Fresh Loaf

The Georgia Conservation Voters released their annual scorecard grading our elected officials on how they voted when it came down to the environment. A preserved and clean Earth makes all the chichanery and favor-letting more possible, right guys?

From their press release (emphasis added, full version follows after the jump):

The latest scorecard shows the average score in the Senate dropped by two percent while the House average experienced a nine point increase. The Senate average was 64 percent in 2005-06, but it fell slightly to 62 percent in 2007-08. The House average rose from 54 percent in 2005-06 to 63 percent in 2007-08.

“We’re pleased with all the legislators who improved their scores over last year, but the General Assembly overall is still bringing home a scorecard that shows room for improvement,” said Georgia Conservation Voters Executive Director Chris Osborne. “Talking about the environment is not enough – measuring improvements and providing accountability for conservation-minded voters is a necessary task.”

This session, the conservation community made strides in expanding incentives for land conservation, obtaining funding to clean up dirty school buses, protecting part of Jekyll Island with easy beach access and defeating efforts to make it more difficult to remove billboards. However, efforts to create a funding mechanism for all forms of transportation, including rail transit options, and statutory criteria to protect communities from unnecessary water transfers failed during the last hours of the 2007-08 legislative session.

“We’re pleased to see a greater awareness of how environmental issues from water to transportation to energy affect the lives of Georgians every day. But there is still need for more leadership from the General Assembly if we are to tackle challenges before they turn into a crisis,” said Mr. Osborne.

Freshmen lawmakers scored better than the veterans, Democrats scored better than Republicans, and a round of applause should go out to Sens. Vincent Fort and Bill Jackson and Reps. Roberta Abdul-Salaam, Stephanie Benfield, Doug McKillip, Robert Mumford and Mary Margaret Oliver. They all scored 100 percent.

The rundown can be viewed on the organization’s website here.

(more…)

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State Sen. Jeff Chapman, R-Brunswick, fought hard and fast against members of his own party during the most recent legislative session to protect Jekyll Island, the state park and getaway.

The senator earned an Arnie award because he stood up to the powers that be during the legislative session and voiced the wishes of not only his constituents, but those around the state who protested the proposed Linger Longer development that critics said would’ve blocked public access to the beach and made the longtime vacation spot too expensive for the average Georgian.

Chapman released an editorial through the Senate Press Office that, because of space constraints, we may not be able to publish in next week’s print edition of CL. I’m posting the entire letter after the jump.

It’s a good read from a lawmaker, who along with several other legislators such as state Reps. Debbie Buckner, D-Junction City, and Stephanie Stuckey-Benfield, D-Decatur, pushed to preserve the state park.

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State tax credits for a variety of energy-efficiency improvements and installations on homes and businesses are now available. The eligibility criteria is available for viewing at the Georgia Environmental Facilities Authority’s website.

The perks cap out at $2.5 million each year and will be pro-rated among the applicants. The credits sprang from HB 670, a piece of legislation that Pam Davidson, one of the Republican candidates for the Public Service Comission, helped push through the notoriously un-progressive General Assembly this past session.

Here are some facts from a GEFA press release.

Consistent with Governor Perdue’s commitment to the Conserve Georgia campaign and the Governor’s Energy Challenge, the tax credit creates an income tax credit for a variety of energy efficient and renewable energy technologies including:

• Active solar space heating;

• Solar electric and solar thermal electric;

• Wind;

• Certain bio-electricity facilities (non-residential only);

• Geothermal heat pumps;

• Efficient lighting (non-residential only); and

• Energy efficient buildings (non-residential only).

“The Georgia Clean Energy Property Tax Credit is part of our state’s investment in a clean energy future,” said Chris Clark, executive director of the Georgia Environmental Facilities Authority (GEFA). “This incentive will accelerate Georgians’ adoption of energy efficient technologies and will help them to meet the Governor’s Energy Challenge.”

