Business leaders to push agenda at Gold Dome

Georgia lawmakers have gathered in Athens for a three-day conference that started Sunday to discuss some of the state’s most pressing debates. Check ajc.com and MyAJC.com for breaking news from the meetings.

Atlanta’s top business leaders are flexing their muscles ahead of the coming legislative session.

The Metro Atlanta Chamber, the driving force behind a failed regional transportation sales tax vote in 2012, is reviving a push for major infrastructure improvements. Some corporate giants are again opposing a “religious liberty” push they see as discriminatory. And business leaders want it known that metro Atlanta welcomes millennials and people from other countries.

“If something is going on in the public policy arena, we owe it to our members to take a stance, and hopefully in a very constructive and respectful way,” said Larry Gellerstedt, the Cousins Properties CEO and the chamber’s incoming chairman.

The chamber has long been a bastion of fiscal conservatism, and Gov. Nathan Deal and other Republican leaders have enjoyed outspoken support from its leaders. It’s also been successful in changing the state’s flag and helping save Grady Memorial Hospital.

But the group’s clout has limits, especially in a statehouse where a tea party-influenced strain of conservatism has made it difficult to back anything that would raise new revenue.

Some GOP lawmakers say the chamber misread the political dynamic when its powerful outgoing chairman, Delta Air Lines CEO Richard Anderson, said last week that Georgia shouldn’t be “chicken” about tackling tough solutions, and that the business community should “stand up” to legislative leaders who threaten Georgia’s image.

Others are quick to note the business community’s power at the Gold Dome took a hit with the resounding defeat of the 2012 special transportation sales tax. An odd coalition of environmentalists, the NAACP and tea party types rallied voters against the bill in metro Atlanta.

But chamber officials say they have learned from their defeats. They’ve hired Marshall Guest, a well-respected top aide to House Speaker David Ralston, to help advocate for sensitive legislation.

And they have sharpened their message calling for the transportation funding gap to be closed. A chamber study put the gap at a daunting $1.5 billion per year, about a half-billion dollars more than some estimates.

Katie Kirkpatrick and Dave Williams, two senior policy executives at the chamber, said the organization isn’t backing a specific plan to fix transportation, only advocating that the funding gap be filled. As Georgia’s economy has heated up, congestion has grown worse.

“It’s become an even higher priority,” Williams said.

At the chamber’s annual meeting last week, Anderson put it bluntly: “If that means raising taxes to fund our roads, it means we have to raise taxes to fund our roads.”

‘The first thing first’

A legislative study committee, informally known as the Plan B Committee, has been at work much of the year polishing off a set of transportation proposals for lawmakers to consider ahead of the legislative session that begins Jan. 12. Some lawmakers hope to go after the low-hanging fruit first before attending to new ways to raise revenue.

Georgia already imposes a 4 percent sales tax on motor fuel, but the fourth penny is funneled to the general fund. Shifting that back to transportation would mean an additional $180 million each year. Another change could free up about $240 million a year for roads that the Department of Transportation currently spends on debt service.

State Rep. Brett Harrell, R-Snellville, quipped in a tweet "there goes my shot at 100% Chamber score next session" when he learned of the business group's support for new infrastructure revenue.

“The need is there. And we have to be innovative. But my citizens are telling me to take care of the first thing first,” he said in an interview. “You don’t need a voter referendum to put that fourth cent back to transportation. And once you guys get that done, we can talk about the need going forward.”

The high-powered Plan B Committee may have much more sweeping ambitions. Other options include more tolls, an increased gas tax or new fees for car owners. A possible second try at a statewide or regional sales tax for transportation may be on the table; Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed said Wednesday that he expects another run at a referendum next year.

Former state Rep. Ed Lindsey, who sits on the committee as a civilian appointee, said he’s worried some boosters may be getting ahead of themselves. The panel, he said, must first define the need for the new funding, with some projections showing as much as $2 billion in new revenue is needed annually to expand Georgia’s infrastructure.

“The time, right now, is for us to lay out the argument for why additional revenue is necessary,” said Lindsey, a Republican. “Everything is on the table. And it’s being hotly discussed. But we need to explain what needs to be done. Let’s not put the cart before the horse.”

The pressure will only increase. Business groups organized a transportation summit Tuesday for lawmakers at a training conference in Athens to bone up on the debate. And UPS executive Frank Morris told legislators Monday that a transportation overhaul can be their legacy.

“Just remember: We drove 73 million miles on Georgia roads and bridges last year,” Morris said. “And we need them to function well.”

Religious freedom and gay rights

The business community’s advocacy goes beyond transportation.

Delta has backed President Barack Obama's immigration plans, and the airline was joined by other Fortune 500 firms in helping scuttle state legislation last year that opponents said would allow companies to discriminate against gays and lesbians based on religious freedom.

Anderson said last week that the business community needs to ensure the state is welcoming for foreign executives and workers and for minorities willing to create jobs here. He also urged business leaders to “stand up” to a Legislature that would enact laws that would discriminate against gays and lesbians.

State Sen. Josh McKoon, who sponsored the so-called “religious liberty” bill targeted by Anderson and his allies, said he thinks the Delta chief’s outspoken views are the latest sign that business leaders are advocating for issues in public that they once tried to influence behind the scenes. And he, for one, seems open to the strategy.

“It’s not anything new in Georgia politics for the very wealthy and the very powerful to exercise their influence at the Legislature. What’s new is that now we’re hearing directly from CEO types,” McKoon said. “And I think it’s certainly welcome to hear it directly from corporate leaders so these sorts of things don’t happen behind closed doors.”

Some business boosters are overjoyed that the executive class is signaling a more proactive approach.

"It's exactly the message we need to be sending," said Michael Sullivan, the chairman of the business-backed Georgia Transportation Alliance, which fought for the 2012 transportation tax. "Frankly, if we're going to ask the politicians to lead and do the right thing, and to put political considerations aside, we need to be willing to speak out."