Georgia General Assembly activities for 2007 are coming down to the wire.
Today marks the 28th day of the 40-day session. Bills must pass at least one chamber by the 30th day — Crossover Day — or they will be stuck in committee until next year.
While the Senate has passed 76 of the 296 bills introduced and the House has sent 145 of its 672 bills across to the Senate, few of them address major hot-button issues such as immigration, the looming transportation funding shortfall, stressed court and prison systems and health care concerns.
“Unfortunately, I think we’re going to get hit at the end,” said state Rep. Barry Loudermilk, R-Cassville. “The next three days are going to be long. We haven’t even taken up the supplemental budget yet.”
Passing the state budget is the only action required of the General Assembly by law. Loudermilk said he expects the supplemental budget — adjustments to the current spending plan — to come before the House on the 29th day and the budget covering the next fiscal year to be brought for a vote on Crossover Day.
State Rep. Katie Dempsey, R-Rome, said Crossover Day has been set for Tuesday, March 27.
The legislature will meet today and Tuesday, then spend the rest of the week trying to move pending bills through committees.
Bills that receive a “Do Pass” recommendation from a committee are funneled to the Rules Committee, which decides if it will schedule a full chamber vote.
But Dempsey said it is unclear how many major changes will make it through the General Assembly this year.
“A lot of key bills are coming up next week after the Rules Committee looks at them, and there should be a lot more spirited debate,” she said. “But, early on, the Speaker requested there not be a lot of legislation this year if it’s not necessary.”
Legislation to create a transportation trust fund and allow a statewide vote on a 1-cent sales tax to fund projects is one of the hundreds of bills still sitting in committee. The concept was proposed by David Doss of Rome, the district’s representative to the State Transportation Board.
Floyd County Commissioner Garry Fricks said the proposal could be a viable option for addressing a money shortage that is of grave concern to local communities.
He was less supportive of another proposal — Senate Resolution 341 — which would schedule a public vote on changing the state constitution to let the General Assembly distribute transportation money instead of the Georgia Department of Transportation.
“I don’t know how that would work,” Fricks said. “It’s based on need right now but, if you put it in political hands, whoever has the most clout would get the most funding.”
Doss and former state Rep. Paul Smith helped fight off a similar move last year. The measure passed the House the final day but died in the Senate.
