The GPPF: Rumors of a Failed Session are Unfounded:

Georgia’s spending process, however, could benefit from a healthy dose of fiscal conservatism. Something is terribly wrong when one of the wealthiest counties in the state, Cobb, is the leading recipient of pork projects. Among the more than $10 million of state taxpayer dollars designated for Cobb was $8 million for an unnamed charter school, $2.5 million for an arts center and grants for, among other things, a high school athletic program, and school laptop computers and roof repairs.

If Cobb County can afford these expenses, why are state taxpayers subsidizing the wealthy residents of Cobb? Clinch and Wheeler, two of the poorest counties in the state, received no local grants from the state. Don’t they have any unmet needs? Were they too proud to ask? Did their elected officials vote the wrong way on a certain issue?

The issue is not to single out Cobb County. Nearly everyone plays this game, and local projects are sometimes defensible. A capital investment in the port in Savannah, while it certainly helps the citizens of Chatham County, also benefits Georgia’s overall economy. If one of the poorest counties in the state needs help meeting certain basic health and safety needs, there is an argument for the state to step in to assist.

But how do we decide what “projects” are legitimate and which are “pork?” Georgia should adopt a set of stringent tests to limit this practice before someone builds a “bridge to nowhere.”

A good start would be to ask these questions of every proposal: Is this a core function of government or could it best be funded in the private sector? Is this a state or local responsibility? Does this project benefit a broad group of citizens or a special interest? Is there evidence this is a local responsibility that cannot be met because it would place an undue burden on local government? Do local elected officials justifiably support the project? Has the project gone through an open debate to determine that it merits priority?

Sunshine is a proven preventive measure for spending abuse. Rep. Jill Chambers led the way this year by bringing the same focus on disclosure and transparency to state spending as she has with the MARTA budget. Her legislation won unanimous approval in the Legislature. It requires an annual summary of all state contracts of $20,000 or more in electronic format so citizens will be able, as President Bush put it when he signed similar federal legislation, “to Google their tax dollars.”

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Here is something from the Savannah Morning News detailing some of the pork projects for Southeast Georgia:

In the end, state budget-writers even found money for Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman.

The Union “March to the Sea” soon could be commemorated with a special trail, one of four that the General Assembly funded to the tune of $200,000 total in the final draft of the spending plan for the fiscal year that begins July 1, which passed last week.

That’ll set well with the rednecks here in Georgia that are still fighting the Civil War. I will admit that I do share the negative feelings about Sherman. For all intents and purposes, he was a terrorist, but no different from Southern slave owners. But that is a debate for another time.
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From Citizens Against Government Waste:

Unless they get their act together, House Republicans in Georgia could lose their power just as fast as they acquired it. After 130 years of Democratic dominance in the state legislature, a Republican majority was elected in 2006, but the members have not followed through on campaign promises.

While in the minority, Republicans preached the philosophy of small government, low taxes, and eliminating wasteful spending. Now in power, they have allowed the fiscal 2007 supplemental budget for the state of Georgia to contain more than $50 million in pet projects. Lieutenant Governor Casey Cagle, a fellow Republican, threatened to remove the pork projects, resulting in the House taking back the budget and a subsequent legislative showdown.
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The AJC is addressing some of the pork found in the FY 2008 budget, which was passed late Sunday night, and only sat for an hour before legislators voted on it:

Late Friday night, lawmakers approved a fiscal 2008 budget that included several million dollars for projects ranging from local museums to streetscapes, a party, baseball facilities, locker rooms and even a fresh coat of paint for a water tower. The projects were made public only a few hours before the Legislature adjourned.

As the session wound down last week, Gov. Sonny Perdue vetoed the current year’s budget, saying too much was left out when legislators approved a $142 million property tax break. That will lead to a special session in coming weeks.

Overshadowed by the veto was the fact that legislators used next year’s much larger 2008 budget to send millions home to local communities — the type of “pork barrel” spending many GOP leaders criticized when Democrats ran the statehouse.
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This is another reason that Mark Sanford is one of my heroes:

Gov. Mark Sanford will unveil a “spending clock” Monday, showing residents how quickly their money is being spent as the Senate prepares to debate its budget next week.

