Bill gives kids option to leave failing schools

A powerful group of state senators has introduced legislation to give state-funded scholarships to children in failing public schools so that they could attend private schools.

If any school loses its accreditation or rates "needs improvement" for seven consecutive years in the state assessment process, students in those schools could attend another public school or receive a scholarship to private school, according to the legislation.

The bill, SB 458, was introduced this week by Senate President Pro Tem Eric Johnson (R-Savannah), Republican Caucus chairman Dan Moody (R-Alpharetta), Health and Human Services Committee chairman Don Thomas (R-Dalton), Assignments Committee chairman Tommie Williams (R-Lyons) and Finance Committee chairman Chip Rogers (R-Dawsonville).

No school has lost its accreditation, Johnson said, but at least one district is in danger of it. Nineteen schools have been on the "needs improvement" list for at least seven years, he said.

"At some point, you get tired of excuses, and, at some point, you bring the hammer down and provide children with a better option," he said.

Johnson said the bill stands a good chance of making it out of the Senate, but he said he is unsure of its chances in the House. The Senate Education Committee should take up the bill soon, he said, but that panel might complete work first on a pair of charter school bills.

Johnson said he is a proponent of school choice and supports vouchers for students to attend private school. This bill stops short of universal school choice and instead focuses on students in the worst-performing schools.

"I don't think there's the political will to do universal vouchers," Johnson said. "It's much easier to argue ... at some category of failure that vouchers become an option. And you do it little by little."

The amount of the scholarship offered would be the lesser of the amount of state funding a student's public school receives on a per pupil basis and the cost of a year's tuition at the student's chosen private school, under the legislation.

Senator takes issue with radio commentators

It is not news when politicians complain that radio talk show hosts are dissing their party's standard-bearer — except when the politician is a Republican and the targets of his ire are conservative political commentators.

State Sen. Jeff Mullis (R-Chickamauga) did not mention Sean Hannity or Rush Limbaugh in the nonbinding resolution he filed Wednesday.

But Mullis surely had them in mind when he accused national "pundits and commentators" of sowing "seeds of discord, contempt, disunity, dissension and hatred among the members and supporters of the Republican Party to bolster their own careers."

Mullis specifically mentioned Republican John McCain as a target of these "vicious attacks."

He also singled out Atlanta's Neal Boortz as one of the good guys in radio punditry.

"Neal Boortz is an example of one who can make his preference among candidates known and [take] strong positions without taking on the mission of tearing down the other conservative candidates," Mullis said in the resolution.

Transportation sales tax addressed

The Senate Transportation Committee on Wednesday passed Senate Resolution 845, which would allow voters to decide whether to raise the sales tax in their county or region by one cent for transportation projects.

The measure, sponsored by Sen. Jeff Mullis (R-Chickamauga), calls for a constitutional amendment and additional legislation to spell out how it would work for regions such as metro Atlanta. The committee vote was 7-2.

At the time, however, in the House Transportation Committee, House Resolution 1226 and HB 1139, both sponsored by Rep. Vance Smith (R-Pine Mountain), were not on the agenda. The measures would allow voters to decide on a statewide sales tax for transportation

The Senate and House measures are seen as first steps to negotiating a compromise on the issue.

Moist snuff targeted for tobacco tax

Dry snuff users can breathe a little easier.

State Rep. Mike Coan (R-Lawrenceville) introduced legislation that would extend existing excise taxes on tobacco to include moist snuff. The product would be taxed at a rate of 15 cents per ounce.

But it would exclude "any finely cut, ground, or powdered tobacco that is intended to be placed in the nasal cavity."

— Staff writers Aaron Gould Sheinin, Stacy Shelton, Ariel Hart and Ben Smith contributed to this article.