Press Releases 1999

January 13, 1999

January 27, 1999

January 13, 1999

The 145^th General convened on Monday, January 11, 1999, marking an evolutionary change in state government as Roy Barnes was sworn in as Governor and Mark Taylor as Lieutenant Governor. The House, by a vote of 104 to 76, once again elected Tom Murphy as Speaker of the House for a two-year term. He continues as the longest serving Speaker of any state house in the United States.

The new elections will inevitably usher in some changes this year. One change is a much more partisan Senate where Lieutenant Governor Taylor presides. His committee appointments offer proof of that. Since Governor Barnes has served for 22 years in the legislature and has a good working relationship with Speaker Murphy and with former Governor Zell Miller I do not expect significant change from the Governor’s office. With 83% of the Senators and Representatives returning to serve another term there should not be much difference in the legislature. The Republicans, after three consecutive significant gains in both houses, actually lost a seat in both the Senate and the House. Therefore, the expectation is that we will not be as active for the next two years as we have been.

The Governor gave his budget talk on Wednesday. Once again, Georgia continues to show the financial benefits of growth since we are able to fund an ever increasing size of government while still discussing a tax refund. Of the approximate $800 million in new revenue, however, only 10% is being discussed as a tax decrease. Those of you who have been reading these columns understand that I am very much opposed to the growth of government but very much favor the tax decreases.

A typical example of the growth of government involves the welfare area. Georgia, like every other state that has enacted Welfare Reform, has shown tremendous savings because more and more of the welfare recipients are working. Our savings amount to over $50 million a year. Unfortunately, none of these savings will be passed on because the Governor proposes spending $35 million of those savings on an expanded child care program and the remaining balance on other programs. While each of these programs have merit, the reality is they all expand government. As an example, in 1990, state government provided childcare for about 10,000 children, but the new budget will grow this to over 65,000 children receiving childcare paid for by the state.

One aspect of the budget that pleases me is that we plan to fund the state crime lab with an extra $28 million dollars. Unfortunately, over the years we have done a poor job of adequately funding the lab and as a result, justice has been delayed. In an era of everyone posturing on being tough on crime, it makes no sense to inadequately fund this vital part of the process of bringing a criminal to justice.

A very interesting, but not unexpected, result of Governor Barnes’ election is that he is indebted to the black voters who turned out in record numbers with over 93% of them voting for him. You can see this in terms of his appointments, committee chairmanships such as in the House where three more blacks chair committees, etc. This is the political process that has been used to the benefit of white politicians for decades, so no one should be surprised by it. Monday also marked the inauguration of the first blacks to win statewide constitutional offices - Michael Thurmond as the Commissioner of the Department of Labor and Thurbert Baker as Attorney General. It is increasingly apparent that blacks are becoming a very powerful part of the political process in the State of Georgia.

My legislative aide is Patti Peach. When I am in session she will handle your calls. She can be reached as detailed below.

I have moved to Suite 501 in the Legislative Office Building, Atlanta, GA 30334. The phone and fax have been changed to 404-656-0177 and 404-657-0298 respectfully. My E-mail address continues as jeffbrow@up-leg.mindspring.com. The website is friendsofjeff.org Finally you can leave a message by calling my voice mail at 706-845-5212. I look forward to hearing from you soon.

For more information call Jeff Brown at 404-656-0177.

