| In
This Issue: |
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Week Two of the 2010
Session
Issues At
Hand
New House Committee
Chairs
Statewide Transportation
Douglas County
Schools
Fulton County Budget
Texting While
Driving
Tax Breaks for Atlanta
Home
Census
2010
Fulton County
Schools
Revitalization
Forum
Fulton County Delegation
Meeting
State Capitol
Tours |
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This e-mail is sent directly to
2000 recipients each week. I want this to be of use to you as
well. If you have a business or service in House District 64
that you would like mentioned in this newsletter, send me the
name address and a brief description. I will mention it
at no cost to you.
If you are having a community event let me
know and I will also mention that in this
newsletter. |
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I really want to keep District
64 informed. If you have a friend or neighbor
in District 64 who is not getting this newsletter,
forward it to them by clicking "Forward Mail" at the
bottom and encourage them to send us their email address so
that we can include them.
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HOW TO CONTACT
REP. ROGER
BRUCE |
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rbruce5347@aol.com
404/656-0314
404/344-8051
Visit our Web site
rogerbruce.net
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COMMUNITY ANNOUNCEMENTS
STATE
CAPITOL
TOURS
I
look forward to hosting students, teachers and parents
from Lithia Springs Elementary, Young Middle School,
Annette Winn Elementary School, Turner Middle School, Beulah
Elementary School, West Manor Elementary, West Lake High
School, A. Philip Randolph and residents from
QLS Villa Living Center and others over the next
weeks!!!!
Please contact my office if you or a group
is interested in scheduling a Tour of the State
Capitol.
Mark your
Calendar for the Fulton
County
Revitalization Forum: Replenishing,
Repositioning, and Reclaiming African American
Malesor Forum is
Coming
co-sponsored
by
Chairman John Eaves, PhD,
and
Fulton County Board of
Commissioners on
Saturday
January 28,
2010.
*Atlanta Tech's campus from 8:45 am - 7:30
pm
Lets Get
Inspired!
For
additional information about the Fulton County Revitalization
to schedule interviews please contact: Tara Coyt,
404-441-0883, Tara@CoytCommunications.com.
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Let us know about your
community meetings and events.
Rep. Bruce will attend as his schedule
permits.
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| MOTIVATIONAL
MINUTE |
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"Be the change you
want to see in the world."
~Mahatma
Gandhi |
| FOLLOW
ME!!!!!!
Did you join our
discussion on about the Governors' State Of The Union
Address on Facebook? Are you on the look our for
tweets???
The Fulton County House Delegation is
your connection to legislative news - and in addition to
our legislative updates pertaining to Fulton County. We also
have Facebook and Twitter to keep our members informed!
Facebook: Add as a friend and become a fan of the Fulton
County House Delegation on Facebook! Our Facebook
page features pictures from recent events and news about
upcoming events!
Twitter: Follow @fchdelegation
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Invitation to Weekly Meeting of the
Fulton County Delegation
Join us at these Meetings of
the Fulton County Delegation Meeting to get updates from
Georgia Power, Dept. of Banking & Finance and the
Governor's Office of Highway Safety and other State and County
departments.
Meetings are held at the
Coverdell Legislative Office Bldg Room#506, Friday, at
noon. Call Rep Bruce's office to confirm your
attendence. |
House Annouces
Changes In Committee Chairs
Rep. Bill Hembree - Rules
Chairman (previously Earl Ehrhart)
Rep. Wendell Willard - Rules
Vice-Chairman (previously John Lunsford)
Rep. Earl Ehrhart -
Appropriations Higher Education Vice-Chairman (previously Bob
Smith)
Rep. Terry England -
Appropriations Education Vice-Chairman (previously Ed Lindsey)
Rep. Penny Houston -
Appropriations Human Services Vice-Chairman (previously Mark
Butler)
Rep. Doug Collins -
Appropriations Secretary (previously Richard Smith)
Rep. Len Walker - Higher
Education Chairman (previously Bill Hembree)
Rep. John Meadows - Insurance
Chairman (previously Tom Knox)
Rep. Mark Hamilton -
Governmental Affairs Chairman (previously Austin Scott)
Rep. Tim Bearden -
Governmental Affairs Vice-Chairman (previously John Meadows)
Rep. Richard Smith - Budget
& Fiscal Affairs Oversight Chairman (previously Penny
Houston)
Rep. Clay Cox - Human
Relations Chairman (previously Len Walker)
Rep. Mark Williams - Game,
Fish, & Parks Vice-Chairman (previously Cecily Hill)
Rep. John Lunsford - Special
Committee on Small Business Development Chairman (new
committee)
Rep. Mike Jacobs - Judiciary
Vice-Chairman (previously David Ralston)
Rep. Stephen Allison -
Judiciary Secretary (previously Mike Jacobs)
Rep. Kevin Levitas*-
Judiciary Non-Civil Secretary (previously Tim
Bearden) |
Texting While
Driving!!!!
