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DEL.ICIO.USSenate decides against a veto fight with Gov. Sonny Perdue
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The state Senate on Tuesday nixed a veto fight with Gov. Sonny Perdue.
The vehicle was to be H.B. 143, a bill to block repeal of a state-paid property tax break that would cost the average homeowner about $200 to $300.
Repealing the tax break immediately would save the state $428 million. Perdue has vowed to eliminate the tax break. House and Senate Republicans have sworn they’ll preserve it.
Earlier, the House not only had passed H.B. 143, but agreed by a two-thirds vote to transmit it immediately to the governor, to force Perdue to sign it into law or veto it while the Legislature remains in session.
The threat of an override was kindly, but clearly stated by House Speaker Glenn Richardson.
This morning, the Senate gave final passage to H.B. 143, but declined to transmit it immediately to Perdue. Which means the governor won’t have to make a decision on the bill until after the Legislature leaves town. Which is expected sometime this year.
Senate Majority Leader Chip Rogers (R-Woodstock) said the decision to avoid a veto fight was made at the request of Perdue. “The governor’s concerned about having the bill get to him while he’s having to revise revenue estimates,” Rogers said. “We’d rather work with the governor and the House rather than create a scenario where people are defensive.”
H.B. 143 passed the Senate with 32 yea votes — a majority, but not close to the two-thirds needed in the 56-seat chamber. A Republican contact on the House side said that, when passing the news, senators did not cite the maintenance of relations with the governor as a motivation.
Rather, this Republican was told that Senate Democrats had decided to lock down on the measure, and that Senate Republican caucus couldn’t muster the votes.
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