Improving Education
Illegal Immigrants
Eminent Domain
Voter ID
Controlling Spending and Taxes
Crime
Reducing Traffic Congestion
Economic Development
Conservative Family Values
Healthcare Legislation
Improving Education
Education has always been one of my top priorities while serving in the state legislature. When I was first elected I made the decision to visit every school in my district to hear the concerns about education directly from those involved. It is important we listen to our parents and local educators to help us better understand how our decisions as policy makers affect them and, in turn, how they will affect our children. I continue to visit my local schools so I may stay in touch with their needs.
This year we passed SB 390, that establishes that 65% of a local school system's operating funds must be on direct classroom expenditures. Direct classroom expenditures are all expenses for activities directly associated with the interaction between teachers and students. These expenditures include salaries, instructional materials and supplies costs, and classroom related activties costs, such as field trips, physical education, music and arts.
The 65% figure is not arbirtray; the top 5 states in the country spend 65% of education expenditures in the classroom and therefore, it is a proven model that our state should emulate. Additional resources going to the classroom as opposed to administrative overhead lead to higher acheivement. There is a direct correlation between money spent in the classroom and higher SAT scores and graduation rates.
We also passed this year the Truth in Class Size Act. This bill is intended to provide parents and guardians with a clear expectation to the maximum number of students that may be in their child's classroom. For our students to excel, they need to be more than just a number sitting in class. A lower teacher-to-student ration allows for more interaction, which is crucial in the learning process. Our state needs to combat the growing number of students in class and this measure does exactly that by setting a statewide maximum. The bill brings down the average class size by 2 students for most grade levels.
Last year we were able to pass SB33, which created the Georgia Virtual High School giving students all over Georgia access to college prep and advanced learning programs via the internet.
In addition, last year we passed SB 34 to allow for Master Teacher designation which will publicly recognize teachers who consistently raise test scores. Also, those teachers can receive 10 percent higher pay if they agree to mentor younger teachers or work in under-achieving schools.
As a state, Georgia has made significant gains in education over the past few years. However, we still have a lot of ground to cover and need to ensure the progress continues. Our goal should not be to have several outperforming school districts, but to have all of our school districts performing at a top level. The best way as a state we can pursue this goal is to make sure that every dollar invested in education is wisely utilized.
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Illegal Immigrants
I have co-sponsored legislation that directly combats this growing issue in our state, SB 529, which has been signed into law by Governor Perdue. The bill prohibits public contractors from knowingly hiring someone in violation of federal immigration law. The bill also prohibits compensation given to persons illegally living in the United States from being declared as a deductible business expense. And the bill requires verification of eligibility for adult applicants for public benefits.
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Eminent Domain
Private property rights had been left vulnerable after the Supre Court “Kelo” ruling last year. This year, we worked hard to pass the Private Property Protection Act that would protect all private property from eminent domain.
The bill prohibits the takking of property from a private owner for the purposes of selling it to another private owner for economic development or for increased tax collections. The legislation removes the power of eminent domain from non-elected housing authorities and development authorities. Thus, any action would have to be decided by the local elected officials who are accountable to voters.
The new legislation places the burden of proof on the condemnor and gives property owners the right to recover attorneys' fees if the condemnor is held not to have the authority to take the property. Additionally, the bill strictly and consistently defines blighted property and prohibits condeming property within generally blighted areas.
I firmly believe that the Private Property Protection Act will increase the power people will have in protecting their property rights.
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Always an issue for Republicans, especially since the introduction of electronic voting machines, the state Senate-passed a pilot program that would equip electronic voting machines in Bibb, Camden and Cobb Counties to produce paper ballots. The legislation sponsored provides for the development of a system that could eventually be expanded statewide to produce audit trails in case of recounts.
The most important voter protection measure placed by the General Assembly and signed into law by Governor Perdue was to amend provisions to last year’s voter ID law. The U. S. District Court said the original voter ID requirement was equivalent to poll tax and was unfair to the poor, the elderly and minorities. The new law (SB 84) addresses this issue and was crafted to pass the muster of the Court and the U. S. Department of Justice.