Last week state Representative
Allen Peake (R-Bibb County) introduced House Bill 938,
legislation that prohibits texting while driving. Under the
legislation anyone found guilty of writing, sending, or
reading a text-based communication on a wireless
telecommunications device would be issued a fine of $50 to
$100 and have a two point penalty added to their drivers'
license. | |
Dear Roger,
The General Assembly was not in session last week.
We spent Monday in celebration of the legacy and
birthday of the Rev. Dr Martin Luther King Jr. I believe
this is the only federal holiday set aside to honor an
African American. It is also interesting to note that
this is one of the few holidays to honor a person that
is known for promoting peace as opposed to being honored
for being a war hero. Don't misunderstand we need to
honor our fallen heroes and our solders currently
serving our country on the front line throughout the
world. However, I also think we have to recognize and
highlight those that are promoting peace, love and
brotherhood throughout the world. I hope you had an
opportunity to celebrate his life and to make your mark,
in his memory, on your community. Thank You Dr. King for
making the world a better place.
Even though we are in recess this week the members
of the House and Senate Appropriations
Committee are at work trying to find a way to
balance the state budget. It is projected that one
billion dollars will have to be cut. Needless to say
this is a painful process. You can follow the
link below to see the governor's budget
report. www.opb.state.ga.us/media/12300/state_of_georgia_budget_fy_2011.pdf
Please feel free to contact me with any comments or
suggestions you might have related to this or any other
state related
issues. | |
AS THEY SAY "IT TAKES A VILLAGE TO
RAISE A CHILD". ONE OF OUR CHILDREN IS ASKING FOR OUR
HELP
Below is a letter that I
received from a student at Sandtown Middle School, with
his dad's permission I have included it in this
newsletter with the hope that you might consider helping
him. If you are able to help him you can contact his dad
at the number or address below.
Dear Representative Roger Bruce:
My name is Robert Lee Dowdell, III,
and I am a 7th grade student and Sandtown Middle School
in Atlanta. I was recently interviewed and
accepted to participate as a member of the People to
People Student Ambassador Program to Europe this summer.
The program promotes international understanding
while building leadership skills among America's youth.
The 20-day experience includes meetings with government
officials, interaction with other students my age,
educational activities, and home stays with host
families. People to People Student Ambassadors are
carefully interviewed and evaluated before their
acceptance, and I am honored to have been
selected. Personally I am looking forward to
broadening my perspectives of the world and gaining a
better understanding of Western Europe history.
Upon my return, I plan to share my experience with
schools, community organizations in our community. As an
Ambassador, I can also earn high school and college
credit because of many educational elements in my
program. I am currently seeking financial sponsors to
help me with tuition, and hope I can count on your
support. In case you haven't heard of People
to People, please allow me to share some history with
you. President Dwight D. Eisenhower founded the
organization in 1956. He believed that people from
different cultures could come together in peace and
friendship, so eventually would countries. Since its
founding, People to People has launched many
internationals programs, including Sister Cities and
Project HOPE. The program tuition is $6600.00, which
includes all transportation, accommodations, meals, and
educational activities. I am asking for
donations of$100.00 or greater. Is it possible for
you to assist me by making a contribution? Any amount
will be greatly appreciated I plan to give a
speech and share my journal, photographs, and
experiences with contributors upon my return. My
program tuition is due April 1,2010, I have enclosed a
contribution form for your payment reference. Please
fell free to contact my parents Robert and Carla at
404.713.7243 (Carla) or 713.713.7244 (Robert) if you
need more information., Your generous contribution would
enable me to share in this wonderful opportunity.
