Issues

Early into the 21st century our area is entering a new phase therefore a crossroads. Unlike the prior phase that started in the late 1960's with the recruitment of industry this phase will primarily be populated by people moving here for reasons other than employment with a plant recruited here by our Development Authority. The reasons for this are that the recruitment of industry has significantly slowed due to global competition. Secondly the country is in its third wave of population change with the people moving from suburbs to “agburbs” as described in the back “Boomtown USA”, we are the epitome of an agburb.

This movement should change our demographics. In the past we would recruit a 200 employee plant with 10 or so managers moving here. The immigration I describe in this move to the agburb of LaGrange is analogous to the management types of the prior phase in terms of education, income and interests. What is missing are the lower income jobs.

Coincidentally or strategically the 100 million dollar hospital improvement, LaGrange College expansion, downtown redevelopment; new shopping center and housing developments are a perfect fit for this new population.

As a member of the Development Authority I have asked for a study of homes/lots purchased in the past 2 years above a certain value to see if we can quantify that such a move is already underway. Regardless we must improve our aggressive recruitment new businesses here to replace the inevitable further attrition of industry to protect our existing citizens and businesses. Further we must improve our retention of businesses.

We are at crossroads elsewhere; not the least of which is West Point Lake. It will continue to be in tension. Bu this I mean we are between the competing interest of downstream flow and the ever expanding thirst of Atlanta.

K-12 education will be increasingly challenged by rising state standards, global competition and the higher expectations that the immigrants have. I applaud Troup School Superintendent Ed Smith’s initiative to improve our graduation rate. I encourage our school board to work closely with West Georgia Technical College. The Continuing Education Center in Newnan is a model.

We are at a crossroads with teenage pregnancy. The efforts of many individuals and organizations with the coordination of Family Connections has resulted in teenage pregnancy declining 50% in the past few years. Further reduction is a real need.

Third is the high percentage of substandard housing and the high percentage of rental houses. DASH is addressing this head on and must accomplish its goal to overcome this blight.

We are at these crossroads of this population shift but unlike the prior phase it will happen with or without us. Nonetheless we can certainly influence it through the accomplishments of the above, understanding the dynamics of the movement and local coordination.

Jeannie Honicker wrote a letter to the editor Friday, June 17, 2005 entitled “Secrecy is Outrageous”. She is upset because , “the City Fathers (the Development Authority did this - not sure she considers us City Fathers) are planning to put up a $15,000,000 bond to entice an industry” that she doesn’t know anything about. Interestingly this has been going on for over 30 years with several thousand new jobs resulting and hardly anyone complaining about how the Development Authority has handled the recruiting. Most understand that for a number of reasons such secrecy is sometimes necessary or the company would not consider LaGrange. As one example some are relocating but do not want those in their present location to know until all the details are settled.

The above not withstanding let’s say we tell the citizens the name of the company before we make a final offer. How does Ms. Honicker plan to give input to the Development Authority? Do we have a citywide vote? Problem is this would delay our ability to comply with many interested companies’ deadlines. Further the cost would be substantial since we make a lot more offers than we get acceptances.

Another option is for us to inform the media and they inform you. No offense but most of you wouldn’t take the time to research the facts and convey your opinion. What would happen is the few who write letters to the editor will do so on this subject. Who elected or appointed them to be your representative? (Those on the Development Authority are appointed by the elected City Council and Mayor) Marilyn Vos Savant who has a weekly question and answer column in Parade Magazine said on June 19, 2005, “the against” groups are usually much more vocal than “the for” groups. So now we have a small minority that are not elected or appointed by anyone with little if any background on the decision at hand who are usually against whatever is being debated determining what industries we recruit to LaGrange. I doubt we would recruit many industries using this system.

The Development Authority over 30 plus years has issued hundreds of millions of dollars of bonds with no defaults costing the citizens of LaGrange any money. Further those recruited companies have been good citizens, provided better jobs for thousands of our residents and brought hundreds of people here who have become positively involved in our community.

They say the past is the best indication of the future. Our recruiting of industries, which at times requires secrecy, has worked. Ms. Honicker says this is “outrageous”. I believe her proposed way of recruiting will/would have result(ed) in far fewer companies being recruited here.

The above is an example of something, in this case being opposed to secrecy, that sounds good in theory but the reality is quite different. This led me to vote for HB 218 which dealt with the issue of secrecy in industrial recruiting. Ms. Honicker contends “the public was outraged and let their representatives know. The bill was dropped”. The fact is the bill passed the House 118-52 and is pending in the Senate.

