The State Senate disappoints:

A key Senate committee Monday approved a spending plan for next year that includes $45 million for land preservation and all $19 million Gov. Sonny Perdue wanted for fishing tourism.

The full Senate is expected to vote on the $20.2 billion spending plan today, and Senate and House negotiators will then work to reach agreement on the budget before the session is scheduled to end Friday.

As expected, the Senate stripped or slashed many of the pet projects inserted into the budget by the House and replaced them with its own projects. The winners in that process were southeast Georgia lawmakers who help run the Senate and who funneled more money to their region. The loser was the Augusta area, home to House Appropriations Chairman Ben Harbin (R-Evans), who saw several of his projects cut.

The Senate gave Perdue more of what he wanted than the House had. For instance, the governor got all the money he requested for “Go Fish Georgia,” a fishing tourism program that includes new boat ramps and a fish hatchery. The governor got nearly all of the $50 million he requested for land preservation. The House had approved no money for the program.

Many of us agreed with the Senate on the 2007 amended budget, but it seems that their version of the 2008 budget is no better. At least the House was honest during the budget battle. However, the Senate’s actions were expected.

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Our first inductee is House Appropriations Committee Chairman Ben Harbin (R-Evans), who took the floor of the State House yesterday and defended a $20.2 billion budget filled with pork and wasteful spending.

Earmarks in the FY 2008 budget include:

• $50,000 to the Aviation Hall of Fame Authority.
• $50,000 for the Civil War Commission.
• $100,000 for the Warner Robins Air Force base museum.
• $608,685 to the Georgia Golf Hall of Fame Authority.
• $1.5 million for CSX rail improvements in Waycross.
• $5 million for “Go Fish.”

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We’d like to acknowledge the nine Representatives that voted for the amendment to cut $5 million designated to “Go Fish.”

On the Lakly Amendment

We’d also like to acknowledge and thank the seven Representatives that voted against the pork laden FY 2008 budget.

On passage of HB 95 (FY 2008 budget)

We had heard rumors that as many as twelve Republicans were going to break against leadership and vote against the budget. It’s clear that leadership strong armed members to vote their way. Several sources at the capitol told us that for the first time since they can recall, leadership whipped the budget within their own caucus to make sure they had the votes for passage.

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The State House is taking up the FY 2007 amended budget right now and they’ll take up the FY 2008 budget later in the afternoon. You can watch online here.

[UPDATE - 2:06pm] The House and Senate have passed the FY 2007 amended budget unanimously. The discussion on the FY 2008 budget has just gotten underway in the House.

[UPDATE - 3:30pm] State Rep. Dan Lakly proposed an amendment to strip some, if not all, funding for “Go Fish.” The amendment failed 9 to 146.

[UPDATE - 3:32pm] The FY 2008 budget passed the State House by a vote of 156 to 7.

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The House Budget Office has made the FY 2008 budget available for viewing. You can check it out here.

The budget is at $20.2 billion and the document is 172 pages long.

We’ll be going through it over the next couple days.

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The State House Appropriations Committee has passed the budget for 2008:

The $20.2 billion spending plan for fiscal 2008, which begins July 1, also includes dozens of pet projects for lawmakers and $6 million for unspecified grants that won’t be made public until just before the end of the 2007 session.

The House Appropriations Committee backed the budget this morning, and the full House will consider it Friday. Lawmakers hope to end the 2007 session next Friday.

The spending plan gives Gov. Sonny Perdue much, although not all, of what he requested. It includes $18 million of the $19 million he wanted for “Go Fish Georgia,” the state’s effort to promote fishing tourism. However, it doesn’t include any money for land preservation, another of Perdue’s priorities.

[…]

House Appropriations Chairman Ben Harbin (R-Evans), is from the Augusta area, and that East Georgia city had a good haul in the House budget. The Georgia Golf Hall of Fame, located in Augusta, would get $550,000 for operations and a feasibility study on its future. Another $2.8 million would go to expand the Medical College of Georgia in Augusta.

Gainesville, home of Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle and House Appropriations Committee Vice Chairman Carl Rogers (R-Gainesville), would get $2 million for a parking deck.

Paulding County, home of House Speaker Glenn Richardson (R-Hiram), would get $1.5 million for a new library.

While we scored a huge victory earlier in the week, we have a battle on our hands now and this one is going to be tough.