Please make payments payable to: People to People
Ambassador Programs. If you like to learn more about
People to People Programs, log on to their website at
www.peopletopeople.com. Thank you in advance for your
consideration and support.
Sincerely yours, Robert Lee
Dowdell, III Student Ambassador Robert Lee
Dowdell, III 5310 Binford Place
SW. 404-713-7243 mrsdowdell@yahoo.com
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Issues At
Hand
Governor's speech to lawmakers
fails to address state's problems Governor Perdue's
final "State of the State" address to a joint session of
the House and Senate on Jan. 13 was long on historical
quotations, nostalgia and sentimentality but,
unfortunately, completely devoid of any plans for
dealing with some of Georgia's biggest
problems.
I am disappointed the governor chose
not to address the state's record-high unemployment, a
lack of adequate funding for transportation, teacher
furloughs or any of the issues currently plaguing the
state.
In the Democratic response, Georgia Labor
Commissioner Michael Thurmond urged Republican lawmakers
to join with Democrats to develop a comprehensive
economic recovery plan that would provide jobs for
unemployed Georgians.
House Rules and Ethics: Speaker
Ralston has done away with the previous regime's
infamous "hawk" system, under which certain House
members were authorized to go into any committee meeting
and vote to help pass or defeat a bill at the whim of
the majority leadership - a slap in the face of
representative government. Speaker Ralston is also
committed to passing stronger ethics rules for the
legislative branch of government. Proposed legislation
would restrict lobbyists' campaign contributions and
gifts to lawmakers in an effort to reduce the influence
of special interests and give more power to the State
Ethics Commission to investigate conflict-of-interest
cases against legislators.
Budget Hearings: The
General Assembly will be in official recess the week of
Jan. 18- 22, first for observance of the Martin Luther
King Jr. Holiday and then for Appropriations Committee
hearings to begin the process of drafting the budgets
for the remainder of the current fiscal year as well as
fiscal year 2011. The governor is scheduled to make his
budget recommendations to committee members Jan. 19. He
will reportedly call for three more furlough days for
educators and other state workers between now and June
30, the end of fiscal year 2010, as part of a $1.2
billion overall budget cut. The governor's recommended
FY 2011 budget totals $18.2 billion, which projects an
increase in state tax revenues of 4.2 percent.
Transportation Funding: For the past two years,
the House and Senate have failed to agree on legislation
that would provide a sufficient funding source for badly
needed transportation upgrades across the state. The
lieutenant governor and House leaders said this week
they have abandoned plans for a constitutional amendment
for a statewide sales tax for transportation, which the
House passed last year. The Senate's proposed solution
is a regional sales tax plan under which counties could
band together to fund transportation improvements, if
the voters in those counties approved the tax by
referendum. The governor, meanwhile, said he would set
aside $300 million in bond funds to pay for major
transportation projects. He also said he wants to see a
series of regional sales taxes for road projects placed
on the ballot in 2012 instead of this November.
Water Issues: The governor reported "a renewed
spirit of cooperation" among Georgia, Florida and
Alabama in the three states' ongoing water rights
dispute. There has been a greater sense of urgency for
Georgia since a federal judge's ruling last July
restricting metro Atlanta's rights to use Lake Lanier as
its main source of drinking water. Gov. Perdue said he
is willing to call a special legislative session later
in the year if an agreement cannot be reached during the
regular
session.
|
 Statewide Transportation... Is this Progress,
However What is NOT mentioned is
MARTA?
I have always believed that you must
first agree on what the problem is before you can
effectively resolve it. Why is it so difficult
to create a regional transportation system?
