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2014 Legislative Pre-session Preview

Weekly Legislative Updates provided by the Regional Business Coalition. 

Election Year Legislative Session to be on a Very Fast Track in 2014

All seats in the state House and Senate, as well as most statewide elected offices including the governor and lieutenant governor, are up for election this year.  Additionally, due to changes in voting laws, this year’s primary election will be held in May, instead of the summer months as in previous years.  State law restricts sitting legislators from raising funds for campaigning while the legislature is in session.  Based on a typical 40 day legislative session and the periodic recesses taken to analyze legislation, the General Assembly has usually adjourned in mid to late April.

Because of these new time constraints, this year’s legislative session is expected to be one of the shortest in decades.  Legislative leadership has dictated the second week of the session, which is usually set aside as a recess week for joint House and Senate budget hearings, will instead be counted toward the 40 legislative day limit.  This year’s legislative session could end as soon as March 10 or 11, or even earlier if the legislature decides not to use their 40 legislative day allotment or count weekends as legislative days.

 

Multiple Transportation Related Bills Up for Consideration in 2014

 

A number of bills that could impact future investments in transportation infrastructure have been introduced.

 

Legislation introduced in both the House and Senate allowing a “fractional penny” to be levied for a county special purpose local option sales tax, including a county TSPLOST, may get considerable attention this year.

 

Legislation may be debated that would allow local communities to join together to levy a multi-jurisdictional transportation sales tax.  This would be different than the existing TIA law that established 12 regions throughout the state that could only levy a region-wide transportation sales tax.

 

Transit coordination legislation, especially in the metro Atlanta region, could get legislative attention this year.   It took over three hours for State Senator and RBC Board member Brandon Beach (R-Alpharetta) to travel from Cobb County to Gwinnett County on the regions three transit systems.

 

Water Legislation Could be this Year’s “Hot Potato” Issue

 

Senate legislation to address water issues on the lower Flint River will be up for debate in the House in 2014.  Environmental groups have been caucusing over the interim in an effort to either amend or defeat the legislation.  With this being an election year, legislators are hesitant to pick sides on controversial issues.  However the importance of addressing regulatory issues included in this legislation may require them to do so.

 

Legislation also remains from 2013 that may help fund the high cost of repairing leaks in water pipes of local water systems.  The EPA estimates the average water system loses approximately 15% of its water due to leaky pipes.  The Metropolitan North Georgia Water Planning District has estimated that with sufficient funding, leak detection and repair could save the metro Atlanta region almost 15 million gallons of water a day.

 

New Ethics Law Raising New Questions

 

There will either be new legislation introduced or new regulations proposed to address some of the questions raised by the passage of the 2013 ethics reform law.  Considerable confusion continues about who is restricted from providing meals and other benefits to elected officials at both the state and local levels.

 

Other Legislation Facing Potential Consideration in 2014

 

Legislation impacting education finance, guns on private and public property and protection of personal freedoms will most likely be debated in this election year session.  Discussions of a common core curriculum in public schools could also get attention this year.  Legislators will use some of the recent increase in state revenues to give teachers and some state employees pay raises and replenish the states “rainy day fund”.   And there will always be some new unforeseen issue that will cause controversy and debate.

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