When the gavel struck Jan. 11 that brought the 2010 Georgia General Assembly into session, it was predicted the 40 days of lawmaking would last until late March. Wrong. It finally came to its constitutionally mandated close at midnight April 29.
So what did they accomplish? They succeeded in handing out a few unaffordable tax cuts, all the while eliminating tax credits of low-income residents and balancing the budget on the backs of public education, hospitals and a plethora of fee increases.
There was good, bad, ugly and ridiculous. You decide where the following items fit.Read more: http://www.macon.com/2010/05/02/1113277/sine-die-doesnt-mean-thank-god.html#ixzz0mtk5KGron The governor’s agenda to come up with a pay-for-performance plan for teachers failed to get traction, though, like the little engine that could, he tried and tried and tried again.
It may be giving lawmakers too much credit, but maybe they understood the governor was putting the coal carrier in front of the locomotive. The state must have a student tracking system in place to accurately gauge student achievement and teacher performance, something that has yet to be developed. The more likely reason for turning back Perdue’s wish is the spectre of the looming election. None of the lawmakers wanted to feel the wrath of 120,000 teachers.
n Perdue also lost funding for the expansion of his Houston County horse park project. Even though it would have benefited Middle Georgia, it’s hard to justify spending another $9 million when teachers are being laid off and furloughed.
n Even as the state sends a stern message that this will be the last year funding the sports and music halls of fame, it’s jumping into bed with the College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta to the tune of $10 million. Go figure.
The big gorilla in every room was the budget. Georgia mirrors the rest of the country as it suffers through this bad economic downturn — and it will probably take it longer, due to our reliance on construction, to rebound out of this recession pit. Lawmakers were forced to make painful choices. This session lawmakers earned their keep. A state budget of $21.5 billion was whittled down through pain and bloodletting to $17.9 billion about the level of the budget four years ago.
Monday, May 3, 2010
Another wrap up of the session...
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