What could become one of Georgia’s most powerful legislative committees got the backing Monday of the Senate when its Republican-led majority passed a bill saying state agencies could face abolishment unless lawmakers act specifically to renew them.
Backers of Senate Bill 223 hailed the vote as one of the chamber’s most significant in the past two years, saying it championed the public’s right to know how its money got spent and made agencies accountable for waste.
The bill would create a “sunset” for agencies as recommended by a 14-member joint committee of the General Assembly.
But with opponents -- including some Republicans -- worried the bill could allow lawmakers to overstep their powers, Gov. Nathan Deal signaled he would not support it.
Two of Deal’s three Senate floor leaders voted against the bill, indicating that Deal does not view it favorably. Deal spokesman Brian Robinson said the governor’s policy is not to comment on pending legislation.
“The people of this state have the right to know and they have the right to have their elected officials ... take a look and see what agencies are doing well,” said Sen. Judson Hill, R-Marietta, a co-sponsor of the bill.
Sen. Steve Thompson, D-Marietta, said the bill would “create a small committee that will have undue power in this state.” Agency leaders, he said, “would be at the beck and call” of committee members.
SB 223 would give lawmakers on the joint committee a specific mandate to analyze and review all agencies and programs that perform core functions of state government and make recommendations about changes or which should close. Hill and other supporters said neighboring states including Florida and Tennessee had enacted similar legislation.
“We need 12 months and maybe a couple of years to review agencies to see if they meet the mandates of our state constitution,” Hill said, adding that the reviews -- essentially conducted during the long off-session months -- would also help lawmakers decide what agencies could be consolidated or privatized for business. Annual legislative sessions typically last 40 days, which Hill said was not enough time for lawmakers to fully vet some agencies’ usefulness.
The bill would not apply to constitutionally created agencies such as the state Education Department or to agencies that receive no state funding, although the committee could make recommendations that affect them. The General Assembly would have to vote on how to dissolve agencies before they could actually close.
Republican leaders in the Senate pushed the bill as part of their “small government” agenda. They said it provided greater accountability for state spending, allowing lawmakers to identify outdated or ineffective programs and stop them. Some Democrats voiced concerns that it could put politically unpopular programs at risk. Opponents questioned why the bill was needed, since the state’s annual budgeting process is meant to give lawmakers the same insight. Some also wondered aloud whether the bill duplicated the executive powers of the governor’s office.
The Senate voted 37-12 to approve the bill. It awaits a House vote.
A spokesman for House Speaker David Ralston, R-Blue Ridge, said the speaker would like a joint committee of House members and senators to take another look at the bill before a vote takes place in the House.
If the House approves the bill, it would be sent to Deal.
Staff writer Christopher Quinn contributed to this article.
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