The Republican race for House majority leader reveals how the new high-tech economy has gained prominence in state politics.
The three candidates to fill the position vacated by Rep. Larry O’Neal, R-Bonaire, all were connected to legislation involving non-traditional businesses. While staunchly holding traditional conservative values, they displayed an engagement with emerging industries associated with young “millennials” who espouse more liberal, urban-oriented views.
Rep. Allen Peake, R-Macon, Rep. Chuck Martin, R-Alpharetta and Rep. Jon Burns, R-Newington announced last week they will seek the House majority leader’s post after O’Neal resigned to accept the judgeship of the state tax tribunal.
Peake gained widespread media attention this past legislative session with his much admired sponsorship of medical marijuana legislation, which Gov. Nathan Deal signed into law last week. As Peake frequently said, he doesn’t see his bill allowing possession of a small amount of cannabis oil for medical use as the first step in a “slippery slope” toward legalization of marijuana in Georgia. Deal in backing the legislation also firmly stated he doesn’t want Georgia to follow Colorado in allowing recreational pot use.
Still, as Deal noted at the signing ceremony, the bill’s overwhelming passage reflected an evolution in values. When Peake began sponsoring his legislation in the 2014 session, many saw possession of even small amounts of cannabis oil with low levels of the intoxicant THC as equivalent to possessing marijuana. The suffering of children wracked by frequent seizures overcame opposition by conservative legislators, law enforcement agencies and religious organizations.
“With kids who are suffering all of those seizures, it’s hard to vote against the bill and feel good about yourself,” University of Georgia political scientist Charles Bullock III told InsiderAdvantage Georgia.
The legislation put conservatives Peake and Deal in the position of encouraging citizens suffering from eight diseases covered by the bill to violate federal law by going out of state to obtain the cannabis oil, which still will be difficult to find in Georgia. Compassion for suffering children and adults with diseases like ALS and cancer took precedence.
Deal and several legislators expressed their reluctance to see a medical marijuana industry develop in Georgia. However, the legislation sets up a state commission that will study the cultivation of marijuana for medical uses and the possible distribution of products such as cannabis oil. While opponents want strict curbs, the commission’s report could eventually lead to the rise of Georgia medical marijuana companies and a new industry.
Strong media attention was also given Martin’s mixed positions on the electric car industry. On one hand, he received criticism from environmentalists for sponsoring legislation to remove Georgia’s tax credit for the purchase of an electric vehicle. But he also successfully sponsored a bill to allow electric vehicle manufacturer Tesla to increase its presence in Georgia, reaching a compromise with traditional auto dealers.
While representing a conservative South Georgia district, Burns also displayed an involvement with the non-traditional economy by sponsoring legislation to extend tax credits for the state’s developing video gaming industry. The legislation, which easily passed both chambers, gives individual companies credits of up to $1.5 million a year, with overall credits capped at $12.5 million.
Another House member who made a mark in the 2015 session by representing an emerging industry is also seeking more power in the shuffle caused by O’Neal’s resignation. Rep. Mike Dudgeon, R-Johns Creek, who spearheaded the passage of legislation to boost residential solar power, announced he will seek the position of GOP caucus secretary/treasurer, which Peake is leaving.
Dudgeon, a successful entrepreneur of several computer and Internet-based companies, displayed strong conservative principles in backing a Senate resolution opposing College Board changes in its AP history guidelines. But in sponsoring legislation to allow companies to make loans for residential solar power systems, he showed support for one of the top environmental industries.
While the House’s GOP leaders expressed increased support for mass transit, bus and rail proponents were disappointed by the transportation spending bill. Martin voted against the bill because it raises taxes, while Peake and Burns voted for it after supporting O’Neal’s unsuccessful attempt in the House to lower the bill’s fuel excise tax to 24 cents. The bill that eventually passed sets the tax at 26 cents.
The majority leader candidates hold conservative positions on mass transit. But their legislative record shows a capacity to evolve on millennial economic issues.
