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AJC.com > Legislature > Blog > Archives > 2007 > April > 12 > Entry
DEL.ICIO.USHouse panel approves budget
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
A key committee approved a state budget for next year on Thursday that includes extra money for school instruction and fishing tourism and $1 billion in new construction.
The $20.2 billion spending plan for fiscal 2008, which begins July 1, also includes dozens of pet projects for lawmakers and $6 million for unspecified grants that won’t be made public until just before the end of the 2007 session.
The House Appropriations Committee backed the budget this morning, and the full House will consider it Friday. Lawmakers hope to end the 2007 session next Friday.
The spending plan gives Gov. Sonny Perdue much, although not all, of what he requested. It includes $18 million of the $19 million he wanted for “Go Fish Georgia,” the state’s effort to promote fishing tourism. However, it doesn’t include any money for land preservation, another of Perdue’s priorities.
House leaders had cut out much of the “Go Fish” funding earlier in the session. However, Perdue pressured lawmakers to back his program, which was one of few initiatives the governor promoted this year.
House leaders reduced the size of the austerity spending cut Perdue had included for schools, dropping it from $140 million to $100 million. They also added $5 million to promote the development of charter schools, which are allowed to operate without many public school regulations, and $8 million to build a charter school in Cobb County.
The House spending plan also would give more money to the State Ethics Commission, which Perdue had recommended be cut by 40 percent. The commission investigates accusations of campaign finance laws and handles campaign finance and lobby spending reports. The House budget also included $3.5 million to buy 100 new state trooper cars.
House Appropriations Chairman Ben Harbin (R-Evans), is from the Augusta area, and that East Georgia city had a good haul in the House budget. The Georgia Golf Hall of Fame, located in Augusta, would get $550,000 for operations and a feasibility study on its future. Another $2.8 million would go to expand the Medical College of Georgia in Augusta.
Gainesville, home of Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle and House Appropriations Committee Vice Chairman Carl Rogers (R-Gainesville), would get $2 million for a parking deck.
Paulding County, home of House Speaker Glenn Richardson (R-Hiram), would get $1.5 million for a new library.
Permalink | Comments (2) | Categories: politics
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By Bill Kecskes
April 12, 2007 3:37 PM | Link to this
Porky Pig may have said, “tthaats all folks!” but it’s not all when angry Georgia taxpayers see this pork laden budget is more bloated than a dead pig.
Seems like Santa Claus is in charge of GEorgia taxpayer’s hard earned money giving plenty of goodys to Ben Harbin, Casey Cagle, Glenn Richardson and the Governor.
$6,000,000 for secret unspecified grants - sounds like the Big Pig is about to do another $35,000 jig in Vienna. Sounds like the municipal golf course in Warm Springs will get a $100,000 subsidy to undercut private competition. Sounds like Savannah’s about to get $18,000 in weight lifting equipment. Why do we have to wait until after the 2007 session to see how our tax money is being spent? Does the General Assembly need a headstart home before angry taxpayers come running after them? Put some daylight and sunshine on these secret projects! Roaches run away from light - maybe porky pig’s cousins will run away again.
I’m curious if the $550,000 Georgia Golf Hall of Fame in Augusta includes free or discounted greens fees for legislators.
I do want to sound cynical or mistrusting of our esteemed legislators but I’m beocming concerned that the $100 tax refund the other evening may have been a diversionary tactic while the Gold Dome sausage factory re-opened for business.
Mr. Speaker - LtGov Cagle - Chairman Harbin: cut the crap and cut the pork! We’re tired of you all playing games with our money.
If you’re gonna pork us again; the least you can do is kiss us. I know just where the kissing should begin!
By Al
April 13, 2007 3:01 PM | Link to this
I laugh to keep from crying.
Like the New York Times said in an editorial against the 16th amendment in 1909: “When men get in the habit of helping themselves to the property of others, they cannot be easily cured of it.”
Not much has changed since.