report day14 020509-news clips - Georgia State Senate

1 TOP STORY. Senators Fight for Constituents' Concerns By Hayley Howell are in school. We must meet their needs.. Day 14 of this year's Senate These facilities are not in Legislative Session witnessed my district, but I have got- the passage of Senator Ralph ten to Sen. Buckner informed Hudgens' (R- Hull) Senate know the the Senate that on aver- Bill 61, which establishes kids that age, children who attend regulations for life settlement go to the these programs progress contracts, specifically setting programs two months forward for up guidelines for the sale of and bene- every month they are in- an unneeded life insurance fit from volved. policy. The bill passed with them, . 100 percent of the Senate 's S e n . support. Buckner This cut is very unwise, s a i d . Upper Chamber report because most of the chil- Their dren who attend these Sen. Gail Buckner (D- Mor- involve- programs will have to go row) took the well to ardently ment is into foster care, Buckner profess her support and the important because the expressed.

2 We already have need for educational outdoor young people who attend a difficult time placing chil- therapeutic programs. She are the kids whose needs dren with issues. Let's not do noted that there is the threat typically cannot be met in a things that have long term of a budget cut to the mental traditional classroom. They consequences.. health division of the outdoor are the kids who skip FEBRUARY 5, 2009 DAY 14. therapeutic programs that are school, are in juvenile court, located near Cleveland and in or are disruptive when they Continued on page 2. Warm Springs. Inside this issue: Editor's Note: Apology to Senators Valenica Seay and Horacena Tate Senators Fight for 1-2. Constituents' Concerns On behalf of the Senate Press Office, I would like to per- Transportation Committee 2. sonally apologize for an error that I included in the Day 11. Passes Bills on Planes, Upper Chamber report article Women's Heart Disease Trains, and Plain Trains Awareness, Honoring Local WWII Veteran Focus of Sen- Senate Banking & Finan- 3 ate Day 10.

3 I incorrectly cited Senator Horacena Tate in cial Institutions Commit- the article when in fact Senator Valencia Seay took the tee on Fair Lending Act Revisions well to address her support of Go Red for Women Day on Friday, February 6th at the Capitol. I would like to person- Joint Lottery Oversight 3 ally apologize to Senator Tate for any confusion this may Committee Carefully Examines Money Going have caused and especially to Senator Seay who regretta- to Education bly did not get the credit in the article that she deserved for Education & Youth Com- 4. her hard work and dedication to a cause that she has been mittee Hears Update on personally affected by in recent years. I sincerely regret Career Academies the error and any negative effects it may have caused. My Regulated Industries & 4-5 fellow Press Office staff worked extremely hard to pro- Utilities Pass Georgia duce this daily report and I hope my personal error will Power Bill not reflect poorly on what they do here at the State Senate .

4 Higher Education Passes 5. Raegan Weber, Press Director Key Legislation for Geor- gia's Nursing Shortage Kallarin Richards, Editor in Chief - Matt Colvin Legislative Process Dates 6. Sen. Vincent Fort (D-Atlanta) pas- ents about foreclosure problems. He ing us to lie low and not make any big sionately took the well to continue the told the story of a woman who con- decisions, Fort vehemently pro- long-standing discussion on the sub- tacted him about her house payment fessed. This is not the time for cau- prime and predatory lending issue. loans that she received from her local tion or tepid measures that will do Fort informed the Senate that home Wachovia branch, which now refuses nothing. Some will tell us to listen to foreclosures are setting records across to help her with payment. the banking industry, but they are the the State and that problems are still ones who got us into this mess, and if unfolding.

5 We listen then we are also at fault. These are the same people who re- The time has come to stand up and do ceived taxpayer bailout money in a something for the constituents. This is Fort explained that he still gets nu- total of $25 billion. They are the same not an Atlanta problem, this is a merous phone calls from his constitu- people who are out in the lobby tell- Georgia problem.. TRANSPORTATION COM- tation that levitates, guides, and pro- with bi-partisan support through the MITTEE PASSES BILLS ON pels vehicles using electromagnetic committee. PLANES, TRAINS AND force. This method of transportation is much PLAIN TRAINS faster than wheeled mass By Raegan Weber transit systems, poten- tially reaching velocities ATLANTA (February 5, 2009) The comparable to turboprop Senate Transportation Committee and jet aircraft. China has chaired by Senator Jeff Mullis (R- had its own maglev transit Chickamauga) passed the Georgia since 2000, called the Rail Passenger Authority and the shanghai maglev Train.

