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AJC.com > Legislature > Blog > Archives > 2007 > January > 08
Monday, January 8, 2007
Proposed law could wipe out car tax
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
A high-ranking Republican state lawmaker is proposing substantially reducing or even wiping out Georgia’s car tax at a savings to taxpayers of up to $250 million annually.
“I think one of the more fair approaches to a short-term tax cut is to eliminate or reduce the ad valorem tax on people’s cars,” state Rep. Mark Burkhalter (R-Alpharetta) told the House after it unanimously reelected him speaker pro tem Monday. “Rich and poor, north and south Georgia, they pay that owners tax on their birthday. And I just think it is flat wrong.”
Burkhalter says he is considering proposing car tax exemptions of $15,000, $20,000 or $25,000.
The tax cut would work like this: Motorists would still pay their local governments car taxes. But the state would send the motorists rebate checks.
For example, if the person’s car is valued at $16,000 and he has a $15,000 tax exemption through this legislation, he would pay the local government the total amount owed on his car valued at $16,000 but the state would refund him the taxes he paid based on a $15,000 exemption.
In other words, the motorist would only be paying taxes on $1,000 of the car’s value.
Each county has its own car tax rate which you multiply by the value of a person’s car to get the taxes owed.
Burkhalter wants to start off doing this tax cut on a year-to-year basis with the idea of making it permanent in the future.
Care to share your thoughts on this proposed legislation? If so, please e-mail reporter Carlos Campos at ccampos@ajc.com with your comments. Please include your home town and a phone number in case he needs to contact you to clarify your statement.
Permalink | Comments (4) | Categories: Taxes
Law would recreate Milton County
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The move to break up Fulton County began in earnest today.
Legislation that would allow all of Fulton north of Atlanta to break off into a separate county was introduced by Rep. Jan Jones (R-Alpharetta) on the first day of the General Assembly.
Milton wold encompass about 300,000 people, making it the fifth largest in the state — and dropping Fulton from No. 1 in population to No. 4.
Jones says the people of Fulton are over-taxed and under-served, and they deserve a government that is closer to them and more responsive.
But if her bill succeeds, it will raise serious long-term questions about the funding of Grady Memorial Hospital and MARTA, both of which lean heavily on Fulton for support.
The bill calls for a statewide vote on amending the Georgia constitution to allow previously existing counties to be re-created.
Georgia is at its constitutionally-mandated limit of 159 counties, but Jones’ bill would allow an exemption that applies only to Milton in north Fulton and Campbell in south Fulton. Both counties were merged into Fulton during the Great Depression because they couldn’t fund their operations.
Jones’ bill, like the bill to create Sandy Springs in 2005, is strongly supported by Northside Republicans and opposed by Southside Democrats.
Because the bill calls for a constitutional amendment, it requires a two-thirds majority in both the House and Senate. The Republicans don’t have two-thirds of either chamber, but they expect broad-based support for freedom of choice, as Sandy Springs got.
Under Jones bill, Milton’s superior court would remain in the Fulton judicial circuit, but Milton would create its own school system.
The bill is expected to be debated in the 2007 Legislature and voted on in 2008. If it passes the General Assembly, a statewide referendum would be held on the Nov. 2008 ballot.
Permalink | Comments (2) | Categories: Local
Perdue sworn in for second term
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Gov. Sonny Perdue was sworn into a second term Monday afternoon, bringing with him the state’s first Republican lieutenant governor and Secretary of State.
In remarks to about 4,000 people attending the inaguration at Phillips Arena, Perdue said Georgia was moving into an era of national leadership. While including no details about his plans for his second term, he promised to leave Georgia better than he found it when he retires in four years.
“I want to hand off a well-run state .. one whose principles will endure beyond a change of leadership … one whose children are at the top of their natioinal class … one who is operating strong, conservative fiscal policies … and one who is moving forward with momentum,” he said.
“The only legacy I seek is the same one any parent or grandparent seeks: to hand off our state, our home, to the next generation in better shape than we found it.”
The governor’s inaugural address made reference to the possibility that his replacement was in the arena, sitting behind him. New Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle and House Speaker Glenn Richardson, (R-Hiram) and new Secretary of State Karen Handel, all in attendance, are among those considered possible gubernatorial contenders. Governors in Georgia are limited to two terms.
