By Bill Hamrick
CARROLLTON (February 4, 2011) – The Republican Caucus held a press conference early this week to discuss top agenda items for the session. Jobs, tax reform and reducing government spending topped the list. Georgians, along with voters across the nation, have told their elected officials loud and clear that they want smaller government and less intrusion. Here at the state level, we’re working to meet that request.
Job growth tops the list for every legislator. We have discussed the importance of leading the southeast with a business-friendly atmosphere to encourage job creation. The governor provided for this in his budget recommendations by allotting more money for aggressively recruiting companies, which is a pivotal factor in recovering from the recession.
It is widely accepted that the economy has shifted away from products to more services. This is a concept that we will try to reflect in our tax reform. The antiquated tax system in Georgia isn’t fair and its complexity is a burden for taxpayers. Our goal is to diligently and deliberately reform the system with fair and simple taxes that make sense for the economy as it exists today.
As taxpayers, we all want to rest assured that our government is being a good steward of our hard earned money. The Senate and House have both moved forward on legislation that would require the General Assembly to justify every dollar it spends. Georgia currently operates under a continuation budget. Once a new spending program is approved by the General Assembly, it is automatically rolled over into the next succeeding budget under a single line item, called continuation. The budgets that we approve each year detail as little as 3 percent of the state’s spending; everything else appears on one line without any description. Legislation is in the works to move to a zero-based budgeting method that would require us to justify all expenses, including those approved in earlier years. The Senate has passed a version of zero-based budgeting four times in the last eight years, and the bill enjoys strong bipartisan support. If we are to be good stewards of taxpayers’ hard-earned money, we must analyze and justify how every dollar is spent.
At a time when federal mandates and regulations seem to be encroaching on everyone’s life, the Georgia legislature is working to protect citizens’ rights. A bill has been introduced that aims to protect the gun rights of legally-carrying citizens during a state of emergency. Senate Bill 26 prohibits any additional limitations on carrying firearms during a state of emergency, including seizing any firearm not currently prohibited by law, or requiring the registration of a firearm that is not already required to be registered by law. Legally-carrying citizens should be able to protect themselves and their personal property at all times, particularly emergency situations.
The state Department of Revenue recently issued a stop payment order after it released $12 million in state tax refunds to 30,000 Georgians after a computer error caused the state to overpay some of the refunds. The deposits were withdrawn without notifying the account holder, resulting in overdraft fees for many Georgians. This is unacceptable. Legislation was introduced this week that will address this issue by prohibiting any state agency to withdraw a deposit from an individual’s bank account without express written consent from the account holder.
Expect the pace to quicken under the Gold Dome as we begin moving these and other bills through the legislative process. I remain committed to passing good legislation that responds to our citizens’ needs.
Sen. Bill Hamrick serves as Chairman of the Judiciary Committee. He represents the 30th Senate District which includes portions of Carroll, Douglas, and Paulding counties. He may be reached at 404.656.0036 or via e-mail at bill.hamrick@senate.ga.gov.
COLUMN
For Immediate Release:
February 4, 2011
For Information Contact:
Kallarin Richards, Deputy Director
Katie Wright, Communications Manager
katie.wright@senate.ga.gov
404.656.0028