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Thursday, March 29, 2007
Legislature: Less is more
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The AJC today offers a recap of legislation that survived or failed to make it from one chamber to the other by the deadline legislators have imposed on themselves. Among bills that failed to make it across was the governor’s tax exemption for retirees, a return of payday lending in Georgia, Sunday booze sales, apologies, and the full-lobbyist employment legislation that would have revised the way the state regulates hospitals and their competitors.
A number of influential legislators were quick to say that the Legislature’s only real mandate is passing a budget. “The biggest thing we do over here is spend $36 billion worth of state and federal money…” said Senate Majority Leader Tommie Williams (R-Lyons). “But at the end of the day we’re going to get that done, and I think in a very — I hope — appropriate way.” His counterpart in the House, State Rep. Jerry Keen (R-St. Simons Island) said essentially the same thing. “Our focus this year was more on the budget and really less is more.”
I, too, am of the less-is-more school. The General Assembly needed to get control of PeachCare spending and the indigent defense system, which has come up short of cash, in part because of the Brian Nichols case in Fulton County. Legislators took steps to deal with those, with the House tightening future eligibility for PeachCare and limiting defendants in capital punishment cases to two taxpayer-provided lawyers. The Senate passed a proposed constitutional amendment to limit future spending, and it approved school reform — charter school districts and special education vouchers.
The session has another 9 working days to go, but I’d be satisfied just with the budget and the major bills that crossed over. Could anybody want anything more out of this General Assembly?
