A chaotic rush to pass legislation larded with tax breaks ended the Georgia Legislature’s 2015 session.
As House members milled around and the celebratory mood rose to a wild cacophony, House Speaker David Ralston, R-Blue Ridge, pounded his gavel and asked Legislators to take their seats to consider one final proposal, House Bill 202.
In about two minutes, as the clock moved toward midnight and the traditional session’s end, the House approved the bill that included tax breaks for Mercedes-Benz employees and a small Baptist school in Cleveland, Ga. The so-called “Christmas tree” bill, because of all the goodies stuffed into it, was then rushed to the Senate, which quickly approved it after midnight.
“For shame,” Rep. John Pezold, R-Fortson, mouthed to reporters staring in amazement from the glass-enclosed House press gallery. Both the House and Senate votes pushed the limits of rules on how long a conference committee report must be available for lawmakers to study.
In the House, the conference committee report was distributed to legislators shortly after 11 p.m., but Ralston ruled at about 11:45 p.m. that the lawmakers had received the required one hour to consider the complex bill, which originally dealt with automobile ad valorem tax procedures.
Gov. Nathan Deal wanted the tax breaks on automobile leases for employees at the new Mercedes Benz plant, according to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Truett-McConnell College received a tax incentive too, pushed in the House by Rep. Chad Nimmer, R-Blackshear, one of the governor’s floor leaders. Sen. Bruce Thompson, R-White, a trustee of the college, sought the tax break, which will allow school develop a new campus, the AJC said.
The lucrative tax incentives gained approval with little debate as legislators showed more interest in tossing confetti and snapping photos with family members than looking closely at arcane legal language.
The late night confusion also revealed a rivalry between the House and Senate. Ralston took a shot at the other chamber for extending the session into Good Friday, technically past the constitutionally mandated 40th day of the session.
“From time immemorial, this session has ended at midnight, and this house will do so as well,” Ralston thundered. “The Senate can keep meeting, but we’re going home.”
The HB 202 ended a long day in which both chambers considered a long train of bills, with hastily formed conference committees making final reports and amendments flying back and forth. Sometimes, the big screen above the House that shows the bill number under discussion fell blank, as if exhausted and needing a quick nap.
Ralston took the unusual step of asking parliamentary questions from his chair in regard to Senate Bill 127, which would have required political advocacy groups to disclose their financial donors. Grover Norquist of Americans for Tax Reform and other conservative groups protested the provisions, saying they would stifle freedom of speech. Norquist earlier criticized the transportation spending bill as a massive tax increase, touching off a feud with Ralston, who at one point said Norquist needed to register as a Georgia lobbyist.
Breaking his usual objectivity on legislation, Ralston said that the disclosure requirements were a move toward transparency and would require challengers to follow the same rules as incumbents. The legislation eventually died in the Senate.
The final day also saw Sen. Joshua McKoon, R-Columbus, make a last effort to attach his religious freedom legislation to another bill, but his proposed amendment was ruled not germane. The Senate earlier in the session approved McKoon’s Senate Bill 129, but it never received a vote on the House floor.
After weeks of wrangling over boundaries, agreement was finally reached on efforts to form new cities in DeKalb County. Voters in LaVista Hills and Tucker will decide in referendums on incorporating the areas. Rep. Tom Taylor, R-Dunwoody, author of the LaVista Hills bill, called the final boundary agreement hammered out in a conference committee “splitting the baby.” So Tucker will get a QuikTrip and a Wal-Mart, and LaVista Hills receive neighborhoods near Livsey Elementary. Asked if he’s through with cityhood efforts, Taylor wryly said from the well, “I’m done.”
Another bit of land splitting brought passage of legislation allowing the Atlanta Beltline to enter into partnerships with private enterprises. The final bill narrowed the Beltline’s dimensions, bringing agreement from AT&T, which had tussled with the city of Atlanta over utility line removal costs.