The clock will be set up on the first floor of the State House outside the governor’s offices.

Last night the legislature passed a $20.2 billion budget for the 2008 fiscal year. Let’s break this down for Georgia.

That $20.2 billion works out to be…
- $55,342,465.75 per day
- $2,305,936.07 per hour
- $39,432.27 per minute

The Georgia General Assembly spends almost as much per minute than the average median household income of it’s citizens, which is $42,433.

In the time it took me to write this post…the State of Georgia spent $394,322.70.

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The General Assembly has adjourned Sine Die (without day), and the 2007 session is officially over. The FY2008 Budget (HB95) was worked out in conference committee late Thursday night into early Friday morning and wasn’t approved till about mid-day. The budget was over 200 pages long and then spent the rest of the day getting printed. It didn’t hit legislator’s desks till 9:30pm, when it had to sit for 1 hour according to House rules. At 10:30 debate began which lasted about 45 minutes in the House and much less in the Senate. HB95 passed the House with only three dissenting votes, and the Senate with one dissenting vote. At this time I’m not aware of anyone (besides legislators) who has a copy of the final Conference Committee Report, but word is that the Governor’s GoFish program was fully funded, and $40M was set aside for “land conservation”.

We’ll post more details on the FY08 Budget as we get them.

As for the HB94, the FY2007 Supplemental budget, that was vetoed by the Governor late Thursday night. First thing Friday morning the House overrode the veto, however the Senate refused to address the matter on a technicality: the Governor never transmitted his veto to the House. Because of this, the Governor will most likely call a special session.

Stay tuned for more information…….

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My sources say that Governor vetoed HB94 – the 2007 Supplemental Budget – and the $140M tax cut brokered by the Speaker and Lt. Governor. Looks like Sine Die isn’t tomorrow.

This is probably the first time a Georgia Governor vetoed a tax cut in recent memory.

The House will most likely hold an override vote tomorrow.

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From the Political Insider:

We’re told that Gov. Sonny Perdue is putting out feelers to House Democrats, to gauge whether they would support his veto of the $700 million, 2007 supplemental budget.

The question is what it might cost the governor.

Perdue on Wednesday threatened to veto the bill, which contains a $142 million tax rebate to property owners, though the cost of distributing the checks, and the amount, has become a matter of contention. The bill might also force temporary layoffs among some literacy teachers and prosecutors.

The 180-member House has proceeded apace. To override a gubernatorial would require a two-thirds vote of the chamber. Among the chamber’s 106 Republicans, an override vote would become a test of loyalty to the Speaker and his leadership team.

Democrats would find themselves the deciding votes. And something tells us the governor wouldn’t be the only bidder.

Just…damn.

What say you, Republicans?

Screw over the taxpayers? That’s what Sonny did.

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Sonny Perdue may veto HB 94, which is the budget agreement between the House and Senate. This agreement includes a $140 million tax break to Georgia’s property owners.

Sonny Perdue has just rendered himself as a lame duck. There goes that VP spot.

Developing…

HT: Bill Kecskes

[UPDATE - 7:11pm] Erick has more at Peach Pundit.

[UPDATE - 7:13pm] Andre is keeping tabs on this as well.

[UPDATE 7:27pm] Political Insider has details:

The Associated Press says Gov. Sonny Perdue is signaling that he might veto the 2007 midyear budget, raising the possibility that a long and tortuous session of the Legislature might have an encore.

“Every day the papers are filled with story after story about the shortcomings of this budget,” the AP quotes Perdue spokesman Dan McLagan as saying.

“This governor is unlikely to sign a budget that fails to meet the needs of Georgians,” McLagan said. “This certainly appears to be such a budget.”

The article noted that the timing of the comments seemed designed to give lawmakers an opportunity to fix the problems before they leave. Friday is scheduled to be the final day of the 40-day session.

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