SB 84 specifies that the state will provide free photo ID cards to all registered voters upon request. It also allows all county board of elections and all local offices of the Department of Driver’s Services across the state to provide the state-issued ID card. The legislation specifies that the Secretary of the State’s Office must provide voter education on the new law.
The bottom line is that government issued photo ID cards necessary for voting are now easy to get and free of charge to all Georgia citizens.
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Controlling Spending and Taxes
I understand that the citizens of the 28th district work hard to make a living. They deserve to keep as much of their money as possible. I too pay taxes and am outraged at the burden placed upon the middle class. That is why I support measures to hold government accountable for spending. In the 2005 General Assembly, I worked diligently to find ways to cut spending. In the past five years, I have never supported a tax increase and pledge to continue to uphold that principle.
As a result of HB 191, Georgia companies will see a $1billion tax cut, over the next 10 years. This will increase plant expansion and job creation. This legislation shut the door on companies that were abusing the tax structure and using a corporate tax loophole by incorporating in Delaware, while keeping a lower tax burden on our state corporations, leveling the playing field, ensuring no abuses.
The 2006 state budget has included a $430 million property tax relief cut for Georgians.
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Crime
This year, we worked to pass legislation that would increse penalties for those who harm children and minors. The final product, HB 1059, dramatically increases mandatory minimum sentencing requirements, mandates electronic monitoring of violent offends for the rest of their life (at a cost borne by the offender), prohibits sexual predators from ever working with children, and strengthens disclosure requirements within Georgia's state sexual offender registry. The bill prohibits sex offenders from working, loitering, and making their home within 1000 feet of an area in which children are gathered.
To combat the evils of illegal drugs, retailers are now required to place products like pseudoephedrine behind the counter because it is a key ingredient in the manufacture of methamphetamines with the passage of HB 216.
HB 172 will now require juvenile offenders or their parents to make full restitution to the victims of the crime.
Prosecutors will finally have a level playing field against the criminals when it comes to picking a jury. Present law allows the defense to remove twice as many potential jurors as the prosecution. Now HB 170 will give an equal number of strikes for both the state prosecutors and the defense lawyers. The bill also extends the state’s rape shield law to victims of other sexually violent offenses, such as aggravated sodomy and aggravated child molestation. Current law shields only the names of the rape victims from the public.
To protect personal and financial information, companies, such as ChoicePoint, will now have to notify Georgians and credit reporting agencies when their information has been leaked or stolen due to the passage of SB 230.
The publication or release of personal cell phone numbers has been banned by SB 64, and it is now a felony for a Georgian to send out more than 100,000 spam emails in any given month.
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Reducing Traffic Congestion
During this time of growth, we have many traffic challenges. In order to better fund this growth, I worked to re-balance the highway funding formula. This measure will provide funding stability. This stability will ensure local projects in my district will have the money they needs to get their projects completed.
I look forward to the completion of the Highway 34 expansion project this year. Additionally, I anticipate needed future projects such as the Hwy 34 bypass and the Rockaway Road reallignment.
A six-year, $15.57 billion state transportation investment strategy to relieve traffic congestion and expand urban and rural Georgia, with half spent in Metro Atlanta and the rest to be spent throughout the rest of the state, was also passed this year.
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Economic Development
A community cannot survive without economic development, and the backbone of a community lies within its small business community. More than 90% of new jobs come from small business, and I will continue to work hard to support them. The National Federation of Independent Business and the Georgia Chamber of Commerce supports have given me an A rating. I have continually worked to improve the access to affordable healthcare for Georgia’s small businesses.