Hopefully the tentative agreement among the Governors of Georgia, Alabama, and Florida on the Tri-State negotiations on the Apalachicola, Chattahoochee, Flint River Basin Compact, (ACF Compact) will be fair to West Point Lake and to the rest of the state. This has been my goal for the nine years I have been involved in this issue. However, I have some serious reservations and a proposal that would address them.

First to my reservations which are largely taken from the Principles of an Allocation Formula found in the Memorandum of Understanding that will become the basis of the agreement. 4b says flow to Columbia, AL will be maintained at a certain level, provided the pool level of West Point Reservoir is above 621.6. (our full pool where we are now is 635). The reality is we have no lake for most purposes below 625, let alone 621.6.

4d calls for a minimum level on the Apalachicola River at Chattahoochee, FL determined by storage levels in West Point Lake and Lake Walter F. George. Why not, based on storage levels on all lakes on the Chattahoochee? Why not also based on the Flint River? While I understand there are no impoundments on the Flint, nonetheless this river is an important factor in achieving this minimum flow level.

7 - “the agreement shall consider and include the use of Lake Lanier as feasible and appropriate… to support all the flow requirements at Chattahoochee, Fl.” I would like to see a far more definitive set of requirements to insure the participation of Lake Lanier.

9 calls for “adaptive management” during the term of the Compact. While most would agree an ongoing process is advisable, since all factors can not be foreseen over the 40 years of the agreement, the plan Dr. Art Holbrook and I presented to Governor Perdue on May 13, 2003 was based on the Delaware River Compact involving the states of New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Delaware. It has survived the test of time and appears to be far more definitive than “adaptive management.”

11 – seems to reopen the issue of barge traffic on the Chattahoochee. Why? Do any of the key decision makers have any vested interest in renewing barge traffic? If so, they should remove themselves from influencing this decision. Otherwise, it would be a clear conflict of interest.

Other factors beyond the above principles come from general concerns and from three experts with no ties to West Point Lake who have already expressed concerns. One is why the rush? With the Governor’s desire to have an agreement in place by August 31 and only 60 days thereafter for public input there is very little time to do the study I propose. We’ve been at this for twelve years; surely another month or so is not unreasonable.

It is my understanding that the U.S. Corps of Engineers has already done a modeling on the effects this agreement will have on West Point Lake levels, but it has been suppressed. Is this true? If so, why? Regardless, we should see such and my proposal calls for such.

There appear to be minimal restrictions on withdrawal permits for metro Atlanta. Let’s face a fact, the present withdrawals aside from drought are the primary reason we have had low levels on West Point Lake prior to this year. Further numerous articles claim the Atlanta metro area in reality is already withdrawing more water than they were projected to do so in 2030. While developers and a few others will howl and use all types of pressure, I contend the growth of metro Atlanta must be slowed by many methods, but primarily by restricting water withdrawals. Already the area has uncontrolled air pollution and inadequate infrastructure in terms of transportation and sewage treatment.

The above said a comment made by a world renown expert several years ago still resonates. He said there is enough water within the ACF basins to satisfy all reasonable needs for decades. The problem is the system is not managed to maximize utilization. Does this agreement maximize utilization?

Are the flow requirements coming into West Point Lake adequate to insure good water quality? I think not.

Why is it that three main flow points coincide with plants owned by Mead, Georgia Pacific, and Southern Company, all of which depend on river flows? From an ecology standpoint do we really need flows at this level or could they be lower were it not for these industries needing the higher flows? If the industries need the flows given their present processes are there options that don’t jeopardize jobs and long term profitability?

We would hope that once the Governor signs the agreement and the 60 days for public input passes, the federal review would be objective and exhaustive. However, I have concerns that such will not take place. Reportedly the Department of Justice and one official in particular has not been at all cooperative in that regard to date.

While I have tried to be objective and to present my case without rancor, I am not an expert so there could be errors. If so, the public needs to hear this as part of an information campaign to factually inform all of us of one of the most consequential decisions the State of Georgia will make in over 100 years.

Now for my proposal. I believe we need an independent study prior to this agreement going for federal review. This modeling should involve all parties but be done by an expert who has not been directly included in the negotiations and use agreed upon software. I’ve been told objective information could be available within 90 days of the project being approved. I feel local and county governments and large property owners, who will be effected by this Compact, should underwrite the cost of this. If you would like to contribute, please contact Dr. Art Holbrook at (706) 884-7905 or email him at kingart@mindspring.com.