Most credits are capped at 35 percent of the cost of the property or a certain dollar amount established by the statute. There are different credit limits for residential and non-residential installations. The bill also provides tax credits for wood residuals delivered to qualified renewable biomass facilities. The Georgia Forestry Commission will establish the value of the biomass credits.

A total of $2.5 million in tax credits are available each calendar year from 2008 to 2012. The Department of Revenue will provide quarterly updates about the amount of available credits via its website – www.dor.ga.gov. GEFA will provide annual reports on the energy and economic benefits of the tax credit.

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Big surprise, but it looks like the areas in Georgia that received the most funding in budget earmarks are those whose representatives and senators carry clout. Like Columbia County, whose Rep. Ben Harbin, R-Evans, brought home 88.9 cents per person on average.

Fulton? We yanked 32.8 cents. Gooooo Fulton!

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During the legislative session, Rep. Bobby Franklin, R-Marietta, blogged for The American View, a conservative Christian web site whose organizers aim to create “Christian America, and a Christian world, a Christian galaxy and a Christian universe.”

But since there is no area of life outside of the Lordship of King Jesus, all votes cast are religious in nature and must be based on what the Bible says is the proper function of the civil government.

— Franklin, on Jan 31, explaining how he decides his legislative votes.

By a vote of 154-1 the House approved HB 1088, a bill to provide state central planning of “agricultural tourism.” The last time I checked, I could not find any Biblical role of the civil government in the function of tourism, agricultural or otherwise.

— Franklin, on Feb. 18.

HB 1043 amended an already bad law, the “Childhood Lead Exposure Control Act” by allowing the state to enter your property if some state agent thinks that your kid has been exposed to lead. Whatever happened to the Supreme Court’s “Roe” and “Casey” right to privacy?

— Franklin rails against a bill aimed at protecting children from lead-contaminated structures.

You are a person while in the test tube. But the state then can deny your personhood the moment you are implanted in a uterus. With so called right to life organizations promoting this type of abomination, no wonder roughly 40,000 babies are still being slaughtered in their mother’s womb’s each year in Georgia.

— Franklin criticizes a bill proposed by Georgia Right to Life that would designate embryos in test tubes as “people.”

While Georgia is throwing the book at people that use alcohol vaporizing devices, the butchering of the unborn continues[.]

— Franklin writes about a House bill that would ban alcohol-vaporizers.

This bill allows the commissioner of the Department of Natural Resources (why there is such a department is another story) to prohibit all commercial and recreational fishing for blue crabs.

— Franklin questions the importance of an agency charged with protecting the environment.

Why is the Georgia House of Representatives concerning itself with any sport when tens of thousands of babies are slaughtered in the womb each year here in Georgia?

— Franklin expresses disgust with a bill that would urge the NCAA use a playoff system to determine a national college football champion.

First, individuals do not have any natural rights — which transitions to the second point: rights are given by God and are not privileges handed out by the state. It is very dangerous when those elected to office begin to believe and govern as if the State is God.

— Franklin states his views on basic rights.

Does it surprise you that the question never lets the voter know that if the Governor so chooses that not a dime of the tax could go toward transportation? Republicans - gotta love’um [--] NOT!

— Franklin channels Wayne’s World in his final post of the legislative session.

Rep. Franklin then said that the folks that wanted to end slavery were called “crazy” and “radical”, but they were doing “what was right”, so he didn’t mind being called crazy because he’s doing what’s right.

— Andre Walker in a Jan. 2007 GeorgiaPoliticsUnfiltered blog post after he asked Rep. Franklin about pro-choice groups labeling him as “crazy.”

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According to the fine print on the back of Georgia gun permits, it’s currently illegal to carry an “explosive compound, firearm, or knife” to “athletic or sporting events, churches or church functions, political rallies or functions, publicly owned or operated buildings, or establishments at which alcoholic beverages are sold [sic] for consumption on the premises.”

On Friday, state lawmakers modified this no-gun-zone list.

