Notes from the State House
As of this article’s date, March 17, we just completed day 34 of our legislative session. It looks like we are going to be done by the end of March, and I must say that it has been a very productive session.
This article will address the most exciting aspect of the session to me, budget conference hearings, as well as a few of the bills which have passed that will have a positive affect on working families. I will expound on the bills first and the budget last.
One of the best small business bills that we passed was H.B. 320. This bill would create a health insurance risk pool for high risk people. For many people, health insurance is unattainable especially if you have a high-risk pre-condition. Because of the astronomical expense, many small business owners can’t afford to hire these talented people because the health insurance would be cost prohibitive.
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In addition, it leaves those who are self-employed out of luck if they are also a high-risk candidate. By creating a risk pool, many people in the similar predicament, may find a more attractive and affordable health insurance option.
We overwhelmingly passed, what now is becoming an annual event, the sales tax holiday. The measure that passed the House 163-2 would give all of us another tax break to get ready for school. This year’s sales tax holiday would be July 28-31. The holiday eliminates state sales tax on most school supplies, computers and clothes.
Another bill that is consumer friendly is a bill that would relieve surviving spouses of having to see their homestead exemptions increase because they are forced to re-file their homestead under their own name.
With many counties and cities moving forward to cap property taxes to aggrieved homeowners, a loophole was inadvertently created that would penalize a spouse who was forced to re-file under their name because the deceased spouse had filed in their name only. The bill, dubbed “the widow tax” would allow those spouses to re-file without any change to the property tax status.
I have mentioned the budget process quite a few times in my recent articles. Why? Because it is the most important aspect with actual lawmaking coming in a distant second. The House, of which I am a member, originates the budget and then sends their version to the Senate.
The Senate, in their infinite wisdom, makes changes, subtractions, additions or erasures as they see fit.
Well, the House doesn’t take kindly to their hard work being altered and sends word to the Senators that we don’t agree with their changes. When this happens a three member conference committee from each chamber is appointed.
These six members, three from the House and three from the Senate, get together and in a room in the Capitol and in layman’s terms start playing a game of high stakes poker. They trade, barter and argue over the disagreements in the budget.
These meetings can last hours or they can end after a few short minutes. There are many of them over a course of days or weeks. However, each respective chamber hates to give in and be considered the loser.
That is why each chamber conference committee picks certain items in the budgets that are important to them and then certain items that they can use as barter. They usually end up trading articles that the other party wants for matters that their respective chamber needs.
A perfect example may be a sewer system in the South Georgia area that the House funded at $150,000. The Senate sends back their changes and cut the funds in half to $75,000. The Senate then takes the excess from the cut and funds a sewer system for one of their members in North Georgia.
The House refuses to accept $75,000 but agrees to a compromise of $100,000. The House is happy for South Georgia and the Senate found a way to help North Georgia to the tune of $50,000.
No one chamber, House or Senate, ever claims total victory. There is always a compromise that is characteristic of our democratic society. We live in a great state and nation. I am very proud every day when I see the checks and balances that our forefathers established being used properly.
Sure, there are mistakes along the way but there are always avenues that the people can use to correct those over a period of time. We, as a state and nation, have been doing that for over 200 years and we stand as examples for the whole nation and world to see.