I applaud Governor Perdue for his personal involvement in these negotiations. Many of the principles within the memorandum of agreement appear sound, and perhaps all are. However, Governor Perdue until now has primarily relied on information used by the prior administration. Quite frankly, many of us downstream never felt our concerns were addressed and that a minimum of science was used by this group. Given the gravity of the Compact we do not need glib generalizations, loyalty and/or insufficient science. Why would anyone oppose an objective modeling as I and others are requesting?

In the past few decades our country has gone from being the largest creditor to nations around the world to the largest debtor nation! Every work day an additional two billion dollars of our debt is financed by people and countries other than ourselves. Why is this? Very simply because of the budget and trade deficits.

The situation will only get worse as unfunded liabilities for Social Security are no longer covered by cash flow from excess Social Security premium payments versus current benefits payments. Presently, we are using this excess to fund the budget and Medicare deficits that the sale of treasury notes to the U.S. citizens and foreigners do not cover. However, as the baby boomers soon start to retire in record numbers there will be a negative cash flow.

The Social Security problem is exacerbated by a birth rate which is below the replacement rate needed to maintain a stable number of citizens. Additionally people are living much longer. When Social Security was started in 1935 the average life expectancy for men was 58 and for women 62. Now it is 79. The retirement age for younger workers is being increased, too slowly in my opinion, to age 67. Had the retirement age been periodically indexed workers today would have to wait until age 73 to collect full Social Security benefits. All three factors are typical of most developed countries. So they too will increasingly need to dip into their reserves which means they will need to cash in their U.S. Treasury notes; yet another drain on our cash flow.

Medicare is a huge drain on our Treasury. At the time, it was started in 1965, President Johnson said, “an extra $500 million of new spending would pose no problem”.

Well we now spend 294 BILLION yearly! Medicare is a major part of an out of control explosion of healthcare costs (we spend 55% more on healthcare per capita than any other country in the world). The most expensive component of healthcare is our older population (the elderly represent 13% of our population but consume 40% of the medical costs). Again, factors of baby boomers reaching age 65, decreasing birth rates, and increasing life expectancies are driving up the long term costs.

Retirees with reasonable incomes and/or savings who say they shouldn’t have to pay school taxes because they no longer have school age children should consider several facts. Do they forget that when their children were in school retirees paid school taxes? Even more consequential is that those working now will have to pay for the shortfall in contributions to cover the costs of Social Security and Medicare for present retirees. Further it is unlikely that younger Americans will ever collect anywhere near what todays retirees will collect in terms of inflation adjusted dollars despite putting far more into the funds.

These coalescing factors: trade deficits, budget deficits and unfunded liabilities for Social Security and Medicare are documented in a very troubling book entitled “Running on Empty”. It was written in 2004 by Pete Peterson. I won’t take the space to list his credentials; suffice it to say they are impressive.

What are our elected officials in Washington doing about this? Well, they take pride that our projected budget deficit for fiscal ’05 (ended 9/30/05) may be reduced from 427 billion to 333 billion! However, that was before Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

Federal government expenditures are up 8% which is twice the inflation rate but we are reducing taxes! I can understand doing that as a temporary move to help bring us out of a recession but we’ve been out of the recession for several years. Now the President and Congress are pushing for the elimination of estate taxes. I am a conservative and one of our basic tenets is lower taxes. However, what my fellow conservatives (some really are not conservatives when you look at their voting records) forget is that a preceding tenet of conservatism is smaller government. Once you achieve that then you reduce taxes. It’s like respect; it must be earned.

Some try to justify tax cuts while expenditures increase with terms such as supply side economics or trickle down which were used during President Reagan’s two terms. Opponents called it voodoo economics. Call it what you will but during his eight years the national debt tripled and it’s share of GDP (Gross Domestic Product) rose from 26% to 43%!

The 2002 Farm Bill is an example of why we have such deficits. The 1996 Farm Bill contained a plan to basically eliminate crop subsidies by 2002. Instead the 2002 Farm Bill created a projected record 25 billion in subsidies in fiscal ‘06; most of which go to large corporations vs. small farmers.

Earlier in 2005 the Energy Bill was passed. In my opinion it had next to nothing to do with reducing our dependency on foreign oil but much to do with tax breaks to mega corporations.

Next, this summer Congress passed a transportation bill which contained 6300 “earmarks”, another word for pork, costing 24 billion!!

