Deal puts emphasis on transportation, education in State of State

Here’s a look at the key points of the State of the State address Gov. Nathan Deal’s gave Wednesday:

Transportation: The governor declared a "need does exist" for more transportation funding, but he did not indicate a preference for how to raise the minimum of $1 billion in new annual revenue that a state report said is required to maintain the road and rail network. He cast it as essential to spur more job growth and wean Georgia off federal dollars.

K-12 education: The governor told lawmakers he wants to give the state broad new powers to take over failing schools, embarking on a stark shift away from current policy that largely leaves the challenge of reviving Georgia's worst schools to local districts. He wants lawmakers this year to pass a constitutional amendment, which would require a two-thirds vote in each chamber, so it can be on the ballot in 2016. He will appoint an Education Reform Commission to study the education funding formula, putting off the debate on that overhaul until next year.

Medical marijuana: Deal said he planned to sign legislation to decriminalize cannabis oil so that families who need the drug will not be prosecuted, but he made clear that he doesn't support legalization of marijuana for recreational purposes. And he proposed a study committee to delay the debate about the types of medical conditions eligible for the access.

Job training: The governor wants to change the name of Georgia's technical college network to the Georgia Career College System to give it a little more oomph and reflect its mission to train students for high-demand fields. He also wants to create a Georgia Film Academy run by the tech school system and the University System of Georgia to keep the state on the top of Hollywood's wish list when scouting film sites.

Criminal justice: A new state agency would oversee probation and parole supervision as part of Deal's criminal justice package. The goal for the Department of Community Supervision would be to streamline a process now overseen by three separate agencies and ease the transition for inmates released from prison, though it's unclear what effect it would have on staffing at the other agencies.

Budget: The governor won't release his spending blueprint until Friday — a departure from past years — but he offered a few hints that he would increase funding to k-12 education and propose an influx of cash for the Division of Family and Children Services.

What wasn't said: He made no mention of the fight over religious liberty bills, to which he offered his tacit support on Tuesday. He also said nothing about the state's growing health care budget, the rural hospital crisis or divisive social issues.

Gov. Nathan Deal sought to build support from skeptical lawmakers Wednesday for his proposal to give the state broad new powers to intervene in failing schools, and he declared that doing nothing to raise new transportation revenue is “unacceptable.”

In his third major policy address in as many days, Deal used his State of the State address to cast a possible increase in taxes or new fees for roads, rail and other infrastructure as an economic development necessity, but he left the contentious debate over how to do so up to lawmakers.

He also pitched to lawmakers for the first time his proposed constitutional amendment that would create a statewide school district that could take over failing schools, shutter them or convert them to charters. This, too, he depicted as long overdue.

“Let’s stop making excuses,” Deal told a joint session of the Georgia Legislature. “If we want to break the cycle of poverty, let’s educate those children so that they have the skills to escape poverty.”

In a departure from typical practice, the governor delayed releasing his budget proposal until Friday, putting the spotlight of his annual address squarely on his policy priorities. The governor said later that his budget proposal will include targeted pay raises for some state employees and increases to k-12 education and the financially struggling ethics commission.

Among the governor’s other recommendations was a pledge to decriminalize possession of cannabis oil for some who suffer from debilitating conditions and a proposal for a new state agency to oversee probation and parole supervision.

A frenetic schedule

The speech marked the end of a frenetic stretch for the governor, who was inaugurated Monday and outlined his unequivocal support for new transportation funding Tuesday in a speech to business leaders.

Deal and his aides have more daunting challenges ahead. They need to hold much of the GOP caucus, which has a decisive edge in the state Legislature, to back his transportation and education initiatives while also luring enough Democratic votes to make up for Republicans who might buck the party line.

Several legislative leaders from both parties said they were encouraged by Deal’s remarks but said they would withhold judgment until drafts of his proposals, which have yet to be introduced, were finalized. Democrats, in particular, said they would be open-minded to the governor’s proposals.

“His idea is an interesting one,” House Minority Leader Stacey Abrams said of his education pitch. “It has shown some promise in some areas and fairly substantial failures in others. The question is what makes the most sense for Georgians.”

Added state Rep. Calvin Smyre, a veteran Democratic leader: “I’m open to discussing everything. There’s definitely some room for dialogue and compromise.”

With his speech, the governor also waded more deeply into a discontent over a popular proposal to decriminalize medical marijuana for children suffering from paralyzing seizures and other conditions. Legislation to do so failed in the final hours of last year’s legislative session.

Deal said he supported a revival of that proposal this year, but he stopped short of a legislative plan to set up a state-regulated program to grow and sell the drug. And he sought to delay more action by assigning a committee to study the issue.

In doing so, he also made clear that he firmly opposes legalizing marijuana for recreational use, a policy that Colorado and Washington state have embraced.

“We want to find a pathway to bring our children home from Colorado without becoming Colorado,” he said.

Transportation and education

The governor saved much of his address to introduce his plan to create a state-run opportunity school district similar to programs in Louisiana, Michigan and Tennessee. The district would have its own superintendent and broad new powers to intervene in failing schools.

Some educators and Democrats have already criticized the plan, questioning whether failure of troubled schools is due to a shortfall of state resources rather than poor leadership. Several Republicans have also quietly expressed squeamishness about the measure, which represents a stark shift away from current policy that largely leaves the challenge of reviving Georgia’s worst schools to local districts.

Deal, whose proposal would require support from a two-thirds majority in each chamber of the Legislature, sought to make a case to both sides of the political spectrum.

“Liberals cannot defend leaving a child trapped in a failing school that sentences them to a life in poverty,” Deal said. “Conservatives like me cannot argue that each child in Georgia already has the same opportunity to succeed and compete on his or her own merits. We have a moral duty to help these children who can’t help themselves.”

His drive for the plan also means putting a pledge to overhaul Georgia’s education funding formula on hold for a year. Deal said he would assign a committee to review changes to the 1985 law that established the formula, which he said was as outdated as “parachute pants and jelly shoes.”

Some of his most forceful comments were reserved for the fight over raising new transportation revenue, which a legislative committee projected would require at least $1 billion in new annual revenue — and perhaps billions more for major expansions.

Deal declared a “need does exist” for the new revenue, casting it as a states’ rights issue that would help wean Georgia off federal transportation dollars. Just as Georgia planned a network of reservoirs to prevent a water supply crisis, he said, so should the state arrange for its own new source of infrastructure funds.

Here, he turned to a dire warning. Doing nothing would jeopardize not just the safety of Georgia’s motorists traveling roads that haven’t been resurfaced in decades. It would also risk the future of its economy.

“I do not believe that we Georgians will choose to do nothing,” he said. “We know the problems. Let’s now resolve to agree on the solutions.”