The drama heats up in the Georgia Legislature Thursday, with several high profile bills headed for votes in the House and Senate.
On the House side, the closely watched transportation funding bill at last moves to the House floor after undergoing changes to soften opposition from local government groups and lawmakers who see the proposal as a tax increase.
The Senate won’t be quiet either, with Gov. Nathan Deal’s “opportunity school district” package and the controversial religious freedom bill scheduled for action.
House Bill 170, the transportation bill, hit another bump in the House Rules Committee Wednesday when House Majority Leader Larry O’Neal, R-Bonaire, offered an amendment to reduce the proposed state fuel excise tax from 29.2 cents to 24 cents. That would mean an estimated $300 million less in new transportation funds from the original projection of $1 billion a year.
The proposed amendment will be voted on by the House Thursday as part of its consideration of the entire bill, authored by Transportation Committee Chairman Jay Roberts, R-Ocilla.
Roberts told InsiderAdvantage Georgia Wednesday afternoon that he opposes the O’Neal proposal, a reversal for the House leadership, which had steadfastly supported the higher rate. House Speaker David Ralston, R-Blue Ridge, introduced the bill along with Roberts.
“It’s not my amendment,” Roberts said. “If there’s a vote taken on the amendment, I will vote against it. However, whatever the will of the House is. If the will of the House is to move it down to that, than we’ll move forward with it.”
The Senate will consider two related bills regarding Deal’s proposed constitutional amendment to allow the state to take over persistently failing schools. Senate Bill 133 would set up the state school district, empowered to take control of up to 20 failing schools a year. The district would be run by a superintendent appointed by the governor. A companion enabling bill, Senate Resolution 287, would let voters decide on allowing funding.
The plan, modeled after similar programs in Louisiana, Tennessee and Michigan, needs a two-thirds majority vote in the House and Senate to pass. Deal appears to have that level of support in the Senate, despite Democratic opposition. If approved by the entire Legislature, the proposal would be placed on the 2016 ballot.
Under the proposal, the state could take over schools that score below 60 on the College and Career Performance Index for three consecutive years. Sen. Butch Miller, R-Gainesville, the governor’s floor leader, is the lead author of the bills.
After a bumpy ride through the Senate Judiciary Committee, the religious freedom bill by Joshua McKoon, R-Columbus, is also on the Senate calendar. The committee made changes to bring the legislation closer to a 1993 federal law. McKoon says the bill is needed to prevent government intrusion into religion. Gay rights groups have opposed the legislation, saying it would allow discrimination by businesses..
The House transportation bill has also generated intense debate. Despite repeated assurances by Roberts and Ralston that the legislation would not raise state taxes, the 29.2-cent rate was seen as an increase by a number of House members. The legislation would convert the state’s 4 percent gasoline sales tax and 7.5-cent-per-gallon fuel excise tax into the single rate as well as make changes to the local sales tax structure.
The legislation underwent a series of revisions in the Transportation Committee to gain support of local government groups. Previously, the Rules Committee sent the bill back to Transportation, which passed it for a second time after further revisions.
A priority of Ralston, Deal and Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle, the transportation bill, if approved by the House, is expected to undergo further changes in the Senate. If it survives there, the bill would go to a conference committee to resolve differences.
