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AJC.com > Legislature > Blog > Archives > 2009 > January > 30 > Entry
DEL.ICIO.USHere we go
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
11:17 a.m. UPDATE: With the first big legislative debate in the books, the House is surprisingly quitting for the day.
HR 1 was on the calendar for the day but, being 11:15 on Friday after a full week, Speaker Glenn Richardson (R-Hiram) apparently felt the HB 143 debate was enough. Either that, or the majority party doesn’t have the numbers to win a two-thirds majority vote on the constitutional amendment.
The House is now debating HB 143, which fully funds this year the homeowners tax relief grants to the tune of more than $420 million. It would save homeowners $200 to $300 on their tax bills. But the bill makes clear that in future years the grants might not be there. We’re live-blogging the action below.
11:15 a.m. UPDATE: HB 143 passes by a vote of 117-55. Next up: HR 1.
11:13 a.m. UPDATE: Vote! Vote! Vote! Here we go. Voting on the board.
11:09 a.m. UPDATE: One more step. O’Neal, the chairman of the Ways and Means Committee and sponsor of the bill, gets the last 20 minutes to argue in favor of the bill. He’s yielded his time to House Majority Leader Jerry Keen (R-St. Simons), who is essentially saying that everyone else who spoke before him was making it up as they went along.
“So let’s talk about the facts,” Keen said.
That vote is still coming.
10:58 a.m. UPDATE: Rep. Alan Powell (D-Hartwell) is now speaking. He’s the last of the seven speakers who signed up to share their views.
Once he’s finished — it’s time to vote!
10:38 a.m UPDATE: Calling the bill a “band aid,” Rep. Tommy Smith (R-Nichols) urged his colleagues to support this bill.
“People of Georgia are smart,” Smith said. “They know what this bill is.”
“At least it takes away the increase your constituents would have without this legislation,” Nichols said.
10:25 a.m. UPDATE: Freshman House member Rep. Rashad Taylor (D-Atlanta) is urging lawmakers to vote down the bill, arguing that it will break a promise the state made nearly a decade ago.
“We ought to keep that promise we’ve made since 1999 and continue to fund these grants,” Taylor said.
HB 143, he said, “is the tax increase.”
10:19 a.m. UPDATE: O’Neal has left the well and there are seven lawmakers signed up to speak on the bill. Rep. Stacey Abrams (D-Atlanta) is up first.
Abrams said she does not deny the “good intention” of the bill or O’Neal’s desire to solve the problem.
“This bill is not the vehicle to solve that problem,” Abrams said.
If this bill fails, she said, the Legislature could still fund the grants through the normal budget process.
10:09 a.m. UPDATE: The first sharp exchange of the year came between O’Neal and Rep. Winfred Dukes (D-Albany).
Albany said if the state funds the grants this year, but not next, the result would be “the largest property tax bill to the homeowners in the state of Georgia in the history of this state.”
O’Neal took umbrage with that.
“I respectfully disagree with you,” O’Neal said. “It’s never been an entitlement. You can try and spin the outcome for your politics, but I disagree with you completely.”
10:03 a.m. UPDATE: Rep. Tim Bearden (R-Villa Rica) wants to be sure that if the bill passes counties will not still send out two tax bills.
O’Neal said if the bill DOESN’T pass that will happen, because most localities already sent out tax bills assuming the homeowners relief grants would be funded.
9:52 a.m. UPDATE: O’Neal said this bill is about “keeping our promises.”
If the bill is passed, the man from Bonaire said, it will avoid situations like this one, where local governments are faced with hoping the General Assembly lives up to its end of the bargain.
“The counties school boards and cities, under the terms of the bill, if we decide to make the homeowners tax relief funding, will have the money in their bank accounts, have the money before they send out their bills,” O’Neal said. “So they’ll never be faced with having to have legislation to keep the promises made by this General Assembly.”
O’Neal now taking questions.
Rep. Larry O’Neal (R-Bonaire), the chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, is in the well, ready to introduce HB 143, the bill that funds the homeowners tax relief grants for the coming year.
Permalink | Comments (5) | Post your comment | Categories: Legislature
Comments
By geekboy
January 30, 2009 10:11 AM | Link to this
If they really want to save taxpayers some money, they should quit charging us for schools/subsidized daycare we are NOT USING.
If you elect to send your kids to a private school, or have otherwise NEVER used the public school system, regular homeowners should be exempt from school taxes. And for those that want to argue that “businesses need educated employees” I say “fine, tax the businesses … not the little old lady down the street you heartless ignoramus!”
By The Truth
January 30, 2009 10:50 AM | Link to this
Hold these people accountable
By D
January 30, 2009 10:56 AM | Link to this
I would hardly call the public school system subsidized daycare. The constitution of this state, approved by the people of this state, states that public education is a priority of the people of Georgia. It should be, even for the little old lady so she can have a well educated doctor to meet her medical needs. She benefits from a well populated citizenry. You, geekboy, do too. Pay for what you get, and let’s get rid of a governor who basically feels he can go to the bathroom all over the public school system.
By gttim
January 30, 2009 11:18 AM | Link to this
I have no kids, and will not have any. However, I have no problem paying for public schools- not vouchers. That is part of the American Dream.
These idiots in the state government are going to screw everything up, however. In the end citizens will get messed over again and corporations will profit. Mark my words. I do not trust the GOP clowns for a second.
By Mad Mary
January 30, 2009 12:03 PM | Link to this
The best news is they left for their SuperBowl parties early on Friday so they can not spend any more of my money today.