To his credit President Bush had the guts to propose an alternative to the growing Social Security problem. Many politicians said nothing. The Democrats criticized and some even deny there is a problem? Talk about ignorance, pandering and/or abdication of duty!

However, all of this pales in comparison to the Medicare Prescription Drug bill. Here we have a program, Medicare, that is at least several trillions of dollars under funded, depending on which projection you use, but still Congress passes a VERY expensive enhancement! At the time of the vote the projected cost was approximately 400 billion for 10 years. One week later it was calculated at over 500 billion. Now the projection is 720 billion!

I chaired a subcommittee in the Georgia House of Representatives on prescription drugs for low income seniors and worked closely with the major pharmaceutical manufacturers during that time so I know something about the issue. The focus of my subcommittee should have been the only focus of the Medicare Prescription bill. For this segment of the population a formulary (only approved drugs can be used) should have been created and through Patient Assistance Plans the pharmaceutical companies should have helped with the cost. No one who truly needs a prescription should have to choose between it and other necessities such as food and shelter. Instead our federally elected officials included all Medicare recipients, created a windfall for the pharmaceutical companies with no financial participation by them of any significance and won’t even allow us to buy our prescriptions in Canada; a concession to the pharmaceutical industry?

Are you concerned? Syndicated Columnist Charlie Reese says, that instead of discussing serious problem, “most Americans like to talk about TV, Michael Jackson and sports!” I tend to agree and suspect few who get this particular newspaper have read this far. Some of you who have read this far have probably dismissed me as an alarmist. Some may have found an error or disagree with a statement and therefore dismissed the total article. I’ve tried to minimize opinion and have used credible sources for my information. I make no claim of being an expert but I do know more than most because of my 11 years of involvement with such issues in the Georgia House of Representatives including my present Chairmanship of 11 billion dollars in the budget covering health issues.

While I am a sports fan the truth of the matter is that in the big scheme of things regardless of the sport whether any team goes undefeated or loses every game makes little if any difference. The same can be said about what happens on the next episode of the television show Desperate Housewives or whether or not there is another Harry Potter book. However if Pete Peterson, Jeff Brown and increasing numbers of well informed/objective thinkers (the footnoted version of this article quotes over 22 different sources) who really care about this country are even partially correct it could make a devastating difference!

If you’re with me so far what can we do? The good news is there are many, many things we can do to make a difference.

First become aware of the issues. Reading Pete Peterson’s book is a good start.

Almost daily there are respected columnists supplying proof statements of the problems and suggesting remedies.

Third, don’t get hung up on partisan politics because both parties are at fault. The differences are the Republicans are in control so they can make the corrections starting now. Also much of the problem is more government than we can afford and lack of personal responsibility. If those who call themselves conservatives would return to basic conservative principles of less government and more personal responsibility, neither of which are tenets of the Democrat party, this would help to reverse the dangerous directions we are heading.

Fourth let your elected representatives in Washington know you disapprove of how they are handling things. One way I do this is that when I receive requests for contributions from these politicians or organizations I return them saying that until I see a return to conservative principles I will not contribute. Tell them to immediately delete all 6,300 earmarks from the transportation bill. Ask them to have the courage that Congressman Lynn Westmoreland and only 9 other Congressmen/Senators out of 535 had to vote no on a 51 billion expenditure for victims of Hurricane Katrina because there was no accountability; don’t fall for the liberal mantra that their votes were a denial of benefits to the poor. All these 10 said is we know money is needed but let’s account for how it is spent.

President Bush has the power to impound which means he can hold funds that have passed in bills such as the energy bill. Much better known is the President’s veto authority. However, in five years he has yet to use it. Encourage him to impound and veto.

The largest savings, without draconian effects, would come from convincing our elected officials to IMMEDIATELY stop the implementation of the Medicare prescription drug bill. As previously stated the reality is that most Medicare recipients can get by without it. For SUBSTANTIALLY less than 720 billion we can provide a plan for those who truly need it.

I haven’t even touched on needed Social Security changes, controlling illegal immigration which is costing billions and reducing waste, fraud and spending on fluff which will save billions. Zell Miller recently said that there are 23 billion dollars unaccounted for in the 2003 budget. It’s too bad for most of us that Congress isn’t governed by a balanced budget requirement as the Constitution of Georgia requires.

Now I admit the above is a complex and lengthy list of needed corrective actions and hard to deliver the message to an audience that will be defensive because they’ve been part of the problems. Nonetheless push forward with suggestion number five which is that whenever and however deliver the message. In addition to direct correspondence, letters to the editor, taking advantage of call in shows, spreading the word to friends, etc. help to build the momentum needed to start to steer the ship of state in a different direction. In every speech I give and in most meetings I give an overview of what I’ve written here.

