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Wednesday, February 28, 2007
The Legislature takes a breather, to see if Sonny can pin Uncle Sam
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
After today, the slowest-moving Legislature in years. Will. Get. Much. Slower.
The State Capitol will stand nearly empty for two weeks. Some committees will soldier on, but for the most part lawmakers will flee for home, to re-introduce themselves to the spouse and kids.
Already, this session has earned a reputation for lethargy — not necessarily a bad thing if you don’t like strangers peering into your bedroom or your wallet.
As of Wednesday, the 26th day of a 40-day gathering, the House had experienced only two full-fledged debates — one over gun legislation, and a second over a retirement fund investment bill.
The action in the Senate has been only slightly more exciting.
The main reason for the torpidity — as well as the recess until mid-March — can be laid at the feet of PeachCare, and Gov. Sonny Perdue’s wrestling match with the U.S. government.
Georgia’s health insurance program for 273,000 children of the working poor, in large part funded by the federal government, has a $131 million hole in it. Several other states are in the same situation.
Washington has vowed to fix it, but hasn’t said exactly how or when.
Both are important questions to a state that demands the Legislature approve a balanced budget each year. Without immediate cash from Congress, Georgia has a choice of filling the gap itself — which would have profound implications elsewhere in the budget — or subjecting a popular social program to severe cutbacks.
“I certainly can understand why the Legislature would want to wait until we have some certainty in our budget picture,” said Perdue spokesman Dan McLagan. “And hopefully that certainty will be forthcoming from Washington very soon.”
But it wasn’t really the Legislature’s decision. Coach Perdue is calling the plays on this one. He’s been to D.C. twice to urge feds — from President Bush on down — to come up with the cash.
Perdue thinks it bad policy to allow Washington to walk away from its obligations. He laid out his position to members of the state’s congressional delegation at a meeting at the Governor’s Mansion last week.
There are Republicans who question, rather quietly, the chances that a stare-down with Congress is likely to bear fruit.
Last week, U.S. Sen. Saxby Chambliss visited the Capitol, and in a speech to the state Senate, gently suggested the Legislature begin to consider some stop-gap funding.
The senior senator’s next stop was with the governor, who had seen the remarks on closed-circuit TV. Chambliss was informed the meeting had been canceled — to allow Perdue time to cool off, we’re told.
“The governor has been very specific, that he wants to work closely with Congress, to try and leverage those funds to come in. And he’s asked for that time to do it. As a result we’re still holding,” Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle said Wednesday.
Asked if he agreed with the tactic, Cagle replied, “That’s not my strategy. That’s the governor’s strategy.” But the lieutenant governor is willing to let Perdue play the hand out.
Word is that Congress has selected an emergency defense spending bill as the vehicle to also carry extra cash for the children’s health insurance program. Debate isn’t scheduled to start until mid-March.
That’s about when the Legislature is scheduled to reassemble.
So when 236 lawmakers come back, the PeachCare problem in all likelihood will be unchanged, and tough decisions will have to be made.
House Speaker Glenn Richardson has said he’s in favor of shrinking the number of kids that PeachCare covers by 30,000.
On Wednesday, Cagle strongly implied that he doesn’t want to see any children dropped from PeachCare rolls.
“If Washington does not act, we do have to act. I think we can reduce the deficits significantly. The House is in the posture of reducing eligibility. That issue is still out there and there is not a clear concensus,” he said.
In other words, a dull session could still have stirring finish.
A fight over intellectual property in the Legislature. Not at all like a brace of vegetarians arguing over a piece of steak
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
There’s a new front in the war over whether the University of Georgia Research Foundation, which controls that insitution’s intellectual property, can sell licenses for brands of turf its created.
H.B. 606 would rip away from Georgia’s universities the power to grant licenses from discoveries made in their laboratories, and give it to a new State Intellectual Properties Board.
This measure is said to have legs. With millions, perhaps billions, of dollars at stake, look for a big, big fight.
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A developing resistance to the cervical cancer vaccine
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
State Sen. Don Balfour (R-Snellville) is picking up heat from the right for S.B. 155, a bill to require girls in Georgia who are entering the sixth grade to be vaccinated against human papillomavirus, or HPV.
The vaccine is intended to prevent cervical cancer and genital warts.
U.S. Rep. Phil Gingrey has come out against mandates for the vaccine. WSB radio talk show host Neal Boortz dwelt on the topic this morning, condemning the bill as unnecessary government intrusion.
Balfour said he had few doubts that the bill would get a floor vote — seeing that, as chairman of the Senate Rules Committee, he controls the flow of bills. But he acknowledge ideological resistance within his party.
“If I get half of Republicans I’ll be doing a good job,” Balfour said. With Democratic support, S.B. 155 could pass.
Conservative objections might cause the bill some trouble in the House, but again, Balfour will hold the future of much House legislation in his hands. No one thought the fireworks bill had a chance last year, either.
An SV poll on ‘08, Bush, Sunday booze, and Genarlow Wilson
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Another Strategic Vision poll is out, and again Hillary Clinton and Rudy Giuliani are the leaders in the ’08 race for president in Georgia — but Barack Obama has made great gains on the Democratic side.
In the same survey, President Bush has a 46 percent overall disapproval rating in Georgia — which rises to 50 percent when it comes to Iraq. That is stunning.
On the alcohol front, 53 percent favor the sale of beer and wine on Sunday.
And 42 percent favored a bill to permit a judge to adjust the 10-year sentence given to Genarlow Wilson, a Douglas County teenager, for consensual oral sex with a 15-year-old. A third of voters said no, and 23 percent were undecided.
The poll parameters: Conducted Feb. 23-25, of likely voters, with a 3 percent margin of error. And keep in mind that SV is a Republican-leaning public affairs firm. Georgia Digest has the entire Strategic Vision release here.
The numbers among Republicans: Giuliani at 28 percent; John McCain at 21 percent; Newt Gingrich at 14 percent; Mitt Romney at 8 percent; Tom Tancredo at 4 percent; Mike Huckabee at 3 percent; Sam Brownback, 2 percent; Chuck Hagel, Jim Gilmore, Duncan Hunter, all at 1 percent.
That leaves 16 percent undecided — one year out.
Among Democrats: Clinton, 28 percent; Barack Obama; 25 percent; John Edwards, 18 percent; Wesley Clark, 5 percent; Joe Biden, 3 percent; Bill Richardson, 2 percent; Chris Dodd and Dennis Kucinich, 1 percent.
And 17 percent undecided.
On Iraq: While Georgia voters disapproved of Bush’s handling of Iraq, they’re not ready to side with Democrats. A firm 58 percent said Democrats in Congress had no better plan to resolve the occupation.
And 53 percent said they would oppose cutting off funding to send additional troops into the Middle East.
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Blogwatch: Andre and Georgia Politics Unfiltered is back
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
For a time, Andre the Blogger was one of the more prolific commentators to pop up on Atlanta’s political blog scene. He disappeared in mid-January, for still-unexplained reasons.
Regardless, he’s now back with Georgia Politics Unfiltered.
Current topics include the need for Democrats to rally around Terry Holley in the 10th District congressional race, and the establishment of one his new web sites, Georgians for Hillary.
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