By the time you read this article, we will be halfway through our 2009 Legislative Session. When we started on the second Monday of January, we went five days a week for three weeks. The House voted, as well as the Senate, to change our scheduled meeting days to Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, leaving Mondays and Fridays for committee days. The main reason for the change was to give the Appropriations Committee more time to work on the mid-year adjustment to the 2009 Budget.

I serve on the Appropriations Committee and I am assigned to the subcommittee on appropriations which is designated as the Economic Development Subcommittee. Our subcommittee deals with the budgets of the Department of Agriculture, Forestry Department, Department of Economic Development, Department of Transportation, Department of Community Affairs, Public Service Commission and the Soil and Water Department.

With revenue down in 2008 and with January 2009 reporting revenues down 14.3 percent over the previous January’s revenues, there are some very hard decisions to be made as we develop the 2009 and 2010 budgets. We have to be very careful about back filling our budget with dollars that may come down from the federal government, the Stimulus Package. We need to construct our budget according to the dollars we have in Georgia so that we will not be in the same shape next year. We need to make sure that contracts and programs that we have in place in all departments are producing results for the citizens of Georgia. If these contracts or programs are not having a positive impact for our citizens and our state, they need to be eliminated. There is not a better time to do that than right now.

I have been working for several years on a transportation package that would bring better freight corridors and economic development corridors statewide along with increased funding for LARP, State Aid, bridge rehab and paving of dirt roads. This package would be somewhat like a county TSPLOST but would have statewide implications. The bill would be a constitutional amendment which would go before all the citizens of Georgia in November of 2010. All of the programs will be listed in legislation so that legislators and you, the voters, would know what you would be voting for. The constitutional amendment would ask if you support improving transportation statewide by providing for a 1 percent statewide transportation sales tax.

We have had two subcommittee meetings in Transportation on this legislation and I presented the bill again Monday, Feb.16. (Editor’s note: the subcommitee unanimously approved the bill). It now goes the full committee on Transportation. I will keep you informed of the bill’s progress.

I have had a number of emails and calls from several of you and I appreciate all the comments and thoughts on issues that interest you. I enjoyed having students from Harris County High School here at the Depot for breakfast and stopping by the Capitol. Also, I had a number of students from Troup and Harris County that attended Art Day at the Capitol. I had a great time giving the art students and their families a tour of the Capitol. What a talented group! Thanks to their art teachers. Harris and Troup County were well represented by these young people.

Continue to contact me with your emails and calls at 404-656-7153; vance.smith@house.ga.gov. I look forward to seeing you if the opportunity arises and you have a chance to visit the Capitol during the session. I extend an open invitation to each of you.