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	<title>Georgia Legislative Watch</title>
	<link>http://www.georgialegislativewatch.com</link>
	<description>"...and the clerk will unlock the machine"</description>
	<lastBuildDate>Thu, 02 Jul 2009 02:13:54 +0000</lastBuildDate>
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		<title>Nine candidates to fill GA Supreme Court vacancy</title>
		<description><![CDATA[The nine candidates to replace Leah Ward Sears on the Georgia Supreme Court have been released. There are a couple recognizable names, but word is William Ray is the favorite.
Here are the candidates:

Stephen Louis A. Dillard (39, lawyer)
Jim Kelly (53, lawyer)
David Nahmias (44, United States Attorney for North Georgia)
Samuel Ozburn (57, Alcovy Circuit Superior Court [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://www.georgialegislativewatch.com/2009/07/01/nine-candidates-to-fill-ga-supreme-court-vacancy/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>89 New Laws Go Into Effect Today</title>
		<description><![CDATA[89 new laws passed by the General Assembly during the last session go into effect today.
Among them are laws allowing commercial advertisements on transit vehicles owned by local government, the &#8216;Move On When Ready Act&#8217;, changes to the HOPE grant structure, emailed court proceedings, changes to the criminal definition of kidnapping, and many others. The [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://www.georgialegislativewatch.com/2009/07/01/89-new-laws-go-into-effect-today/</link>
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		<title>New fiscal year begins</title>
		<description><![CDATA[The 2010 fiscal year begins today in Georgia. The state is operating on a budget of $38.416 billion ($18.5 of that are state funds).
Still no word on a special session, but it will happen if we continue to see revenues drop last the last fiscal year.
]]></description>
		<link>http://www.georgialegislativewatch.com/2009/07/01/new-fiscal-year-begins/</link>
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	<item>
		<title>Roberts to chair House Transportation Committee</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Rep. Jay Roberts will replace Vance Smith, the recently appointed GDOT Commissioner, as chairman of the House Transportation Committee. 
]]></description>
		<link>http://www.georgialegislativewatch.com/2009/06/28/roberts-to-chair-house-transportation-committee/</link>
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		<title>Rasmussen: Barnes with big lead</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Rasmussen shows Roy Barnes with an overwhelming lead in the Democratic primary for Governor:
A new Rasmussen Reports telephone survey in Georgia shows Barnes capturing 48% among likely Democratic Primary voters. State Attorney General Thurbert Baker is a distant second with eight percent (8%) of the vote, followed by House Minority Leader Dubose Porter at five [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://www.georgialegislativewatch.com/2009/06/22/rasmussen-barnes-with-big-lead/</link>
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		<title>Odds of special session increase</title>
		<description><![CDATA[As revenues continue to drop, there is more talk of a special session:
The length and depth of the current recession have prompted round after round of cutbacks in state spending, and now legislators are talking about the need for a special session to address it.
Tax collections were down in May, putting the decline at 10 [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://www.georgialegislativewatch.com/2009/06/21/odds-of-special-session-increase/</link>
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		<title>GPPF: Signing Away Health Care Freedom</title>
		<description><![CDATA[The following commentary is from Benita Dodd of the Georgia Public Policy Foundation. The GPPF publishes a column weekly, it can be found here.
Georgia’s Democratic Party is asking Georgians to sign its petition asking the state’s two senators to “support President Obama’s health care reform proposals, even if it means standing up to Republican leaders [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://www.georgialegislativewatch.com/2009/06/19/gppf-signing-away-health-care-freedom/</link>
			</item>
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		<title>Smith to lead GDOT</title>
		<description><![CDATA[State Rep. Vance Smith (R-Pine Mountain) has been selected as the new GDOT Commissioner. His first day will be June 25th, meaning that there will be a special election in House District 129.
]]></description>
		<link>http://www.georgialegislativewatch.com/2009/06/18/smith-to-lead-gdot/</link>
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		<title>Strategic Vision&#8217;s latest poll</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Strategic Vision, a Republican-leaning firm, has a new poll out on the 2010 party primaries for Governor. 
Republican primary
- John Oxendine: 35%
- Karen Handel: 13%
- Nathan Deal: 12%
- Eric Johnson: 4%
- Ray McBerry: 2%
- Austin Scott: 2%
- Undecided: 32% 
Deal, despite his Fred Thompson-like campaign, is doing better than I expected. Scott is where I [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://www.georgialegislativewatch.com/2009/06/17/strategic-visions-latest-poll/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>CQ Politics: Georgia not a given for GOP</title>
		<description><![CDATA[CQ Politics has changed the status of the Governor&#8217;s race in Georgia to &#8220;Leans Republican,&#8221; it was previously listed as &#8220;Republican Favored,&#8221; after Roy Barnes entrance in the the Democratic primary.
]]></description>
		<link>http://www.georgialegislativewatch.com/2009/06/04/cq-politics-georgia-not-a-given-for-gop/</link>
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