From the Capitol Steps

March 2008
Volume II,

Issue 8

Government Relations
Home Page

Cobb Chamber Legislative Agenda

Georgia Chamber:

Legislative Agenda

Legislative Updates

Regional Business Coalition Legislative Agenda

Water Resolution

Cobb Chamber
Board of Directors

In this Edition:
Call to Action on Transportation Funding;
Summary of Active Bills

From the Regional Business Coalition:
Will a House Floor Vote on Transportation Funding Happen?
Only If YOU Get Involved

   Last Wednesday, March 12 the House Transportation Committee attached language onto Senate Resolution 845 that would allow regions to fund critical transportation needs by implementing a transportation sales tax after a successful voter referendum. This week the question is when – and whether – the full House will vote on the legislation.
   The measure will require 120 votes from the 180 member House to pass because constitutional amendments require a two-thirds majority. It is unlikely that House leaders will allow the measure to come to the floor without some assurance that there will be at least 120 legislators or more willing to support it.
   A number of legislators have expressed support but many are still deciding how they will vote on the bill. Phone calls and e-mails from constituents have a tremendous impact on these legislators.
   If traffic congestion is hurting your quality of life or impacting your business, please visit www.GetGeorgiaMoving.com to send an e-mail to your state representative supporting the regional transportation funding bill (SR 845).
   **This report is provided by the Regional Business Coalition. The Regional Business Coalition (RBC) is comprised of 16 local chambers of commerce and business organizations in the metro Atlanta region representing over 16,000 businesses. To learn more, please visit www.rbcatl.com.

From the Georgia Chamber of Commerce:
Special Legislative Bulletin - Crossover Day

   "Crossover Day" - the 30th day of each legislative session, the day when a bill introduced in one chamber of the General Assembly must have passed that body to be eligible for further consideration - was last Tuesday, March 11. The House was in session that night until about 11 p.m. to meet the deadline.
   Now, there are just nine legislative days in Georgia's 40-day legislative session remaining, which, at this point, means we expect adjournment in early April. The General Assembly will return Tuesday, March 18 for Day 32.
   This two-year session has seen the introduction of 3,110 bills and resolutions in the Georgia House of Representatives, and 1,726 in the state Senate. Of course, at this point of the session, most are out of play.
   For a complete list of all bills in which the Georgia Chamber of Commerce is actively involved at the Capitol during this legislative session, the status of the legislation, and our position on specific bills, please visit:

   Bills are grouped by the committee of the Georgia Chamber's Government Affairs Council (GAC) to which the measure has been assigned for review, study and recommended action. Check these pages of the Georgia Chamber of Commerce Web site regularly for timely updates on legislation we are following that affects business statewide and our members.
   Click here to read more important Legislative Issues.

   **This report is provided by the Georgia Chamber of Commerce.

COBB LEGISLATORS:

STATE SENATORS

6th SENATE:
Doug Stoner (D)
303-B Legislative Office Building
Atlanta, Ga. 30334
(404) 463-1378 (temp)
District: (770) 436-0699

21st SENATE:
Chip Rogers (R)
314-B Legislative Office Building
Atlanta, GA 30334
(404) 463-1378

32nd SENATE:
Judson Hill (R)
327-B Legislative Office Building
Atlanta, GA 30334
(404) 463-1322

33rd SENATE:
Steve Thompson (D)
121-F State Capitol
Atlanta, Ga. 30334
(404) 656-0083;
Fax: (404) 651-6767

37th SENATE:
John J. Wiles (R)
319-A Legislative Office Building
Atlanta, GA 30334
(404) 657-0406

STATE REPRESENTATIVES: 32nd REPRESENTATIVE: Judy Manning (R) 401 State Capitol Atlanta, Ga. 30334 (404) 656-7857 District: (770) 422-0408	33rd REPRESENTATIVE: Don Wix (D) 512 Legislative Office Building Atlanta, Ga. 30334 (404) 656-7859 District: (770) 948-3278
34th REPRESENTATIVE: Rich Golick (R) 109 State Capitol Atlanta, Ga. 30334 (404) 651-7737 District: (770) 319-7200	35th REPRESENTATIVE: Ed Setzler (R) 411 Legislative Office Building Atlanta, GA 30334 (404) 656-0126
36th REPRESENTATIVE: Earl Ehrhart (R) Chairman, Rules Committee HM-1 State Capitol Atlanta, GA 30334 (404) 656-5141 District: (770) 943-9646	37th REPRESENTATIVE: Terry Johnson (D) 612 Legislative Office Building Atlanta, GA 30334 (404) 656-0325
38th REPRESENTATIVE: Steve “Thunder” Tumlin (R) 501 Legislative Office Building Atlanta, GA 30334 (404) 656-0177	39th REPRESENTATIVE: Alisha Morgan (D) 404 Legislative Office Building Atlanta, Ga. 30334 (404) 656-0109 District: (404) 584-8987

40th REPRESENTATIVE: Rob Teilhet (D) 608 Legislative Office Building Atlanta, Ga. 30334 (404) 656-0298 District: (770) 422-1776	41st REPRESENTATIVE: Sharon Cooper (R) 415 State Capitol Atlanta, Ga. 30334 (404) 656-5024 District: (770) 956-8357
42nd REPRESENTATIVE: Don L. Parsons (R) 245 State Capitol Atlanta, Ga. 30334 (404) 463-2247 District: (770) 447-9646	43rd REPRESENTATIVE: Bobby Franklin (R) 402 Legislative Office Building Atlanta, Ga. 30334 (404) 656-5087 or (770) 928-0896 District: (770) 591-6240
44th REPRESENTATIVE: Sheila Jones (D) 611 Legislative Office Building Atlanta, GA 30334 (404) 656-0314	45th REPRESENTATIVE: Matt Dollar (R) 601 Legislative Office Building Atlanta, Ga. 30334 (404) 656-0254 District: (770) 485-1946

The Cobb Chamber of Commerce represents Cobb County's diverse, dynamic business community. The Cobb Chamber is a member-supported business organization working to maintain a healthy economy by bringing business and industry to the area, helping established firms grow and building the community through outreach and service.