Thursday, Feb. 18, was the 20th legislative day, marking the halfway point of the 2010 session of the General Assembly. The Legislature is now in a two-week recess until March 8 to give the Appropriations Committee extra time to work on the fiscal year 2011 budget. See details below.

Please contact me with your views on any issue that needs to be addressed or whenever I can be of service.

The House of Representatives and the state Senate voted Thursday to adjourn the current legislative session until March 8 to allow Appropriations Committee members to work full-time over the next two weeks on the budget proposal for fiscal year 2011, which begins July 1.

State revenues have declined for 14 consecutive months and are down 13 percent from this time last year and approximately 23 percent from two years ago. Lawmakers are seriously concerned that Gov. Sonny Perdue's forecast for 4.2 percent revenue growth next year is unrealistic and are preparing to take extreme actions in the difficult process of balancing the FY 2011 budget.

While the General Assembly is in official recess over the next two weeks, Speaker David Ralston also announced he was suspending the work of all but a few House committees to give full attention to the appropriations process. Thursday was the 20th legislative day, marking the halfway point of the 2010 session.

Hospital Tax: Gov. Perdue's proposal for a 1.6 percent tax increase on Georgia hospitals was not well received in the Health Subcommittee of the House Appropriations Committee on Wednesday. Representatives from the medical and business communities spoke against the tax increase, which they feared would be passed along to patients who are already dealing with sharply rising health care costs. Hospital officials recommended that lawmakers instead consider a $1 per pack cigarette tax to deal with the state's Medicaid deficit. The committee chairman said no action on the proposal is imminent.

Water Conservation: I have participated in two recent subcommittee hearings and one full House Natural Resources & Environment Committee hearing on HB 1094, the governor's proposed water management legislation. The bill addresses the impending 2012 deadline that would restrict access to water from Lake Lanier and incorporates recommendations made by a task force of business leaders appointed by the governor last fall. The plan calls for conservation measures for the construction industry, including a requirement for builders to include low-flow plumbing devices in all new structures that would go into effect in 2012. The measure would also require large industrial and commercial buildings to deploy more efficient chillers and water cooling towers as part of their heating and air conditioning systems. I am generally supportive of the proposal, although I would prefer to see some of its provisions implemented sooner than 2012.

Health Insurance: On Tuesday, the governor proposed legislation that would allow Georgians to buy health insurance across state lines. Current state law allows only health plans that have been specifically approved for Georgia to be sold in the state because they incorporate all of the state's coverage mandates. HB 1184 would allow individuals and families to buy insurance plans that have been approved for sale in other states. The governor said opening access across state lines would lower costs for consumers and help uninsured Georgians find a plan they can afford. The legislation was referred to the House Insurance Committee for its consideration.

Superintendents' Raises: The House voted Thursday to make it more difficult for local school superintendents to receive salary increases in years when classroom teachers are forced to take unpaid furlough days. HB 977, approved unanimously, would prohibit the use of state funds by a school board to give its superintendent a raise in years when teachers are furloughed. If the school board uses local or private funds for a superintendent's raise, a public hearing would have to be held. HB 977 now goes to the Senate for its consideration.

Other legislation approved by the House and sent to the Senate this week includes:

HB 122, which would require county and city governments with an annual budget exceeding $1 million to post their budget and annual audit report on a public web site.

HB 249, which would allow the Georgia Firefighters Pension Fund to make alternative investments, private placements and private investments up to a certain amount.

HB 991, which would enact methods of resolving disputes between city and county governments regarding the distribution of joint sales tax collections.

HB 665, which would establish a pilot program for the electronic transmission of absentee ballots for military personnel and citizens who are overseas in the 2012 election.

HB 901, which would remove an exception for capital felons and require them to serve the maximum sentence upon conviction of a fourth or subsequent felony.

Click here to review 2009-2010 legislation sponsored or co-sponsored by Rep. Lee Thompson.