That effort resulted in the passage of SB 174, which will provide more affordable insurance options for small businesses. I worked tirelessly to bring the film industry back to our state. The film bill, HB 539, will provide a rebate incentive to companies that film in Georgia in Tier 1 and 2 communities which are economically challenged. They will also get bonuses for hiring Georgia residents and filming in economically challenged counties. This incentive will bring more jobs and more revenue into the state, especially the 28th district. It will also help bring more celebrities to Georgia like recent projects including “Broken Bridges”, a movie starring Kelly Preston and Toby Keith, and October Road”, an ABC TV pilot starring Tom Berenger, already have.
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Conservative Family Values
There is nothing more important to me than protecting our conservative family values. I am proud to be pro-family and pro-life. I have sponsored legislation to help keep more families together by requiring a longer waiting period and marital counseling for uncontested divorces. Our state government must debate, develop, and fund the programs to pick up the pieces of the “No Fault” divorces. Therefore, I believe that longer waiting periods will help couples reconcile. Currently, Georgia has the shortest waiting period in the United States. States with longer waiting periods, on average, have 25% fewer divorces. I will continue to work to strengthen our families and protect the most innocent.
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There is nothing more important to me than protecting our conservative family values. I am proud to be pro-family and pro-life. I have sponsored legislation to help keep more families together by requiring a longer waiting period and marital counseling for uncontested divorces. Our state government must debate, develop, and fund the programs to pick up the pieces of the “No Fault” divorces. Therefore, I believe that longer waiting periods will help couples reconcile. Currently, Georgia has the shortest waiting period in the United States. States with longer waiting periods, on average, have 25% fewer divorces. I will continue to work to strengthen our families and protect the most innocent.
Published Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Seabaugh: State budget crisis nowhere near over
By Jeff Bishop
The Times-Herald
State Senator Mitch Seabaugh (R-Sharpsburg) told a Newnan-Coweta Chamber of Commerce committee Monday afternoon that the state budget crisis is still nowhere near being over, in spite of all the recent talk about the nation coming out of the recession.
He said a recent caucus retreat was devoted to examining continued revenue shortfalls and discussing new rounds of budget cuts.
"I found the information very disturbing," said Seabaugh. "I'm going to need your help."
He said the actual revenues of the first few months of FY 2010 are down significantly from projections.
"We are already 14.24 percent below what the estimates for the budget said," said Seabaugh.
Governor Sonny Perdue built his budget around the assumption that revenues would rise 1.9 percent in FY 2010, said Seabaugh.
"More than likely we are not going to make that," he said. "So that's probably another half a million dollars we'll have to cut out of the 2010 budget when we go back in January."
And the U.S. government may not be able to provide much help as debt consumes more and more of the nation's gross domestic product (GDP), he said. By 2012, debt may account for as much as 70 percent of GDP, Seabaugh said.
Unemployment continues to be in the double digits, and that's a trend that will likely continue for months, he said.
"Almost certainly we will have another couple of months of significant decline before we catch up," Seabaugh said.
He said that while Georgia has recently suffered a 24 percent cut in revenues, it's still not in as much trouble as California, which had a $45 billion shortfall, or Illinois, which passed a budget that only covered half a fiscal year.
In 2009 Georgia legislators had to cut $1.2 billion from the budget, and more cuts are coming -- especially now that the reserves have been significantly depleted, he said.
Seabaugh predicts that about $573 million total will have to be excised from the 2010 budget.
In 2011, about "one billion dollars of additional cuts will have to be made," he said.
"By 2012, we won't have any reserves, whatsoever," he said.
Seabaugh said that since projections are showing that even more cuts will have to be made in 2012, those cuts should be made now.
"I'm going to be honest with you. This is what I told the caucus," he said. "If we're going to cut another one billion in 2012, we really need to go ahead and cut it here."
Seabaugh said his primary interest is to get ideas from his constituents about how businesses can be spared government regulation so that more new jobs can be created.
"What is the state government doing that's having a negative impact on job creation?" he asked chamber members.
"I want to do what makes sense," he said.
"We have the opportunity now to identify what the state should be doing, fundamentally, and get the government out of the rest," he said. "If it's important, then the private sector will find a way to meet those needs, and they will do it more efficiently."
