ATLANTA – Some up-close learning took place Tuesday when 30 or so members of the Leadership Columbia County class visited the Capitol and heard, questioned and watched state leaders on the job.
Organized by the Columbia County Chamber of Commerce, the class is designed to give future community leaders background information on pressing issues and the mechanics of getting things done. A day trip to the statehouse offered practical examples.
Chamber President Tammy Shepherd and political consultant Reagan Williams explained how the chamber’s Government Affairs Committee chaired by EZ Go executive Brandon Haddock monitors key bills impacting local businesses and then communicates support or opposition to lawmakers.
For instance, last year the chamber opposed a road-funding bill that added new fees and taxes while raising the gasoline tax.
“We didn’t want to be double taxed and have all the money going to Atlanta,” Williams said, noting that the local region had already voted in 2013 to tax itself for transportation improvements.
Among this year’s legislative positions is opposition to increasing the minimum wage and prohibitions on asking job applicants about criminal convictions and ending secret dealings with industrial prospects, but support for awarding college credits for skills learned in the military.
“There’s a high demand for their talents, so we want to encourage them to stay in Columbia County,” Shepherd said of military veterans from nearby Fort Gordon.
Among the state leaders addressing the class were Secretary of State Brian Kemp, Insurance Commissioner Ralph Hudgens, Senate Majority Leader Bill Cowsert and local legislators, Sen. Jesse Stone, Sen. Bill Jackson, Rep. Jodi Lott and Rep. Barry Fleming.
“We can’t do it all. We have to have your confidence and your suggestions,” said Jackson, R-Appling.
Fleming took a moment to give a history of the Capitol building itself, including the stables that once occupied the ground floor. He summarized the high-profile issues of this year’s legislative session as “God, guns, gambling and money.”
“The favorite part of my job is talking to groups like this because this is where I get ideas, where I get my energy,” said Fleming, R-Harlem.
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