Monday’s ceremony made Perdue the first Georgia Republican inaugurated for a second four-year term. Cagle and Handel were also sworn in Monday, becoming the first Republicans in their jobs in Georgia.
Other statewide elected officials, including Agriculture Commissioner Tommy Irvin, who was first took office in 1969, were also sworn in this afternoon.
Before the event, military march themes filled the arena, while signs declaring Perdue’s campaign theme, “Moving Georgia Forward” hovered over the ground floor, which is used by the NBA Atlanta Hawks and NHL’s Atlanta Thrashers.
Lawmakers filled the seats behind the speaker’s podium, and behind them sat the Woodstock Baptist Church Choir, which performed during the ceremony.
The event had the air of a national political convention, with giant screens showing the state flag and Perdue’s campaign theme in front of waving American flags.
Among those attending were former Govs. Carl Sanders, Joe Frank Harris and Zell Miller. Miller, the Republicans’ favorite Democrat, received a standing ovation when his name was announced.
Permalink | | Categories: politics
Former neighbors back governor
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Dena Williams and her 11-year-old daughter, Kimberly, of Thomson, Ga., near Augusta, were among those in the audience at Philips Arena for today’s inaugural ceremonies.
The mother and daughter were guests of Gov. Sonny Perdue.
Dena Williams and her family used to live next door to Perdue in Bonaire and have known the governor since 1977.
“We helped campaign for him when he went into the Senate in the ‘90s,” Dena Williams said. “We owned a garage by his fertilizer company and worked on his vehicles.”
Kimberly was missing school to attend the festivities. “It’s something new,” she said with a big smile.
Permalink | | Categories: politics
Sports arena transformed for ceremony
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Shortly before inaugural ceremonies were set to begin at 2 p.m. today, Philips Arena, home of the Atlanta Hawks and Thrashers, had undergone a transformation.
Long flowing streams of red, white, and blue fabric hung from the ceiling of the arena, the site of the inauguration, just below banners behind the stage touting the Hawks’ (few) achievements.
The Georgia Army National Guard’s 116th Army Band provided musical accompaniment as legislators, state officials, their friends and relatives streamed into the arena. Many clutched colorful inaugural programs featuring a painting of Sonny and Mary Perdue, done in a style reminscent of Leroy Neiman.
The Jumbotron, which usually shows highlights and scores of sports events, bears an image of the Georgia flag with the slogan, “Moving Georgia Forward Jan. 8, 2007.”
The Woodstock Baptist Church choir and orchestra also provided music and song as visitors found their way to their seats.
Oversized replicas of the Georgia seal were placed directly in front of and on the stage where Gov. Perdue, Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle and other state officers soon will be sworn in.
Permalink | | Categories: politics
Richardson reelected speaker
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Georgia’s House of Representatives reelected Glenn Richardson as speaker today despite an attempt by Democrats to replace him with one of their own.
Richardson (R-Hiram) picked up 113 votes, while House Minority Leader DuBose Porter (D-Dublin) got 66. At least seven Democrats crossed the aisle to vote for Richardson.
In his acceptance speech to the House, Richardson said he would favorably consider legislation during this 40-day session if it shrinks state government, cuts taxes, encourages “personal responsibility,” and strengthens families.
“Any bill that does not will have a tough time making it through this process,” Richardson vowed. Richardson also quoted Charles Dickens’ “A Tale of Two Cities,” while referring to unspecified attacks against him and the Republican majority in the House.
“The last two years for me as speaker, well, they have been the best of times and they have been the worst of times,” Richardson said.
During his speech, the speaker did not refer to ethics complaints the state Democratic Party filed against him today. The complaints allege Richardson had an “inappropriate personal” relationship with a female lobbyist for Atlanta Gas Light last year while co-sponsoring a bill to finance a $300 million pipeline for the utility.
State Democratic Party chairman Bobby Kahn offered no evidence of the alleged relationship in the complaints he said he mailed to the State Ethics Commission and Joint Committee on Ethics Friday.
“We can get into the evidentiary part as the complaint proceeds but we will leave it at that right now,” Kahn said Sunday. “The complaint speaks for itself.”
Richardson has so far declined to respond directly to Kahn’s allegations, saying he doesn’t want to “give them merit.”