I’ll post a copy of the 2008 budget as soon as it is available.

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I wonder what is running through Perdue’s mind right now:

Senate and House Republican leaders agreed to the $142 million tax cut late Tuesday night. The deal will give the state’s homeowners a one-time payout expected to average $100. Perdue’s own $142 million retirement tax cut proposal - the centerpiece of his re-election bid - was tabled by state lawmakers who said they wanted to consider it as part of wholesale tax reform next year.

Perdue said the last-minute tax break “came about in a very strange fashion.”

“I’m not sure that the budget negotiations conference table is the place to really discuss and talk about tax strategy and fiscal policy positions,” Perdue told reporters Wednesday.

[…]

But the budget plan eliminated funding for key Perdue initiatives like the $50 million for the governor’s land conservation program and $13 million for his “Go Fish” tourism proposal designed to lure lucrative bass fishing tournaments to the state.

Perdue said he would be watching to see that the money is restored in the budget for the next fiscal year and will be looking at the two spending plans together.

A tax cut is a tax cut, I’m sure the taxpayers don’t mind how it was discussed or came to fruition.

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Kudos to both Lt. Governor Cagle and Speaker Richardson for devising a tax-cut that is offset by spending. After Sine Die we need to send you to Washington to teach that to your federal brethren.

The AJC is reporting:

Georgia homeowners would get a $100 property tax cut under a budget agreement reached Tuesday night by state House and Senate leaders….

House leaders proposed the tax cut after they reached an impasse with Senate leaders on the midyear budget for fiscal 2007, which ends June 30. Strong state tax collections have given lawmakers extra budget dollars this year.

Members of the House said senators had portrayed them as big spenders because they had tried to include projects such as museum funding and Perdue’s “Go Fish Georgia” fishing tourism program in the budget.

The Senate gutted the midyear budget of those projects, and the two sides did not appear near a deal when they began negotiations Tuesday.

The House budget negotiators counterproposed with the tax cut, and the Senate accepted.
(Budget deal gives residents tax break | ajc.com)

Travis Fain has a good explanation as to why this is being done via a property tax refund here

Mr. Speaker: I know this compromise probably doesn’t make you popular with your caucus right now. I know $100 isn’t a massive windfall to taxpayers upon which you can ride to re-election next year. However you did the right thing.

Lt. Gov. Cagle: Thank you for sticking to your guns and not backing down. The press was salivating at the prospect of an internal GOP fight and I’m sure there was pressure to compromise to make this unpleasantness go away.

Next up is the FY2008 Budget which will also contain pork. Stay tuned to Georgia Porkbusters for more.

HB94 must now be approved by both bodies (a formality) and then is on to the Governor for signature

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It seems that deal has been reached between the House and Senate on the 2007 supplemental budget. I don’t want to get too much into the details, but it appears that the taxpayers have scored a victory.

I’ll post details as the come in.

[UPDATE - 9:39pm] There will be a press conference at 10:15pm to announce the agreement. Basically the agreed budget will reduce the $214 million in pork to around $60 million and property owners will be given a tax credit or grant of some sort. I’m still waiting on exact details, but this is what I’m hearing right now from several sources.

[UPDATE - 9:54pm] Travis Fain from the Macon Telegraph, who is one of the best political reporters in Georgia, confirms the press conference and gives more details on the budget agreement.

[UPDATE - 10:18pm] Here is more from 11 Alive.

[UPDATE - 10:32pm] Richardson has released a statement. I’m sorry but I’m calling BS on it. That is a load of crap.

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I just got through watching a video of Speaker Richardson and Rep. Alicia Thomas Morgan debating over Peachcare from crossover day. Richardson said something that struck me as hypocritical.

While responding to Morgan, Richardson said:

It is time that we put some restraints on this program to bring it in conformity with what the people of Georgia want to do, the people from whom we take the money by threat of force and imprisonment to pay for this program…

Now take that line to what we are witnessing right now over the debate of the 2007 supplemental budget. Richardson isn’t willing to apply the same standards to spending and pork and that is incredibly hypocritical.

Don’t get me wrong, I actually agree with him on PeachCare and about healthcare not being a right, which he goes on to say toward the end of the clip, but you have to apply the same standards across the board whether it’s cutting eligibility for PeachCare or for pork projects across the state. Neither are a right and the taxpayers expect the same standards.

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