Could it be that we already have one that certain
people do not want to acknowledge? MARTA has provided
service to this area for 30 years. It has been
under-funded and handcuffed by people wishing to take
control. If we truly want regional transportation
throughout the 10 metro area counties why not have those
counties tax themselves as Fulton and Dekalb did and
connect to the existing Metro Atlanta Rapid Transit
Authority. Why are we trying to reinvent the wheels that
have served us all of this time. It is time to
remove people from the MARTA board that are not
representing those that are paying for the system. As
new funding sources are added they should be given seats
on the board. If the state is not going to help fund
MARTA then is should not be overseeing it's operation.
|
Fulton County Saves Reserve
Fund Balance
2010 Budget Reductions Now at $33
million
Fulton County Manager Zachary
Williams will present an update to the FY2010 General
Fund Tentative Budget to the Board of Commissioners at
its regularly scheduled recess meeting, January 6,
2010. At the meeting, Mr. Williams will present
the Budget Commission's recommendation that the County's
Reserve Fund Balance remains at 8.33%, or $46.3 million,
rather than the 5% ($27.8 million) that the BOCapproved
at a November 19, 2009 budget meeting.
The
County Manager will also disclose that, based on policy
directives by the Board of Commissioners and the
identification of additional revenue, the Tentative
Budget now proposes $33 million in reductions to
departments rather than the $59 million in the approved
Tentative Budget. This is far less than the $130 million
suggested in an earlier proposed budget. The $26
million in savings will go back into programs and
services for Fulton County citizens. Furthermore, the
County has also reduced its projected expenditures.
Fulton County employees will still be asked to take a
temporary 4% pay reduction.
The County was
able to identify cost savings in several ways. County
Manager Zachary Williams credits the Board of
Commissioners with holding the line on spending.
"Methods such as hiring freezes, reductions in
positions, and investing in the jail, were key measures
to assist us with reducing this budget," stated
Williams.
Chairman John Eaves considers
Sheriff Ted Jackson's renegotiation of jail contracts
and Tax Commissioner Arthur Ferdinand's tax collection
efforts as key to the process. Citing the
Sheriff's projection of $4 million in savings on inmate
outsourcing, and tax collections up 88% rather than the
86% initially projected by the County, the Chairman
called the budget process a team effort. "Everyone
played a vital role in getting us to where we are now,"
commended Chairman Eaves. "We are committed to producing
a budget that does not increase the mileage rate, but
also has only a minimal impact on services."
The Budget Update and recommendation
will be presented for approval at the Board of
Commissioners' meeting scheduled for Wednesday, January
6, 2010 at 10:00 a.m. in the Assembly Hall of the Fulton
County Government Center located at 141 Pryor Street,
Atlanta, Georgia, with final adoption and approval set
for January 20,
2010.
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LDF
Launches Program to Ensure a Complete Count in the 2010
Census
The NAACP Legal Defense Fund
("LDF") launched Count on Change 2010, a strategic,
collaborative, national public education campaign
designed to substantially improve the inclusion of the
Black Diaspora in the 2010 Census.
"The 2000 Census overlooked 1
million people of color, more than 600,000 of whom were
African American. The distribution of federal funds to
state, county and municipal governments and the
distribution of political power at every level of
government depend on the Census. With just over 100 days
until April 1st, 2010, Census Day, improving the
accuracy of the 2010 Census is of critical importance to
the Black Diaspora. We cannot afford to be excluded from
the count again in 2010,"said John Payton, Director
Counsel and President of the LDF.
Focusing on Black communities
that face the greatest risk of omission from the census,
Count on Change 2010 aims to increase the final Census
response rate by ten percent, resulting in an additional
$633,000,000 in federal and state funding for
hard-to-count Black communities.
Count on Change 2010
is a collaboration of the nation's leading civil rights
organizations -- LDF,the NAACP, the National Urban
League and the National Coalition of Black Civic
Participation. The program will harness the momentum of
the historic 2008 Presidential election cycle to improve
administration of the 2010 Census in Black communities.
Count on Change 2010 includes user-friendly print
materials and a dynamic website and explanatory video,
available at www.countonchange2010.org. All materials
are focused on the specific impact that potential
undercounting in the 2010 Census could have on Black
communities.