Finally there are things we can each do without trying to influence someone else to do something. Buying products made in the USA begins to correct the trade deficit. Two years ago I wrote an article entitled “Are We Our Own Worst Enemy?”. It is posted on my website www.repjbrown.org under issues. Reducing energy consumption also improves our balance of payments. Another of countless examples is not to be greedy like some middle income families who transfer mom and/or dad’s assets thereby qualifying them for Medicaid so that when they go to a nursing home you and I pay for it.

What you do, if anything, is obviously your choice. To do nothing may negatively affect you but for almost certain your children’s future will be seriously compromised. Is that the legacy you want to leave?

At other times in our illustrious past when we were faced with serious problems we made sacrifices. Now at a time of immense problems, ie. 9-11, wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, record trade deficits, the worst natural disaster in our history, record energy prices, global warming, the looming problems of Social Security and Medicare, globalization, and falling test scores of our public school students versus much of the world we are indulging in excesses such as the bills listed above, tax cuts, talks of more tax cuts, etc. We are a nation of mostly good people who will respond when lead by facts and an appeal to our greater good. We should have been sacrificing at least since 9-11 but it is not too late to start now!

Representative Jeffery W. Brown is serving his sixth two year term in the Georgia House of Representatives. He chairs the Health Appropriations Subcommittee with budgets exceeding 11 billion dollars and also serves on the Rules, Ways and Means and Health and Human Services committees. In 2005 five statewide organizations have named him legislator of the year and three others have given him awards. His email address is jbrown@legis.state.ga.us and he has a website at www.repjbrown.org.

I believe there are things that we as individuals and businesses are doing to prolong the recession. First I will share some statistics from various sources that will give a historical perspective as well as an overview of the present. The lack of job growth starting March 2001 has resulted in the longest sustained period without job growth since World War II. Other factors contributing to the recession such as increased productivity, moving jobs off-shore and the continuation of the L-1Visa will be discussed. The article will conclude with some suggestions that could help us to come out of the recession sooner without seriously eroding corporate profitability.

The following are some statistics that will put the subject of this article into perspective: *

Obviously the fact that we are in a recession is a significant factor in accounting for some of the above. However, I believe there are several other factors including:

Some of the above, especially increased productivity, is good, should continue and in the end results in healthier companies and better jobs for those that are left. However, other factors, particularly increased imports and L-1Visas need to be seriously examined by companies and by the federal government because they appear to be counter-productive and/or the common good can be better served by a change in policy. Finally the factors of moving jobs off-shore and using equipment longer will be examined in terms of the wisdom of doing such and in light of what I will call the Henry Ford perspectives.

While I am certainly a believer in the global economy and against restrictive tariffs, I think that some of the trade agreements, such as NAFTA, are unnecessarily detrimental to US workers. How fair is it to ask our companies to sell goods with the production incomes we expect them to provide and all of the regulations we impose (many rightfully for the sake of the environment) whereas much of the global competition comes from countries who pay poverty wages and have no concern for the environment. I believe that each of us needs to keep these factors in mind when we buy products. For me Made in America is a key. Whether it is made by a US or foreign company is secondary.

The L-1Visa issue to me is even clearer in terms of what we need to do. While the H-1B Visas are capped, have restrictions and starting next October the limit will go down from 190,000 to 65,000 annually, there is no cap on L-1Visas and very few restrictions. They were originally intended to allow international companies to bring their top management and experts here to work with their US subsidiaries. If you agree write to your congressman and senators and also to Senator Saxby Chambliss, Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Sub-committee on Immigration, to voice your concerns about how we are handling L-1’s and the fact that well trained US workers are being replaced by the holders of such Visas.

Now for the Henry Ford perspectives, as I dub them. First there is the story of Henry Ford showing Walter Reuther, the president of the United Automobile Workers, new equipment at one of his plants and bragging about how many people would be replaced. Reuther looked at Ford and said, “tell me Mr. Ford how many cars will these new machines buy?” The second Ford perspective is less substantiated but supposedly Ford decided he wanted to pay his workers enough so that they could afford to buy a new automobile. This certainly helped the sale of his automobiles which more than offset the additional cost of the extra compensation. Using Reuther’s question let me ask you, the managers of American industry, how much of your product is going to be purchased by those foreign employees replacing your US workers? My answer is very, very little because most of these foreign workers aren’t receiving enough compensation to afford them and/or restrictive trade practices won’t allow them to be available.