6 Georgia Aviation Authority Act bills The shanghai Transrapid as well as the Plain Train resolution maglev Line is the during an efficiently run committee world's first high-speed meeting on Wednesday at the Capitol. commercial commuter system, which can reach speeds of up to 300 miles per hour using State -of-the-art electro- Senator Bill Heath (R- Bremen) rein- Many residents in North Georgia and magnetic levitation technology. troduced Senate Bill 85 which would visitors to the State have expressed Mullis' resolution seeks to establish create the Georgia Aviation Authority complaints that Hartsfield-Jackson this same State -of-the-art technology (Authority). This bill was introduced Airport is too far away to service their in Georgia . The resolution passed during the 2008 Legislative Session, needs. Sen. Mullis, along with his with an overwhelming majority in passed through the Senate , but got colleagues Senator Doug Stoner (D- committee.)

7 Stuck in committee in the House. The Smyrna), Senator Valencia Seay (D- purpose of the Authority is to manage Riverdale), Senator Cecil Staton (R- all State aviation assets under one Macon), and Senator Kasim Reed (D- Another solution to Georgia 's trans- governing authority, provide aviation Atlanta), has offered the solution of portation woes that many State gov- services for the entire State , and over- The Plain Train through Senate ernment and legislative officials are see all State aviation operations. The Resolution 117. The Resolution considering is rebuilding the com- Authority's goals are to efficiently urges the Georgia Department of muter rail system. The commuter rail operate the State 's fleet of aircraft, Transportation (GDOT) to support a system has been neglected over the ensure State aviation safety, and ad- magnetic levitating, or maglev , train years due to the move toward road- vance policy through aviation mis- connecting Hartsfield-Jackson Air- ways and metro rail systems.

8 The sions. It was made clear that emer- port in Atlanta along Interstate 75. Georgia Rail Passenger Authority gency services would always take top with the Chattanooga Municipal Air- (GRPA) Bill, Senate Bill 51, is au- priority over any other government port. The GDOT is urged to report its thored by Sen. Stoner and gives functions. The bill passed with ma- progress on the project to the General GRPA the authority to develop the jority support of the Transportation Assembly by September 30, 2009. proper administrative infrastructure to Committee. operate prior to funds being allocated for the reestablishment of the com- A maglev train is a form of transpor- muter rail system. The bill passed Page 2 U P P E R C H A MB E R R E P O R T. Senate Banking & Financial massive amounts of foreclosures urged the committee to consider Institutions Committee Holds and decreasing home values: the adding legislation that would al- option adjustable rate mortgage low bank trustees in charge of bad Public Hearing on Fair Lend- (ARM) and subprime credit loans to be held accountable in ing Act Revisions loans.

9 He stated during the meet- addition to the mortgage lenders. By Matt Colvin ing that this measure is aimed at properly defining these two loan SB 57, as well as an alternate ver- ATLANTA (February 5, 2009) structures and setting standards for Georgia State Senator Bill how lenders can operate under sion, SB 54 authored by Sen. Hamrick (R Carrollton) chaired those categories. Sen. Hamrick Steve Thompson (D-Marietta), a public hearing for Senate Bill believes that the Federal govern- will be considered and taken up 57, which would revise certain ment has left it up to the states to for a vote at a future committee Georgia Fair Lending Act policies regulate non-bank loans and law- meeting yet to be determined. on mortgages, during the Senate makers have responsibility to help Banking and Financial Institutions regulate in order to keep foreclo- Committee Wednesday at the sures down and stabilize the hous- Capitol.

10 The committee heard ing markets. testimony from several interested parties for SB 57, which was au- The committee spent time listen- thored by Chairman Hamrick to ing to input from agencies and help address current and future State officials on determining the foreclosure issues that Georgia is language and conditions the bill currently dealing with. Sen. would create. Representatives Hamrick mentioned that SB 57. from Atlanta Legal Aid and State targets revising the code on two Sen. Vincent Fort (D-Atlanta). mortgage loans that have caused Joint Lottery Oversight Com- cerns about the amount of money is ranked fourth as the most profit- mittee Closely Examines being returned to education. The able lottery in the nation. Law- Money Going to Education lottery has returned $421 million makers pointed out that if the to education for the first half of economy continues to see a down- By Kallarin Richards FY 2009, a decrease in the amount turn, the lottery could see their ATLANTA (February 5, 2009) returned for the same period last expenses exceed revenue, as costs The Joint Lottery Oversight Com- year.