Senate Republicans outline their 2012 agenda
A cap on government spending, more support for charter schools and stronger child sex abuse laws are among bills to be pressed this session by the Republican-led state Senate.
On the heels of their Democratic colleagues, who unveiled their legislative agenda Tuesday, Senate Republicans gave a more comprehensive list Wednesday of what they want to accomplish.
Specifics included:
• Zero-based budgeting for all state agencies. This goal, championed by Senate Majority Leader Chip Rogers, R-Woodstock, piggybacks on Gov. Nathan Deal's declaration last week to implement zero-based budgeting in 10 percent of all programs. Zero-based budgeting requires an agency to justify all its spending, and Deal has said he wants it for the entire state government. The expected bill would make it a mandate.
• A constitutional amendment capping government spending. Introduced last year and sponsored by Rogers, Senate Resolution 20 would set spending limits on agencies as well as require excess money be put back into the state's rainy day fund. Passed by the Senate, it currently sits in a House committee awaiting consideration.
• Allowing victims more time to report abuse and expanding a mandate requiring people to report abuse if they know about it. Expected to be filed beginning next week as two separate bills, the proposals were spurred by the Penn State sex abuse scandal and are similar to abuse bills proposed in the House. The former, to be sponsored by Sen. Renee Unterman, R-Buford, would specify requirements about reporting abuse, with some legal exemptions including attorney-client privilege. The latter, to be sponsored by Sen. Charlie Bethel, R-Dalton, would extend the statute of limitations related to sex crimes against children, giving victims 10 years from their 18th birthday to report abuse and 15 years if the crime involved forcible rape.
Senate Republicans also said they would push for regular assessments of state agencies to see whether to privatize, consolidate or eliminate them, as well as a constitutional amendment that would require local school boards to pass on local money to state-sponsored charter schools.
The charter schools amendment, which would require voter approval, is expected to first be introduced in the House. It follows a decision last year by the state Supreme Court that struck down a 2008 state law empowering a special statewide commission to approve and finance charter schools over the objections of those same local boards.
The Senate Democrats' agenda for the session included a temporary ban on HOT lanes, online and same-day voter registration in Georgia, and revamped ethics oversight for lawmakers.
