Georgia legislators are constantly dodging criticism. As veteran lawmakers are used to observing, it comes with the territory. Individuals elected to office are always more likely to hear from those who oppose their work than they are from those who are in tandem with what they are thinking or doing in the capital city when the General Assembly is in session.
Their musings and propositions this session in particular have opened the gates to a flood of criticism - a natural reaction when budget-cutting captures and holds the state spotlight. Few have given anyone in the legislature kudos for reductions or spending decreases that have been proposed or suggested.
There is, however, a little known measure that is drawing a favorable response from those aware of its existence, and that’s Senate Bill 44. The legislation, passed by the Senate and just recently by the House, moves businesses and service providers in Georgia to the front of the line when public funds are about to be spent.
The measure would require state and local governments, as well as school boards, to give preference to companies based in the Peach State on contracts having a price tag in excess of $100,000. This includes city and county commissions. The idea behind the legislation ought to be obvious. It’s to save jobs and stimulate the economy while, at the same time, protecting taxpayers from spending far more than they should to build a school, a jail or a recreational facility. This is a prudent move by state lawmakers.
What’s wrong with spending our tax-dollars on ourselves? Nothing, and even doubly so in the face of rising unemployment in an economy that resembles something akin to a dangerous riptide.
Tax local, spend local - the new motto of the day and one that could save a few jobs in communities like Brunswick and the Golden Isles, which is spending millions on new facilities and poised to spend even more. Kudos to those in the legislature who wrote and supported the measure.
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