One of the most strident comments about outsourcing to foreign countries comes from syndicated columnist Charley Reese. In a July 14, 2003 article he said of US companies who close a plant here to open one in a cheaper labor market, “it is, in fact, immoral and socially detrimental . . . they should be shunned by their fellow citizens”. Yet another response was reported in the July 14, 2003 Wall Street Journal. “At least five states introduced legislation aimed at keeping jobs in the US, among other things, by blocking companies from using foreign workers on state contracts”. Remember states purchase billions of dollars of products annually.

The equipment being kept longer somewhat fits into the “Ford perspective”. There is also the question of what are the real savings given reduced productivity, increased down time, increased repair cost, etc. These factors can more than exceed the cost of replacing this equipment. Further the recently enacted tax decrease package gives more incentive to buy new equipment now. Also, by doing such it helps the economy now.

As the old Pogo cartoon said, “we found the enemy and it was us”. Presently, there is a lot of personal hurt out there as people can’t find jobs or have to take part-time positions just to make ends meet. Meanwhile there are inhibitors to economic recovery some of this is unavoidable as it is part of the normal adjustments of our economy. However, some of it can be helped by all of us as detailed above is we so chose.

* Many of these statistics come from a July 6, 2003 article in the Atlanta Journal Constitution written by Marilyn Geewax. She in turn gathered her information from numerous sources.
** Much of the information on the L-1Visas comes from a June 22, 2003 article in the Atlanta Journal Constitution by Julia Mabre.

Jeff Brown is an elected member of the Georgia House of Representative. Also he is president of Comprehensive Search, based in LaGrange, GA, a human resources firm with employees in 24 states and Canada. This article comes from the July issue of the Comprehensive Search eNewsletter. Archived issues can be found at www.comp-search.com and click on articles. Contact him at 706-884-3232 ext. 203 or email jeff@comp-search.com or jbrown@legis.state.ga.us.

Governing Principles

We commit that all legislation passed by the Republican majority will recognize one or more of the following principles:

The Problem:

Property taxes place an unfair burden on Georgian's and do not fairly meet the funding needs of our schools.

The Commitment:

Republicans will introduce legislation permitting Georgians to decide on abolishing school property taxes in favor of a better and fairer system of funding our schools through a sales tax.

With K-12 education requiring over forty percent of a reduced state budget, increased pressure is being put on our local school districts to fund education. Currently, funding is done by the property owners who can ill afford additional taxation.

House Republicans offered a new solution (HR 1264) that would have given the voters in Georgia the right to decide whether or not to eliminate all school property taxes with a 3% statewide sales tax.

Think of all the people in Georgia who receive the benefits of our education system who do not pay property taxes but will buy goods that are taxable.

The Problem:

Although Republicans overwhelmingly championed Georgia’s right to vote on recognizing marriage as only between a man and a woman, Democrats consistently opposed this effort the same way they have blocked other traditional family issues.

The Commitment:

A Republican House majority will consistently support traditional family values by passing legislation which

– Gives Georgia communities the ability to post the Ten Commandments in prominent public locations.

– Allows faith based groups to deliver social services more effectively and efficiently than bureaucratic agencies.

The vote on SR 595, the constitutional amendment allowing Georgians to vote on defining marriage as between only a man and only a woman, only passed the House by three votes (122 with 120 needed to pass a constitutional amendment) (first vote failed 117 – 50, 49 democrats). Therefore it is critical that you elect representatives this fall with a strong commitment to traditional family values.

In the Georgia House the Democrats would not even allow an open debate on allowing local governments to voluntarily post the Ten Commandments. Four House Bills (1537, 1609, 1403 and 1348) were passed by the Rules Committee but never were allowed to come to the floor for a vote.

Issues as simple as giving Mom’s full disclosure on medical procedures involving the life of the unborn and informing them of all their options were squelched once again when HB 23 never received a hearing in the House Judiciary Committee.

Democrats supported allowing local governments to force private businesses and organizations to give same sex partner benefits via amendments by the Democratic Whip (HB 1258). Republicans killed the amendments.

Traditional family values will reflect our desire that all Georgia citizens, from the womb to the tomb, babies and elderly be served with fair representation and protection like everyone else.

Education Success in Georgia:

The Problem:

With high drop-out rates, increasing diversity, low SAT scores, poor parent participation and unruly classes we have to give teachers the tools to maintain discipline and administrators flexibility to streamline operations. Democrats fought Republican legislation to correct these problems for the past two years.

