The 2011-2012 Legislative Session starts tomorrow, with swearing in, voting on the Rules, Speakership, and committee assignments expected to dominate this week.
One of the most discussed topics going into the week is the Friday release of the report of the 2010 Special Council on Tax Reform and Fairness for Georgians, a Council set in place by HB 1404 last year. HB 1404 mandates that the recommendations within the report be voted up or down “without significant changes”. Former Legislative Director Jason Pye has looked at the recommendations and I concur with his statement that “its hard to see how this isn’t a massive tax hike”. Per the numbers stated, it currently looks like a $1 Billion or more tax hike – which will make this very tempting for legislators faced with a $1.2 – $2 Billion shortfall to pass. The single largest department left relatively unscathed in the budget is Education, which is a political third rail.
Other commonly discussed options would be to decrease Medicare payments or, as Speaker Ralston said Thursday, “We’re spending a huge amount of money locking people up that have drug problems. At some point the people of Georgia have a right to ask if that’s an appropriate way to spend their tax dollars.”
We will know more about this when Governor-elect Deal releases his first budget proposal early this week.
Among pre-filed legislation there are many of interest to Libertarians in Georgia, and a few of them will receive significant attention from the Party. Among those of general interest are State Rep Bobby Franklin’s (R – Marietta)Constitutional Tender Act and his “Kathryn Johnston’s Law“, banning forced entry in executing a search warrant.
Of particular interest to the Party, as stated in our Legislative Priorities, are State Rep Stephen Allison’s (R – Blairsville) introduction of HB 34, the Zero Based Budgeting Bill, as well as other tax proposals from State Reps Ed Lindsey (R – Atlanta) and Ed Setzler (R – Acworth).
I look forward to working with each of you as this 2011-2012 Session of the Georgia General Assembly progresses, and if you have any questions or concerns about a particular bill or issue, please do not hesitate to email me at jeff.sexton [ at ] lpgeorgia.com
