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Gambling was on the minds of nearly everyone this past week, and it wasn’t just about the $1.6 billion Powerball drawing.
As legislators began the new session of the General Assembly on Monday, the forces who want to bring casino gambling to Georgia announced that they would concentrate on pushing through a proposed constitutional amendment this year. That means a wait of at least one year for the required "enabling" legislation – the nuts and bolts that would govern gambling.
The tactic was viewed as a way to work around Gov. Nathan Deal, whose announcement last year that he would oppose the casinos unless they put up enough chips — he suggested a tax rate of 24 percent to 35 percent of gross revenue — was about as popular with gambling supporters as a busted flush.
Casino opponents also anted up on Tuesday, when state Sen. Vincent Fort, D-Atlanta, filed Senate Bill 266, which calls for casino supporters, in the senator's words, to "declare every red cent" spent trying to influence legislators to approve casino gambling. The bill goes beyond just the disclosure of contributions to lawmakers, Fort said, to cover expenses such as sponsorship of community dinners and even band uniforms. "They're not doing it just out of the goodness of their hearts," Fort said.
Spending in support of the casino bill now before the Legislature — House Bill 677 — is liable to be hefty. The bill calls for two casino resorts in the Atlanta area and four others in Columbus, Macon, Savannah and South Georgia. The minimum private investment required to win a license: $1 billion for the primary Atlanta license and $200 million for each of the others.
Now that’s betting big.
Deal takes wraps
off record budget
While we're talking about big money, Deal on Thursday proposed a record $23.7 billion budget.
The proposal calls for 3 percent pay raises for the state’s teachers and includes about $1.6 billion for building roads, schools and other construction projects.
The governor spent much of his first term overhauling the state’s criminal justice system, and education is expected to dominate his second term. The budget offers something for both: There’s more money for education programs for inmates, and there’s a boost in funds to allow allow high school students to take college courses if they are ready.
It seems like a lot of money, but Chris Riley, the governor’s chief of staff, said that under Deal’s budget, the state would be spending about the same on a per-capita basis as it did in 1998, when we were all watching “Ally McBeal.”
No rush apparent to move
religious liberty bill
One of the hottest issues coming into the session was religious liberty, chiefly in the form of state Sen. Josh McKoon's Senate Bill 129, dubbed the Religious Freedom Restoration Act. McKoon is pushing for quick passage of the bill, which has been stuck in the House Judiciary Committee since last year. Its own supporters blocked the bill's movement then because they said it had been gutted by moderate Republicans and Democrats who successfully attached anti-discrimination language to it.
House Judiciary Chairman Wendell Willard threw cold water on the idea of quick action, though. "That's a Senate bill," the Sandy Springs Republican said. "We don't get to Senate bills until after Crossover Day." That would be Day 30 of the 40-day session, which is expected to end sometime in late March.
McKoon’s bill would require government to show a compelling interest for why its policy should override an individual’s religious freedom. Supporters cast it as a new line of defense to protect people of any religion from interference. Opponents, who have fought the bill for two years, warn it’s a discriminatory end run on the First Amendment that could allow business owners to cite religious beliefs to deny service to people — in particular, gays and lesbians.
McKoon has said he has no anti-gay agenda.
But wait, there’s more
than one religious liberty bill
Wednesday saw the filing of House Bill 756, which would allow florists, bakers and any other private business owners to cite religious beliefs in refusing service to gay couples who plan to wed now that the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that state prohibitions on same-sex marriage are unconstitutional.
The lead sponsor of HB 756, state Rep. Kevin Tanner, R-Dawsonville, was a busy man Wednesday. He also filed House Bill 757, which would make clear that no religious leader in Georgia can be forced to perform a same-sex wedding. That bill, championed by House Speaker David Ralston, R-Blue Ridge, is not expected to have much opposition as even marriage-equality supporters say that's not their intent. Ralston has indicated it's the only religious liberty-related legislation he would support.
The governor
remains a film buff
May the tax breaks be ever in your favor, Deal essentially said this week to filmmakers who want to bring blockbuster productions to the Peach State.
The governor used some of his time at Tuesday's Eggs & Issues breakfast, an annual shindig put on by the Georgia Chamber of Commerce, to support the state's film tax credit of 30 percent for big-budget productions. The tax break is often cited for turning Georgia into a film hub, landing in the past seven years some 120 projects, including work in the "Hunger Games" series.
The tax credit has cost the state in excess of a quarter-billion dollars, but Deal called that a good trade for more than 79,000 jobs and $4 billion in wages.
Anti-tax advocates have not organized any visible, coordinated effort against Georgia’s tax break, but other states have rolled back similar offerings to studios.
Deal may just be trying to stave off a surprise ending.
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