WEEKLY LEGISLATIVE REPORT – February 17, 2006

House majority passes school spending mandate

By Rep. Quincy Murphy

Despite widespread opposition from education groups and local school officials across the state, members of the House majority voted to approve the Governor’s mandate on the allocation of public school funds at the local level.

Under Senate Bill 390, local school systems would be required to direct 65 percent of all revenues to the Governor’s definition of “in-classroom activities.” It is that definition that raises some of the concern, as the bill fails to recognize the importance of media centers (libraries), modern technology and required teacher training to public education.

Of perhaps even greater concern is the idea that state government should micromanage the allocation of local tax dollars for local school boards, which are already devoting an average of 63 percent of their funding to classroom instruction. Many school systems, which have already faced the consequences of more than $1 billion in state funding cuts over the past three years, would have to consider raising property taxes in order to adhere to this mandate from Atlanta while continuing to, for example, keep school buses running.

SB 390 was amended in a House committee before being adopted by a 102-70 vote, so the Senate would need to agree to those changes before the legislation goes to the Governor for his signature. I voted against this legislation because local school boards have a better idea of their students needs than a one-size-fits-all mandate such as this proposal.

After three hours of debate, House members adopted a proposal to charge illegal immigrants a fee for wiring money out of the country. The revenue generated from the 5 percent surcharge would be would supposedly be intended for indigent health care. The “Illegal Immigrant Fee Act” is the first of many immigration reform proposals to pass either house of the General Assembly this session. 

Any customer who shows a pay stub, driver’s license or any other proof of U.S. Citizenship would not have to pay the fee. However, this legislation does not apply to a money order that is not wired or a cashier’s check you take to the bank, which exposes a huge loophole.

I also opposed HB 1238 because of its unintended consequences that will ultimately hurt the business community, certain segments of which depend greatly on the labor of migrant workers. Illegal immigration is a major issue but one that should be properly addressed at the federal level.

House Democrats have introduced a new ethics package that would be the strongest in Georgia’s history and increased retirement for teachers. The ethics package includes a ban on all gifts from lobbyists, prohibits lobbyist paid travel for lawmakers and bans lobbyist paid tickets. The legislation also includes whistle blower protections for city and county employees. Last year’s ethics legislation does not go far enough.

The original proposal prohibited gifts of more than $50 to public officials from people doing business with the state, but the House Republican leadership took that provision out of the final version of the legislation. There were also no whistle blower protections covering all governmental employees.

Democrats are also supporting HB 127, which would authorize the General Assembly to appropriate funds to raise the service retirement allowance for Georgia’s teachers from 2 percent to a maximum of 2.5 percent.

In 1975, the Democratic-controlled Georgia General Assembly passed legislation that increased the benefit formula multiplier from 1.75 percent to 2 percent. From 1975 to 1983, the Georgia General Assembly appropriated funds each year to increase the formula. 

Legislation that I introduced has been favorably reported by the House Retirement Committee. HB 554 would allow a member with at least 10 years of creditable service to be entitled to receive creditable service for a prior period of employment while participating in the Regents Retirement Plan.             

The House also adopted legislation that would provide parents with more information about the school clubs their children could join. The bill would require schools to publicize information about every club and make it available to parents. It also says that parents are responsible for notifying schools when they do not want their children to participate in a club’s activities. The measure that passed does not require any additional paperwork for teachers who are already responsible for too many duties outside of the classroom. The bill now goes to the Senate for its consideration.

• Rep. Quincy Murphy represents the 120th District (Richmond County) in the Georgia House of Representatives. Contact him at 604 Coverdell Office Building, Atlanta, Ga. 30334; by phone at 404-656-0265; or by e-mail at quincy.murphy@house.ga.gov.