2005 Session Review

Good news, bad news from the 2005 session

The 2005 session of the Georgia General Assembly utilized only 39 legislative days out of the constitutional limit of 40. However, in actual days, this session, stretching from Jan. 10 through March 31, was the fourth-longest of the past 20 years.

The question of whether this session was conducted more efficiently than in years past is certainly open for debate. Likewise, one‚s opinion of the legislation that was passed depends largely on his or her political viewpoint.

From my perspective, some very positive legislation was passed, but on too many occasions, the rights of everyday Georgians were under attack. Here is a review of the action at the State Capitol during the 2005 session:

Voter access. I am strongly opposed to the new law that will tightly restrict citizens‚ access to the voting booth. Voting is a right and should not be a burden. The seriously flawed House Bill 244 would require Georgians to provide photo identification when they go to vote. Other currently accepted forms of ID, including Social Security cards, birth certificates or student identification, would no longer suffice. This puts an undue hardship on Georgia voters who do not hold driver‚s licenses, such as the elderly and the poor. Many rural counties in our state do not provide convenient opportunities to obtain an official photo ID card, and these voters will be discouraged from participating in the electoral process.

Medical malpractice. State law will now impose a $350,000 limit on non-economic damages in medical malpractice lawsuits if against one defendant, or up to $1.05 million if against multiple defendants. While the bill is intended to lower malpractice insurance for doctors, opponents questioned the effectiveness of damage caps and the constitutionality of restricting a malpractice victim‚s right to seek justice in our courts.

Hawks. Early in the session, House members approved a set of rules changes that give the speaker the authority to appoint legislators as "hawks" who serve as temporary members of any committee and can vote on bills being marked up in that committee. This new rule effectively gives the speaker the power to pass or kill any bill he wants to at the committee level simply by sending in his "hawks".

Supporting our troops. Legislation was approved that would show meaningful support to active-duty Georgia National Guard members, more than 4,000 of whom are already deployed in Iraq. The bills, which originated in the Historic Economic Relief for Our Exceptional Soldiers (HEROES) package, would create a state fund through an income tax check-off to help military families pay their household bills, as well as provide college tuition grants and life insurance coverage for Guard members.

24-hour waiting period. This legislation requires a 24-hour waiting period for women seeking the procedure after they have been given state-mandated information on fetal pain, fetal development and alternatives to abortion such as adoption. The bill also requires a minor's parents or legal guardian to be notified before she undergoes an abortion. Government ethics. The House and Senate passed a compromise bill hammered out by a joint House-Senate conference committee, and it excludes some of the provisions originally proposed by Gov. Sonny Perdue. The bill does create a bipartisan legislative
committee to look into conflicts of interests, prohibit former lawmakers from making an immediate return to the Capitol as lobbyists, strengthen campaign financial disclosure laws and force lobbyists to disclose what they spend on members of the Public Service Commission and the state insurance commissioner.

Smoking ban. This legislation would impose a statewide smoking ban, with exemptions for bars and restaurants that don‚t serve minors and small business operations. Those opposed to the measure were concerned about the further erosion of personal property rights and not allowing private business owners to set their own policy. At the time of this writing, the governor is said to be considering a veto of this bill.

Murphy legislation addresses government contracts

Legislation that I introduced this session would put tighter controls on the awarding of privatization
contracts by the executive branch of government, requiring that these contract opportunities be publicly advertised and competitively bid

House Bill 472 was favorably reported by the House Government Affairs Committee but did not reach the House floor for a vote before the end of the session. I will work to see that this bill becomes law in 2006.

Another bill I introduced, HB 554, deals with the Teachers Retirement System and would entitle members to receive credit for prior service in the University System of Georgia. This legislation was assigned to the House Retirement Committee for consideration.

Among the legislation I co-sponsored was HB 570, the Interlocal Cooperation Act, which was approved by both the House and Senate and signed by the governor. This bill provides comprehensive regulation of agreements between county and city governments in Georgia.

The 2005 session was my third as a state representative. I was appointed to serve on the House
committees on Higher Education, Insurance and Intragovernmental Coordination, all of which are
important to residents of Augusta and Richmond County.

I am honored to serve as your representative at the State Capitol. Please contact me to discuss any issues facing our state, or if I can ever be of service.

New budget falls short on education, health care

Governor Sonny Perdue‚s budget proposal recommended the largest spending plan in Georgia history, a $17.4 billion annual budget for fiscal year 2006 ˆ a full $1 billion increase over the current year.

The plan also includes nearly $1 billion in borrowed funds for construction and other capital improvement expenditures but falls short of restoring major cuts in education and health care funding in the previous two years. School teachers and state employees will receive a 2 percent salary increase, which will offset by a 9.5 percent increase in their State Health Benefit Plan premiums.

At the governor's insistence, children of Georgia‚s working families will be locked out of the PeachCare for Kids program if their parents‚ monthly premium payment arrives late. Last year, when Georgia first imposed that penalty, 45,000 kids lost their health insurance, and some 17,000 never regained coverage. These children should be able to be reinstated to the program when the premiums are paid, rather than having to wait three months or more.

The governor also pushed for approval of legislation delaying Georgia‚s plan for reducing class sizes in grades 4-12, despite increased state revenues and the proven benefits of smaller class sizes.
Fortunately, legislation that would have limited the HOPE Scholarship to 127 credit hours stalled in the
Senate after passing narrowly in the House. This unneeded restriction would have adversely affected
thousands of HOPE Scholars whose degree programs require more than 127 credit hours.