If Gov. Perdue signs the legislation, Georgians with permits-to-pack will soon be able to carry concealed guns (but not samurai swords) on MARTA, into some restaurants and bars, and to state parks.

The law is obnoxious and Gov. Perdue should veto it — but not for the reason you might think.

I do not believe the new law will increase the number of restaurant and/or MARTA shoot-outs.

And as a gun permit holder myself, (more…)

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Pfft. In the final hours of sine die, the Georgia General Assembly let loose like a balloon. Inflated egos and petty bickering between chambers over tax reform held hostage the most important of issues, such as transportation and trauma care. Once Speaker Glenn Richardson declared the issue dead an hour before he gaveled the session to a close, it left a lot of people wondering if progress even occurred. No worries, though — some of the Senate interns had a good enough time and the insurance lobbyists have plenty to bring home to their employers.

Here’s some of what happened:

TADs: Despite objections, the resolution calling for a constitutional amendment that would allow voters to decide in November if school funds could be used for development projects such as the Beltline, passed. High point: Rep. Brian Thomas, D-Lilburn, asked Rep. Steve Davis, R-McDonough, if he objected to the idea of TADs solely on ideological grounds or for practical reasons. Thomas was one of the most intelligent speakers in the House on sine die, addressing such issues as the drought and what it means for Georgia in the long-term with clarity and depth.

TRANSPORTATION: No go. SR 845, a constitutional amendment that would’ve allowed voters in a region to levy a local option sales tax for transportation projects, passed the House but ultimately failed by three votes in the Senate. Fingers are pointing all over the place, but most are aimed at Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle.

WATER: Let’s dig us some holes, indeed. Legislation that would make more money available to cities and counties wanting to build reservoirs passed. Opponents of the bill derided it because it lacked concrete language about interbasin transfers — taking water from one basin and putting it into another, a practice legislators outside the metro region fear will rob them of the resource. Tax credits for water-saving fixtures failed. A resolution that calls for the governors of Georgia and Tennessee to sit down and gab about moving the border a wee bit north passed. The statewide water plan, three-year effort that culminated poetically with this year’s drought, was passed earlier in the session. Gov. Sonny Perdue signed it into law last month.

FIREARMS: The Capitol was a little like the Wild Wild West on Friday night. Lots of pretty drunk girls and big-bellied legislators running on stiff drinks and braggadocio. They gave firearms enthusiasts across the state something to smile about, too. It was HB 89 and it passed. You can now carry your gun in restaurants, state parks, MARTA trains and the parking lot at work — if your boss lets you. Boss, is it cool if we do that?

HEALTH CARE: No statewide trauma-funding network. All thanks to disagreements about a car tax.

BOOZE: You can now bring home bottles of wine you purchase in a restaurant, provided it’s sealed and locked up in the trunk or glove compartment. Also, you can order wine off the Internet. Minor-league baseball fans in Gwinnett can sip on Sundays at the county’s planned stadium. In other words, all measures passed. A constitutional amendment that would let Georgians decide if the state should repel its nonsensical blue laws was pulled so as not to hinder politicians running for re-election this year if they voted for it. Really, that’s what happened. Ample reason to vote against them if you ask me, but you didn’t, so next topic.

ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION: The bills aimed at harassing illegal immigrants out of Georgia failed.

To read CL’s minute-by-minute live blog of the final night’s dysfunction, click here. It’s nine hours of lovetaps, really. That Other Paper also has a summary of what passed and failed this legislative session.

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Transit advocates had high hopes for SR 845, the constitutional amendment that would’ve allowed voters in a region to levy a local option sales tax to generate funding for transportation projects. Backed by a variety of diverse and influential interests, it was tagged as an innovative approach to financing projects and a shoo-in to pass.

Only, it didn’t. The House approved it, but the funding strategy failed the Senate three votes shy of a necessary majority. And with that disappointment now behind them, so begins the Monday-morning chagrin of advocates who pushed for the bill.