The 2010 Census threatens to
undercount the same segments of the Black community that
were missed in 2000 -- the poor, the mobile, and
children. At the same time, new groups are now at risk
of exclusion in the 2010 Census, including those African
Americans disproportionately impacted by the mortgage
foreclosure crisis and the hundreds of thousands
displaced by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita -- the most
significant dislocation of Black communities since the
great urban migration of the 20th century.
Count on
Change 2010 will focus its efforts on improving African
American confidence in the census-taking process by
first encouraging all communities to complete and return
Census questionnaires and, for those who don't return or
receive the forms, urging cooperation with those Census
Bureau workers who will conduct home visits.
"Full participation and
inclusion in the 2010 Census is essential for the Black
community, and Count on Change 2010 partners are among
the most trusted African American organizations in the
country," said Ryan P. Haygood, Co-Director of LDF's
Political Participation Group. "Our organizations are
best positioned to serve as credible messengers
throughout the Census process and we will work to foster
confidence among hard-to-count Black communities across
the country. At the same time, we will hold the Census
Bureau accountable for exhausting every effort to count
all members of the Black Diaspora."
ABOUT
LDF
The NAACP Legal Defense and
Educational Fund (LDF) is America's legal counsel on
issues of race. Through advocacy and litigation, LDF
focuses on issues of education, voter protection,
economic justice and criminal justice. We encourage
students to embark on careers in the public interest
through scholarships and internship programs. LDF
pursues racial justice to move our nation toward a
society that fulfills the promise of equality for
all.
Media Contact: Mel Gagarin, (212) 965-2783 or
mgagarin@naacpldf.org
SOURCE NAACP Legal Defense
Fund
|
County's fifth high school opens
next year
by Winston Jones/Douglas County Sentinel,
Jan 12, 2010
The
New Manchester High School will open in August 2011,
fresh with a "cat" mascot name, which is yet to be
decided.
"It doesn't have to be a cat, but we're
leaning in that direction," Douglas County School
Superin tendent Don Remillard said Monday. He was the
guest speaker at the noon meeting of the Rotary Club of
Douglas County.
Remillard said the Board of Education
will make the final mascot decision from a pool of
suggestions received from the
public.
The county's fifth high school
is now under construction at a site on Georgia Highway
166 in the Boundary Waters area in eastern Douglas
County.
The new elementary school, Mt. Vernon
Elementary, will be ready for occupancy in August 2012,
Remillard said. It is being built on Mt. Vernon
Road.
He said the design for Mt. Vernon Elementary
will be somewhat different than other recent elementary
schools since it will be built on a sloping
lot.
"This will allow us to have an entrance on both
the bottom and top floors," Remillard said. This will be
beneficial since the state will not allow lower grade
classrooms on a floor without an entrance, he
added.
"For the most part, this will get most
students out of trailers (mobile classrooms)," he
said.
The Douglas County School System is the 16th
largest out of 180 public systems in Georgia. The most
current student population is 24,786, Remillard said,
with about 200 new students coming in after New Year's
Day.
There are four high schools, eight middle
schools and 20 elementary schools.
The school systems
operates on a $208 million annual budget with 3,500
full-time employees.
Speaking on the 2010 Georgia
General Assembly session which just opened Monday,
Remillard said the top three educational legislative
priorities can be summed up in three words, "budget,
budget, budget."
He said economic conditions have
already forced state educational budget cuts and more
are likely coming since state tax revenues continue to
be down.
"We may see $300-350 million more cuts,
which may mean more furloughs and layoffs," he said.
"Honestly, it doesn't look good."
Remillard said he
favors privatizing state sales tax collection, which he
said Alabama has successfully done. He said the private
organizations work on a commission and put more effort
into the collection process.
"The state revenue
department in understaffed," he said.
He said other
educational issues the legislature will deal with
include looking at the recent CRCT (Criterion-Reference
Competency Test) cheating scandal and student bullying,
including cyber bullying.
Remillard, who will retire
on May 31, cited several school system advancements made
in the last few years:
· Performance Learning Center
(PLC), located in the old child care building on the
West Georgia Technical College (WGTC) Douglasville
campus, was created with the help of grants from
Communities in Schools and the Bill and Melinda Gates
Foundation. It provides high school training for 75
students who are in danger of dropping out. It has
graduated nearly 200 students since opening.
