7 months ago
Central Georgia state legislators seemed to disagree on how much they got done during the legislative session in Atlanta.
Five of the eight Central Georgia legislators faced a crowd of about 90 Macon business and community leaders Tuesday morning.
Georgia House Representatives Bubber Epps (D) - Dry Branch, David Lucas (D) - Macon, Allen Peake (R) - Macon, and Nikki Randall (D) - Macon, along with State Senator Cecil Staton (R) - Macon, spoke at the Macon Bibb Chamber of Commerce's second Good Morning Macon Breakfast. The first breakfast featured Macon Mayor Robert Reichert and Bibb County Commission Chair Sam Hart.
Senator Robert Brown (D)- Macon, and House Representatives Jim Cole (R) - Forsyth, and Tony Sellier (R) - Fort Valley, couldn't make it due to time conflicts.
The state legislatures talked about their accomplishments during the 2009 session in Atlanta, and some concerns that people had about their time.
State Senator Cecil Staton described the session as a year of contrasts. He said they were able to balance two budgets and it wasn't an easy or pretty. He said no one enjoyed it, but government in Georgia shrunk by $3 billion. He said they didn't do what was done in Washington: spend more and create more debt.
Staton said he worked on legislation that would require proof of citizenship to vote. He said that would prevent Georgia from facing problems other states have seen during elections. He also said he worked on legislation that would create jobs and help small businesses.
Representative David Lucas said he and other legislators will know how well they did in Atlanta when people get their 2010 taxes. Lucas said the session was difficult, and that we're not out of the woods yet. He says the session didn't do a lot of things he felt would benefit the Georgia tax payers.
Representative Bubber Epps, said he felt Central Georgia faired well. The session was his first after winning the district 140 seat last year. Epps said he learned a lot and his experience as a county commissioner and small business owner to guide helped him.
Representative Allen Peake started his remarks by responding to claims that he and other Central Georgia legislators don't get along.
"We do get along, we may disagree, but that's part of the process," said Peake.
He highlighted the face that state legislators got more compensation for math and science teachers, streamlined adoption processes, and increased protection for people with Alzheimer's.
Representative Nikki Randall said the delegation works hard no matter what anyone says, but she was disappointed in not resolving issues with the Halls of Fame. She said the state made a promise to Macon, and she'll work to do everything in her power to make sure they got funding.
Staton said they could only act on resolutions from the City of Macon and Bibb County. He said proposal for a 50-50 split between the city and county passed in the house but died in the senate, after Sen. Brown didn't sign the legislation. He encouraged the audience to take guests to the "underutilized" halls of fame, but said they'll be under financial pressure until the economy improves.
Lucas questioned putting $36 million into an agricultural center in Perry, that wouldn't be self sufficient, just as the Halls of Fame aren't self sufficient. He said he wants people to stop picking on Macon. Lucas said he proposed the ideas of an amphitheater and football field to create other ways to bring people into the area.
Peake said they'll have to revisit the issue in January, but until then other options need to be considered, like the halls sharing one executive director and taking a closer look at administration.
The legislators also talked about transportation in Georgia. Lucas said transportation needs funding. Staton agreed but said many didn't want to pour money into something they felt was broken. He said some legislators saw transportation legislation as a battle between Atlanta and everyone else. He said Bibb didn't do well in getting transportation funding but, could get more federal stimulus money than the state because of the economy.
Lucas and Randall said they think Senate Bill 200 will land the state of Georgia in court. Lucas says the bill called for a director of planning, that conflicted with the state constitution.