The Commitment:

Better accountability, more local control and improved discipline in school, including measures to allow unruly and law breaking teens to loose their drivers license, a punishment which teens would want to avoid.

House Republicans offered two bills (HB 1190 and HB 1193) supporting Governor Perdue’s efforts to significantly improve our schools by offering local districts more flexibility for more performance accountability.

The Barnes Education Reform Act of 2000 offered highly restrictive mandates/laws that treated all districts the same (one size fits all) even though the learning issues were vastly different district by district.

Though HB 1190 passed in the last moments of the ending day, the bill only offered short term band aids to correct the deficiencies of the Barnes law due to foot dragging on the part of the Democrats. Unfortunately a major opportunity for positive change was lost till next year.

Democrats supported social promotion by voting to not count the third grade test towards promotion.

If you elect a Republican House you can be sure that we will move quickly to change what ails our schools by:

o Attracting and keeping the most qualified teachers by offering incentives for performance and keeping our commitment to pay the incentives.

o Implement class sizes based upon historical school performance for high performing schools while implementing lower early elementary class sizes.

o Allow individual schools the flexibility to tailor remedial programs in math and reading to what their needs are instead of the state mandate.

o Establish order in the classroom by providing more sanctions that address discipline problems.

Quality Health Care:

The Problem:

Out of control lawsuits and a lack of affordable insurance are combining to make it difficult for Georgians to see a doctor, get emergency services and access quality healthcare. Democrats killed efforts to reform our legal system and measures to make basic health insurance more affordable.

The Commitment:

We will introduce legislation to comprehensively reform the legal system to protect our citizens by insuring the availability of quality healthcare across Georgia.

Testimony before legislative hearings to improve patient access to quality health care indicated that in this decade approximately 1/3 of Georgia's trauma units have closed in significant part due to increasing law suits.

More and more, especially in rural areas, the availability of specialists such as neurosurgeons, orthopedic surgeons and OB/GYN's who will delivery babies are in short supply or nonexistent.

In the Georgia Physicians Workforce Survey almost 20% of all Georgia doctors reported a reduction in performing “high risk procedures’. “High Risk” could mean something as supposedly routine as reading a mammogram.

The Democratic controlled House never even allowed a vote on a tort reform measure.

The Senate passed bill would have eliminated joint and several liability so that a defendant found to be a certain percentage responsible would only be held liable for that percentage. (Current law provides that a defendant found 1% responsible can be held 100% liable.)

It addressed vanishing venue, which would help prevent the practice of bringing a "dummy defendant" into a case simply to establish a more plaintiff-friendly court venue.

It strengthened the expert witness rule and extended these requirements to the affidavit used to bring cases.

It eliminated liability for hospitals with regard to independently contracted health care providers who are not employed by the hospital but rather work on contract.

Finally, it prohibited non-economic damage pain and suffering awards for a patient who comes through the emergency room, but has no prior relationship with the hospital and whose pre-existing condition is unknown.

HOPE Scholarships:

The Problem:

In 2004 the HOPE Scholarship Commission released findings indicating that HOPE funding would run a deficit in 2007. Despite their recommendations minimal progress was made to shore up the future of the HOPE scholarships.

The Commitment:

Republicans pledge to carefully monitor and make necessary reforms to save this important program for our students.

Georgia college enrollment and tuition are projected to increase and lottery funds expected to either remain the same or decrease (because of competition from border state lotteries).

The Governor's Office of Planning and Budget informed members of the General Assembly that there is a good chance that HOPE revenues will not be sufficient to fund current HOPE expenditures.

· Preserve the merit-based focus of the HOPE Scholarship program. The original purpose of HOPE was to encourage academic achievement and excellence. There were no needs-based criteria established for eligibility.

· Restore the constitutional purpose of lottery proceeds (HOPE scholarships, Pre-K and technology) by not diverting funds for capital outlays projects.

The Problem:

Illegal immigration is harming our state and nation by taxing our resources in schools, health and social services and criminal justice system. While legal immigrants have been the backbone of our country’s growth for centuries, the fast growing rate of illegal immigration is harming our communities and our nation.

The Commitment:

Republican control of your legislature will insure an aggressive attempt to curb this problem and assure all Americans of their Constitutional rights.

In the 2003 Session Democrats attempted to give aliens, living in a Caribbean basin free trade zone, the right to have a Georgia driver’s license. Republicans in the House led the fight to defeat the bill (HB 578) 105 to 64. The 65 votes were all Democrats. Not only that, they came back the next day and asked the House to reconsider its action. That motion was defeated also.