·
College and Career Institute (CCI), a joint venture of
the school system, WGTC and the business community,
provides dual college and high school credits for
students interested in vocational training.
·
International Baccalaureate (IB) high school program,
which Remillard called "one of the most vigorous in the
world." The Douglas County IB program will graduate its
first seniors in May.
· Involvement in getting
Georgia Highlands College to located a campus here,
which will help a lot of students who want to start
their higher education at a community college, Remillard
said. The college will locate in the old Cub Foods
building on Stewart Parkway.
· and Expanded Advanced
Placement (AP) course offerings, with students being
allowed to take online courses where not enough students
are available to form a
class. | |
Tax breaks proposed for some Atlanta
homes (AJC)
By D.L.
BENNETT
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published
on: 02/22/08
Fulton County lawmakers are
proposing a huge tax shift that would free folks who
live in many of Atlanta's least valuable homes from
paying property taxes.
Under the legislation, the
homestead exemption in Atlanta would more than triple
from $15,000 to $50,000 over five years.
Owners of
homes valued at about $125,000 or less would eventually
pay no property taxes. And, owners of homes two or three
times as costly would probably also see substantial tax
breaks.
The three bills, which would apply to
Atlanta, Atlanta schools and Fulton County taxes, have
broad support among advocates for affordable housing and
those who want to protect in-town neighborhoods from
gentrification. They say the measures will provide
needed tax relief for many struggling to afford life in
Atlanta.
They've already begun writing letters to
state lawmakers urging their support.
"This is a
fantastic idea," said John O'Callahan, executive
director of Atlanta Neighborhood Development
Partnership, a group that tries to help provide
affordable housing. "It's apparent we are losing
existing (low-income) residents at an alarming rate.
Many families are struggling just to hang
on."
However, business interests, landlords and
owners of some higher-end residential properties will
end up paying more to make up the losses. How much more
will depend on growth in the tax digest during the
five-year phase in.
Sam Massell, president of the
Buckhead Coalition, said the proposed tax shift would be
opposed by "the business community in general."
"It
sounds nice to cut taxes until you see how sharp that
knife is. I wonder if they've thought it through. This
does not sound like an answer to the complaints about
increasing costs of government," Massell said.
Local
government officials are lining up against the bill,
complaining it will rob them of cash and force them to
raise tax rates to compensate.
Atlanta officials
estimate they will lose nearly $20 million a year when
the phase in is complete. County officials estimated
schools would lose another $39 million and Fulton County
would lose $50 million.
"This is a serious piece of
legislation with far reaching consequences," said
Patrick O'Connor, Fulton County finance director.
LaChandra Butler Burks, chair of the school board, sent
a letter to lawmakers saying the loss of revenue "would
decimate the academic program now offered by
APS."
"Therefore, we respectfully ask you to
reconsider the plan to increase the homestead
exemption," Butler wrote. "The quality education our
students deserve can only be achieved with adequate
funding."
Fulton County manager Zachary Williams
asked the Board of Commissioners to oppose the bills.
Atlanta's lobbyist, Megan Middleton, said the city is
opposed as well.
"We understand what they are trying
to do but its about the revenue," she said.
The bills
as proposed would have a profound impact on taxpayers
with lesser valued homes.
The owner of a $200,000
home would pay about $3,372 without any exemption. The
current homestead exemption cuts that bill to about
$2,740. The proposed legislation would drop the tax
liability to $1,265 over five years.
The sponsor,
state Rep. Margaret Kaiser (D-Atlanta), said that is
what lawmakers intended. She said they also wanted to
help homeowners struggling to pay their tax bills from
facing foreclosure.
"We probably should have
increased homestead to $50,000 15 years ago. We've done
a disservice to our homeowners."
It's been 15 years
since Fulton legislators gave voters the chance to
change the homestead exemption. These three bills would
go before voters in November and take effect in 2009, if
approved.
Republican Rep. Edward Lindsey of Atlanta
is also supporting the bills. The effort, along with
other reforms proposed, help "restore equity in the
property tax system," he said.
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