On Tuesday, Gov. Nathan Deal issued 21 vetoes. His handy-dandy list is right here.
Somewhat overlooked in this sea of red ink, and the very last item on his veto list, is a measure that topped the wishlist of Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle, now leading the Republican primary to replace Deal next year.
Senate Bill 357 would have created an 18-member council and a new director of healthcare and strategic planning to chart out the state’s response to the opioid crisis and other epidemics.
In his veto statement, Deal said while the measure was “well-intentioned,” it created new levels of government and gave the governor’s office little control over the new positions.
“A new governor will be elected this November and it should be left to that individual to shape their executive team in 2019,” Deal said.
In a statement, Cagle skirted Deal’s concerns about the extra bureaucracy but said he sympathized with Deal’s position that “we should leave this decision for the next leader of our state.”
He added: “I hope next year to fulfill the goals set forth in this legislation.”
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Another Deal veto worth a second look involves Senate Bill 342, which would overhaul the law that allows police to impound a vehicle with an expired tag.
It was introduced by state Sen. Marty Harbin after a run-in with a police corporal in the Fayette County town of Tyrone after he was cited for having an expired tag on his Ford F-150 pickup truck.
"I'm going to the state. And we're going to change the law," he said on dash-cam video obtained by WXIA-TV.
The measure he sponsored would have allowed a vehicle owner to keep the car so long as he or she can provide the decal after they were cited. It passed both legislative chambers with little dissent, but Deal took issue with it.
Current law now lets owners of vehicles facing this violation to get their car back – as long as they can prove they had applied for the decal before being cited.
“This legislation would diminish the deterrent enforcement of revalidation decal violations and is unnecessary given the leniency exception already provided by law,” Deal said in the veto statement.
We should also note that Harbin was one of two “no” votes for Deal’s final criminal justice initiative.
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