In the 2004 Session Republicans offered two bills (HB 1349 and HB 1634) to begin addressing the problem. Both bills complemented the federal 2004 CLEAR Act, the law aimed at controlling illegal immigration.

HB 1349 added the resources of state and local police to the overstretched INS by giving local and state jurisdictions the power to apprehend arrest, detain or transfer to federal custody any illegal immigrants. It also established the law supporting arrest and trial for various criminal and sexual offenses to keep law breaking illegal aliens off our streets.

“2005 Outstanding Legislator of the Year”- For dedicated service to people with disabilities

In recognition of your consistent support for aging issues which benefit older Georgians

“Legislator of the Year” – In recognition and appreciation for his outstanding leadership and support for Georgia’s Community Hospitals and healthcare issues

“Legislator of the Year” - In appreciation for your dedicated service and outstanding leadership in supporting Georgia citizens with disabilities.

In recognition of his resolute and vigorous support for Heritage Tourism needs of Legislative District 69 and the Chattahoochee Valley

“Leadership Award” - For outstanding leadership in promoting sound healthcare public policy that benefits patients, hospitals and communities

"for outstanding support of the state's community health centers and their mission of providing quality, comprehensive health care services at affordable costs to underserved and uninsured Georgians."

Dave Miller, Chairman of the GATES Government Affairs Committee, presents award to Representative Jeff Brown

Atlanta, Georgia, July 20, 2005 — Representative Jeff Brown was recently awarded the Legislator of the Year Award by the Georgia Association of Training, Employment and Supports (GATES) at their annual conference at Callaway Gardens. Brown, representing the 69th District, has been a leader and outspoken advocate of people with disabilities during his time in elected office. GATES, an association of community providers that prepare people with disabilities for employment, honored Representative Brown for his leadership and support of people with disabilities.

Representative Jeff Brown, representing the counties of Troup, Heard, and Carroll, chairs the Health Subcommittee of the House Appropriations Committee. During difficult years for the state budget, this subcommittee is regularly given the wrenching task of balancing the budgets of those organizations whose mission is to provide services to the state’s most vulnerable citizens. In difficult times, Representative Brown has been known for thoughtful approach to addressing these challenging issues. Such attention to complex policy areas allows him to recognize when human need must be balanced with fiscal prudence. Representative Brown is a leader for enacting fiscal policy that invests in the people of Georgia, while simultaneously balancing the state’s budget.

In making the presentation, Dave Miller, Chairman of the GATES Government Affairs Committee, said, “Rep. Brown recognizes that state spending for employment training for people with disabilities is an investment in the future of Georgia’s long-term economical well-being. The beneficiaries of this state investment today are the workers and earners of tomorrow.”

Brown, the owner of an employee search firm, understands the specific employment and training needs of the disability community. He additionally has often noted the value of what the Department of Labor offers both the disabled and non-disabled communities.

GATES is the largest statewide association in Georgia representing community providers that serve Georgia’s citizens with severe disabilities and their families. GATES members, which include Goodwills and Easter Seals, organize around the basic premise supporting the right of every individual in Georgia with a disability having the opportunity to live a quality, independent life.

Atlanta, Georgia, June 20, 2005 — Representative Jeff Brown awarded Legislator of the Year Award by the Georgia Association of Homes and Services for Children (GAHSC) at their annual conference in Hilton Head. GAHSC is Georgia’s oldest and largest association of children and family service providers in the State of Georgia. Representing over 180 licensed programs that serve at-risk children in Georgia, they serve children at risk by strengthening the agencies that serve them.

“Representative Jeff Brown, representing the counties of Troup, Heard, and Carroll has been a terrific advocate for children and the aged. He serves on the House Health and Human Services Committee, the House Rules Committee and the House Ways and Means Committee. He also chairs the Health Subcommittee of the House Appropriations Committee.

It is in his capacity as Chair of the Health Subcommittee for Appropriations, that his reputation for careful listening to the needs of children and thoughtful action that won him acclaim. He advocated for increased funding of services for Georgia’ s severely emotionally disturbed foster children. He fought against child abuse with his advocacy for Child Advocacy Centers.

Representative Jeff Brown is a true friend to children and families. No other legislator is more deserving of the esteemed award than this Representative from LaGrange,” said Normer Adams , Executive Director of the Georgia Association of Homes and Services for Children.