“We are not going to respond to Bobby Kahn and the Democrats,” Richardson said in an interview Sunday. “We are going to stay focused on the issues for the people of Georgia.”
Richardson added that he signed onto the pipeline bill last year at the request of House Speaker Pro Tem Mark Burkhalter (R-Alpharetta), who co-sponsored the legislation. Richardson said that by the end of last year’s legislative session he “didn’t care if it passed or not.”
At the end of his speech before the House today, Richardson thanked his wife, Susan, for her support.
Also today, Burkhalter was reelected speaker pro tem. In an interview Sunday, Burkhalter denied rumors that he had been trying to line up votes to take Richardson’s job. Burkhalter, in fact, nominated Richardson for speaker today, praising Richardson as a “great manager of this House and a great defender of this House.”
The House started its 2007 session at 10 a.m. sharp today. All 180 members were present and were immediately sworn into office with spouses, fidgeting children and parents at their sides.
“You can’t get any better than perfect attendance,” said House Clerk Robbie Rivers, who was also reelected today. “180 members. 180 members present. Congratulations, you are here.”
The House members shook hands and hugged each other after they raised their right hands and took the oath. The House also adopted its rules after a testy debate between Porter and House Majority Leader Jerry Keen (R-St. Simons Island).
Porter objected to the Republican majority’s plans to continue with its “hawks” system in which the speaker appoints members who can show up at any committee and cast votes.
“In our opinion, it does away with representative government,” Porter said before urging the House to reject the rules.
Keen denied Porter’s claim, saying the purpose of the hawks is to maintain a quorum in committee meetings. He added that if the speaker wanted to he could simply “stack the committees” with Republicans.
“It is the intent that they never have to be there” in the committees, Keen said of the hawks. After approving the rules by a 110 to 66, the House recessed at 12:15 p.m. today.
Permalink | | Categories: politics
Cooperation prevails in Senate
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The 2007 Legislative session began with a spirit of cooperation in the Georgia Senate.
The Senate opened with a prayer, and then the 56 members of the Senate vowed to uphold the Georgia Constitution during their swearing-in ceremony.
Then, came the Senate’s first order of business: electing a new Senate President Pro Tem.
Senate Majority Leader Tommie Williams (R-Lyons) nominated Sen. Eric Johnson (R-Savannah), who was first elected to the position in 2002. Williams praised Johnson for his passion for public service, and called him a “person of prayer” and a “faithful father and husband.”
Senate Minority Leader Robert Brown (D-Macon) immediately gave Johnson’s nomination a second nod, and the members of the chamber unanimously elected him to be their leader. Johnson said that the Georgia Senate has had 66 members serve as President Pro Tem, but that only two had served more than four years.
Johnson thanked his colleagues for the opportunity to serve as their leader once again. He also said that while he has made mistakes, he has worked hard to lead the chamber.
“My tongue can be sharp, but I’ve always spoken the truth even if you didn’t want to hear it,” Johnson said, “I don’t think anyone can claim I’ve misled them.”
Johnson also wished Lt. Governor-elect Casey Cagle well in serving as the first Republican elected to that office. Johnson said that he supported changes to the Senate Rules that would expand Cagle’s powers. The Republican majority in the Senate had stripped those powers from Lt. Gov. Mark Taylor, a Democrat. Cagle will be sworn into office on Monday afternoon.
Permalink | | Categories: politics
Inauguration Prayer Service
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Gov. Sonny Perdue, his family and about 125 other Georgians began inauguration Monday with a prayer service at Northside United Methodist Church this morning.
“We are friends and supporters governor, but we are all Georgians,” the Rev. G. Gil Watson Sr., minister of the church, told Perdue in his welcome.
Catholic Archbishop Wilton D. Gregory told Perdue this was a day of pride and hope for him as he begins his second term in office. “It is an equally hopeful day for the family of citizens that is the state of Georgia.”
Gregory told Perdue to pray for a wisdom that would help all Georgians, who have a stake in how he performs as governor.
Among those taking part in the service was the Rev. Jim Perdue, the governor’s son and pastor of North Cross Baptist Church in Cumming. Rev. Perdue called his dad a man of integrity and high morals. “I want you be God’s man,” he told his father. “I want you to be what God has called you to be.”
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