenty-nine votes were needed to pass the legislation.

Gwinnett state Sen. Renee Unterman, the chief sponsor of the legislation, described S.B.454 as a “simple bill” that only changed two words. Georgia law currently allows only cities that have previously approved Sunday alcohol sales to pass an ordinance permitting the sale of alcohol in “public stadiums, coliseums, and auditoriums owned or controlled by it or by a public authority and having seating capacity in excess of 2,500 people on Sunday between the hours of 12:30 P.M. and midnight.” Senate Bill 454 would extend that privilege to counties.

“Baseball, beer, and peanuts are as American as apple pie,” Sen. Unterman said.

The measure is in response to the recent announcement that the Richmond Braves would be moving to Gwinnett County in 2009.

Prior to the close vote, Sen. Seth Harp said a vote for the bill was a vote in favor of expanding Sunday alcohol sales and also spoke positively of the effort to allow local cities and counties to decide, by referendum, whether to allow the purchase of alcohol on Sunday.

“The website [Vote Sunday Sales.com], as of this morning, has 40,000 signatures,” Sen. Harp told his colleagues. The Midland Republican said the sale of alcohol on Sunday should be something that each individual community should choose.

On a vote of 103 to 61, the Georgia House of Representatives failed to give House Resolution 413 the two-thirds majority needed for passage. H.R.413 is a proposed amendment to Georgia’s Constitution that would make English the official language of the state and prohibit any language other than English to be used in the official transaction of government business.

Republican state Rep. Timothy Bearden of Villa Rica introduced the legislation citing polls that said 85% of Americans and 77% of Hispanics believe English should be the official language of this government.

“We’re not trying to prohibit any other languages,” Bearden said.

State Rep. Pedro Marin (D - Duluth) addressed the House in both English and Spanish saying, “The proficiency to speak English should not be a deterrent for those wanting to interact with government.”

Speaking in Spanish, Marin concluded his remarks saying “I too am an American.” Click here to read about this bill

On a vote of 51 to 2, the Georgia Senate today passed House Bill 989; the supplemental budget for fiscal year 2008.

While the vote in favor of the budget was lopsided, the debate itself did not go without any fanfare. State Sen. Emanuel Jones (D-Ellenwood) introduced an amendment that would restore $30 million in equalization funding to education.

Jones’ amendment failed on a vote of 17-36. Before the vote, Senate President Pro Tempore Eric Johnson (R-Savannah) took issue with Sen. Jones’ claim that “in practice, [the supplemental budget] represented a $30 million cut [in education].”

“There are zero cuts in the fiscal year ‘08 budget,” Johnson said. “The debate on equalization grants does not belong in the ‘08 budget. It’s appropriate for ‘09 not ‘08.”

H.B.989 now goes to a conference committee where negotiators from the House and Senate will craft a compromise on spending for the rest of fiscal year 2008.

Here is the latest specifics on the GlennTax:

In a nutshell, here is what would happen if the new plan passes the Legislature and wins voter approval:

* Effective Jan. 1, 2009, Georgians no longer would pay ad valorem taxes on their personal cars and trucks. The state would reimburse counties for the revenue they lose.

* Effective Jan. 1, 2010, Georgia homeowners no longer would pay school ad valorem taxes. School systems would continue to set millage rates and bills would be issued, but the state would reimburse them penny-for-penny for the amount they otherwise would have collected from homeowners.

So where does the state get the money?

* In 2009, Georgians will start paying state taxes again on groceries, and lottery tickets would be taxed.

* In 2010, consumers will start paying sales taxes on services they use, most of which are not now taxed. There will be no sales tax on services like medical, education, child care and business-to-business transactions.

As the article notes, the name “GREAT plan” is dead and it is now called the “Property Tax Reform initiative.”

The AJC has a list of the 174 services that would be taxed. I see all types of contractors, movie tickets, taxis, limos, recording studios, cable, cell phones, various banking activities, legal services, tax preparation services, rental services (video, electronic, etc.), trash service, various real estate and property services, sports event tickets, historical sites, museums, the zoo, golf course, car washes, barber shops, beauty salons, parking lots and garages…and “all other personal services.”

I don’t think he’ll get the 120 votes, but with some arm twisting…who knows.

Any thoughts on the plan?

The State Senate passed a repeal of the state’s portion of the property tax:

Gov. Sonny Perdue’s plan to erase the state portion of property taxes in Georgia sailed through the state Senate on Thursday.

The plan would amend the state constitution to eliminate the state ad valorem tax that residents pay on their property and automobiles. County taxes - which make up the bulk of property tax bills - would continue in effect. It passed 49-4.

The $94 million tax cut must still be approved by a two-thirds vote in the House and by voters at the ballot box.

The property tax portion of the plan is expected to mean an average savings of about $30 per household. The proposal was originally floated by former Democratic Lt. Gov. Mark Taylor in his unsuccessful 2006 bid to unseat Perdue.

Perdue vetoed a $142 million property tax cut last year that was worked out by leaders in the House and Senate. While I’m all for a tax cut, this one is pathetic, and Perdue said as much recently.

Perdue could do this immediately if he wanted to, without an amendment to the Constitution. As Don McKee with the Marietta Daily Journal noted after Perdue announced the cut, the law allows the Governor to set the millage rate. He simply could zero it out instead of going through this long drawn out process.

The amendment is SR 859.