Leading Georgia Republicans are heading into battle with Grover Norquist over transportation funding.
In a post that calls out Gov. Nathan Deal and House Speaker David Ralston by name, Americans for Tax Reform announced its opposition to the proposal to raise at least $1 billion to tackle the state's commuting woes. The gist:
ATR urges the legislature to revisit its transportation spending priorities and reject all gas tax hikes on consumers.
The news came as changes to the House bill allowed it to advance and earned the support of the Association of County Commissioners of Georgia, as our AJC colleague Aaron Gould Sheinin reports. A committee vote is due Thursday.
It's worth noting that, while all but one of Georgia's Republican federal lawmakers have taken the Norquist "no new taxes" pledge, an ATR database search shows that only 44 state lawmakers have signed -- including Deal and Ralston.
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sponsoring a bill to require a state background check and other restrictions on Uber drivers is the trade group representing taxi drivers.
The Atlanta Taxicab Association donated $2,500 to state Rep. Alan Powell's campaign in September, one of four supporters to max out to his campaign. The Greater Atlanta Limo Association gave $500, and the Checker Cab Co. chipped in another $300.
Powell's bill would impose sweeping changes on how Uber and other online car-for-hire networks operate, including a requirement of background checks for drivers of ride-sharing programs. It would also allow a limited deregulation of the taxicab industry.
Powell, who chairs the House Public Safety Committee, noted that he's also received donations from lobbyist firms representing Uber and Lyft, the other ride-sharing service. He said his proposal balances the need for passenger safety with the growth of Uber and other passenger services that are disrupting the market.
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Former Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin had plenty to say about the first installment of the AJC's Atlanta Forward 2015 series.
For instance, every governor for my 40 years in Georgia has proclaimed his support and the importance of robust and successful public education but the results for children haven't changed much. Some have done more than others to fund and promote a legislative agenda supporting education reform. The HOPE scholarship is an example, though not perfect or fully accessible to the lowest income and most challenged Georgia youth. Even HOPE was adopted by referendum when it could have been established by legislative action with bold state leadership.
The legislators seem to want the credit for the policy but not the challenge to their "no tax" record. Instead of plugging the state budget with a couple hundred million dollars for K- 12 education this session it would be brave, courageous and even sensible for the governor to assess how much is needed to bring every student up to top quartile national test performance. Anything less simply shortchanges Georgia's children and families and at this rate many of our grandchildren's children will not live to know Georgia as the best of the best in the world.
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We ran into former Metro Atlanta Chamber honcho Sam Williams, who has a new book exploring the role of business leaders in civic engagement.
"The CEO as Urban Statesman" delves into five case studies in five different cities. Columbus is in the spotlight for its 14-year effort to build a whitewater rafting adventure through the heart of downtown. Oklahoma City's remade downtown is another chapter. And the regional transportation push in Salt Lake City is featured.
That latter point could have been Atlanta's case study if the 2012 referendum which Williams and other business leaders championed had gone differently. Instead, he focused his example here on the rescue of Grady Memorial Hospital from impending financial doom.
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For your 2016 radar: Georgia Secretary of State Brian Kemp is hosting Carly Fiorina, the former Hewlett-Packard CEO now kicking the tires on a presidential run, for a luncheon on Feb. 24, according to Todd Rehm of GAPundit.com.
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We told you last week that Rep. John Lewis, D-Atlanta, plans to skip the Benjamin Netanyahu speech to Congress next month. Several more members of the Congressional Black Caucus have joined in, Politico reports:
Many members of the Congressional Black Caucus say they're planning to skip the speech, calling it a slight to President Barack Obama that they can't and won't support. ...
"It's not just about disrespect for the president, it's disrespect for the American people and our system of government for a foreign leader to insert himself into a issue that our policymakers are grappling with," said Rep. Hank Johnson (D-Ga.). "It's not simply about President Obama being a black man disrespected by a foreign leader. It's deeper than that."
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Georgia Public Service Commissioner Tim Echols penned a piece about reprocessing spent nuclear fuel in Public Utilities Fortnightly. His pitch:
"The answer I later found out was the 'P' word: Plutonium. There were policy leaders in the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners, environmental activists and other good people who had grave concerns about plutonium and what might happen to it.
"So my next stop was a meeting with a man who led the charge against reprocessing - the former President, Jimmy Carter, in Plains, Georgia. I thought that with all the technology and advancements since his time in office, and with President Obama's firm opposition against Yucca Mountain, surely President Carter's thinking would have evolved. It turns out that it has. He said Obama was wrong to close Yucca Mountain and reprocessing nuclear waste holds promise if done with the same care that the French use."
The National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners gather next week in Washington.
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