Uber isn't the only paradigm-shifting company that will have a presence at the state Capitol next week, when state lawmakers gather in Atlanta. The difference is that electric car maker Tesla will definitely be playing defense.
Last month,
to lay out their argument that the California company’s business model violates state law, by selling directly to consumers.
Georgia dealers say state law requires sales to go through independent franchise car dealers, as other manufacturers to. Tesla argues that it is in compliance with state law, and that it needs to be able to sell directly to customers because company-owned stores have personnel more familiar with the advantages of electric cars.
If the judges’ decision doesn’t go their way, look for car dealers to make their point in the General Assembly.
The Georgia Automobile Dealers Association has pumped more than $600,000 into the campaign coffers of state legislators in recent years, according to our AJC colleague Matt Kempner.
Another sign of clout: The GADA attorney at that December hearing was Anne Lewis, who is also legal counsel for the Georgia Republican party. Tesla's legal eagle was Robert Highsmith of Holland & Knight, former counselor to Gov. Sonny Perdue.
On Monday, we received the first signal that the Legislature will be the venue for a parallel battle. The National Auto Dealers Association emailed a "petition" to Georgia lawmakers, to determine whether they are friend, foe, or persuadable. From the email:
And franchised new-car dealerships have a vested interest in their communities. Nearly 95 percent of new-car dealerships are privately owned and locally operated, even as many Main Street businesses have evaporated in recent decades.
Further, franchised dealers compete fiercely with one another on pricing and financing, and that competition drives down prices for consumers. While retail margins on many consumer goods exceed 15 percent or more, dealership operations are so efficient that gross margins on new-car prices average just 6 percent, with only about 2 percent left in net profit for the dealers. Few businesses are more competitive or deliver goods more efficiently than franchised new-car dealers.
We know of at least two car dealers in the state Senate: Emanuel Jones, D-Decatur, and administration floor leader Butch Miller, R-Gainesville.
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Who will pick up the torch from Paul Broun? He's the guy who voted for former Florida congressman Allen West for House speaker two years ago in a failed coup against Republican John Boehner.
The scene will repeat itself at about 12:45 p.m. today. Boehner's team is projecting confidence that he will lose fewer than 29 of his members -- a situation that would force a chaotic second ballot.
Two Georgia newcomers -- Barry Loudermilk of Cassville and Jody Hice of Monroe -- voted against Boehner behind closed doors when he was re-elected by voice vote. They are the only two Georgians on The Hill's whip list of anti-Boehner possibilities.
We're hearing Loudermilk is more likely than Hice to vote for someone else on the floor. Reps. Louie Gohmert, R-Texas; and Ted Yoho, R-Fla., have put themselves up as alternatives, but one does not even need to be a House member to be speaker, meaning dissenters have a wide menu of odd choices.
At RedState.com, Erick Erickson directs his keyboard at GOP newcomers whose campaigns included promises to vote against Boehner. Erickson sounds as if he is already the mom who's not mad, just disappointed:
"The American public can no more hold you to your promises than those who came before you. Everyone in Washington slowly, over time, begins to rationalize between principle and practicality and everyone in Washington eventually makes a decision based on whether embedding further within the system can somehow generate greater good. It is this reason so many voters are so cynical of Washington. Some of you will quickly become what you campaigned against. It is the natural order of that city. This is your choice to make."
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Maggie Lee and the Macon Telegraph report that state Rep. Allen Peake's medicinal marijuana bill would put nine diseases in its legal sights:
There are even more under consideration, including post-traumatic stress disorder, Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, autism, Tourette's syndrome and terminal illnesses, Peake said….
Peake is trying to hit what he called a "sweet spot" between maximizing relief for people who have specific debilitating illnesses while locking the door against anything that could propel Georgia toward recreational marijuana use.
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Former state senator Hardie Davis was sworn in as mayor of Augusta on Monday, emphasizing something he has little control over – education. From the Augusta Chronicle:
"No, our city is not responsible for the schools, but that is no excuse," said Davis, who was elected May 20 with more than 75 percent of votes. "It's time to stand tall and tell the world that we have the best schools and the best students in this country."
He said those schools prepare students for jobs in everything "from fine arts to fashion, engineering to economics, military science to mathematics, computer science to cybersecurity. Our K-12 public schools will prepare our students to thrive."
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