From Citizens for Progressive Transit, an Atlanta-based grassroots advocacy group whose members viewed the resolution as a fresh way to bolster the region’s lackluster transit system and invest in its future expansion.

Atlanta, GA – Citizens for Progressive Transit expressed disappointment over the Georgia Senate’s failure to achieve a two-thirds majority on a new transportation funding measure, but also expressed confidence that transit expansion plans will continue.

“This is a setback, but while we did not get two-thirds in the Senate, we still won overwhelming majorities in both chambers,” said Lee Biola, president of the transit advocacy group. “This is proof there is broad consensus about how to resolve our transportation problems.”

Biola credited hard work and good faith negotiations between members of the business community, county commissioners, transportation contractors, engineers, environmental organizations, and transit advocates that got as close as possible to a solution that would give Georgians a way out of traffic and rising gas prices.

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From the state Senate President Pro Tem’s sine die post on his now-shuttered blog:

* I hope you enjoyed this blog because I will never do another one. Man, it was hard. I don’t know how reporters and columnists do this day after day. I wanted to educate and entertain. I hope I did a little of both. So, I am outta here “sine die”.

Yes, senator, educate and entertain you did, indeed. Johnson’s daily summaries of the legislative process were enlightening and a daily stop for me and many other writers. But it was after reading that nothing makes him more psyched for a day of legislating than hearing “Stairway to Heaven” on the drive to the Capitol that I was hooked.

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No sooner after the Senate approved HB 130 — a bill that would give consumers greater control over their credit reports that’s summarized here by Scott Henry — did Equifax start soliciting their customers with a credit-protection program opponents call “redundant.”

Here’s what the AARP, who pushed for cheaper credit-report freezes for seniors, had to say about Equifax’s offer:

The solicitation, in part, offers “the ability to lock and unlock your … credit file online quickly and easily; the flexibility to temporarily unlock your … credit file for all or specific companies; comprehensive monitoring and alerts within 24 hours of key changes to your Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion credit files” for $14.95 per month.

…

“AARP reminds Georgia citizens that many of the bundled services that the credit reporting agencies may offer are unnecessary with the successful passage of Georgia’s credit freeze legislation. Research and examine any sales tactics closely before spending money needlessly on a monthly basis,” said AARP State Advocacy Director Kathy Floyd.

After the jump, view the e-mail that Equifax customers received.

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Per the usual custom, the Georgia General Assembly waits ’til the last minute to pass a boodle of bills. “Guns in petting zoos” passed this morning, but we’ve still got a bunch of issues to resolve. We’re there watching. Feel free to chime in and send comments or questions.

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Yes, Christa, we can’t help ourselves! What better way to enjoy the cluster#$@! that is sine die, the 40th and final day of the legislative session, than with your cyberfriends? We’ll be heading to the Capitol in the next hour, setting up the proverbial shop, and hammering away at our keyboards while the House and Senate lob amendments back and forth at one another. If you work at one of those really cool places where you can curse and drink while you sit at your desk, please uncap the jug and take a swig every time one of our distinguished Golden Sleaze recipients stands before his or her colleagues.

Feel free to chime in and contribute your thoughts. If you want to watch the festivities, click here and select your chamber of choice.

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The Helping Marta Is Smarta Award

[One in a series of accolades doled out to the legislators who managed to do good -- or at least try to -- during this year's legislative session. View the other winners, as well as their more poor-minded colleagues, in this week's CL or online here.]

With lawmakers eyeing reelection in November, many were hesitant to pass any solution to Atlanta’s transportation mess that might remotely sound like a tax increase. So Sen. Curt Thompson, D-Norcross, had the clever idea that counties hugging MARTA’s service areas be allowed to contract for the transit agency’s services and live up to its connectivity potential in the auto-oriented region. His bill made it through the Senate and was struggling at press time to get to the House floor.

(Photo courtesy of the Senate Press Office)

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