January 27, 1999

The Governor has emphasized two main themes of his first year as Governor. While I think he has done a good job of identifying the problems in Health Care and of the transportation problems in the greater Atlanta area, his solutions cause for great concern for me. First his initial solution for the transportation problems of greater Atlanta is to create a new bureaucracy in the state it is the board of which will be appointed solely by him. Georgia Legislature has already been identified as one of several around the country that has lost power relative to the Governor over the years. Our country is succeeded by having a balance of power and such is not true here. This proposal by the Governor will further ???. Today we have an involvement in selecting the board of the Department of Transportation who in turn selects the Commissioner. I feel the Governor has an agency in place that can begin to affect the changes he wants instead of his proposal. Finally we are getting some attention on the issue of health care. Governor Barnes has aggressively attacked the insurance industry, HMOs, etc. Is coming up with some very popular rhetoric in regard to the Freedom of Choice necessity, etc. He further says that he can do all of this without raising the rates. Everything that I have investigated particularly during the last four years might have an involvement in the issue of health care within the legislature indicates this is a pipe dream. I do agree with him that the creation of one agency verses the four or five we have today dispensing health care monies is appropriate. Today 26% of the premiums that are paid for health insurance in this state comes from the state. We also have a 1.2 million who are insured totally at tax payers expense through the medicaid program. I think it’s time for a whole new paradigm shift to address the issues of health care instead of beating up on the insurance companies HMOs, etc. One place we ought to start is on the whole issue of personal responsibility since we know that cigarettes, alcohol and diet are the leading causes of poor health and all of these are issues of personal responsibilities.

June 22, 1999

Once again those of us who want to enjoy West Point Lake are being inconvenienced and exposed to increased safety risks due to the Corps of Engineers significant draw down starting after Memorial Day. We face the possibility, despite a cool summer and a good amount of rain recently, of a level well below full level as we approach the July 4th holiday.

Dr. Art Holbrook, who heads a local group working on the Tri-State Compact, recently sent me the enclosed article. Please note that the barge traffic not only inconveniences ten of thousands of people as described above but costs an enormous amount of tax payer money and has created significant environmental problems as discussed in the article. Further, I believe that most of the barges coming to Columbus carry aviation fuel which is an environmental disaster waiting to happen. Meanwhile, we have an outstanding interstate system to carry the same cargo that the barges do, without massive federal subsidies paid for by you and me. We also have a rail system as an option.

Another factor creating barge traffic and causing environmental problems not reported in the article is the mining of the Chattahoochee river bottom. Martin Marietta corporation has an expired permit to do this. They load the rock on barges and return the mud and sand to the river bottom. As they evaluate the renewal, the Corps of Engineers, who receives fees from Martin Marietta for this, is allowing the mining to continue despite a March ‘99 expiration. This needs to be stopped.

If you have had it with the problems caused by barge traffic please help us circulate petitions that will go to our Congressmen and U.S. Senators calling for Congressional hearings on the barge traffic and the mining of the river bottom. These are federally caused problems and only our federally elected officials can prevent them. Call (706) 884-3232 and ask for extension 250. Leave your name, address, phone number and fax number. We will then mail you or fax you a petition to circulate for signatures and return to us. I believe it is time for grass roots action!

July 15, 1999

Since the petition drive calling for a congressional hearing on West Point Lake levels and barge traffic down stream began on June 24, 1999 we have received 109 petitions with 1,108 signatures as of Thursday July 15, 1999. I particularly want to thank the LaGrange Daily News for the outstanding support that they have given. Almost half of the petitions that came in were from one of the petitions that they printed on several occasions in the paper.

There are several more weeks to go before we deliver these petitions to Washington. Therefore, I encourage the media, local businesses and individuals to continue this initiative to finally have the hearing. I hope that businesses would circulate the petition among their employees, retail establishments have it on a counter for signatures, etc. The truth of the matter is that lake levels greatly impact the economy of this area. Therefore businesses as well as individuals should have a keen interest in getting the situation improved.

In regard to the Congressional hearing, I have received some excellent counsel from a Washington operative who says that we need to keep this a non-partisan issue and getting it to the appropriate committee chairman is critical. I have been given some suggestions as to who would be best to do this.

I have heard from Congressman Barr and Congressman Mac Collins’ office and I expect to hear soon from Senators Coverdell and Cleland since I sent them information about this petition drive and asked for their involvement.

If you need a petition you can call (706) 884-3232 ext. 250. Please leave your name, address and fax number if you have one and we will get it to you. Let’s at least double the number of petitions and signatures prior to taking it to Washington. Obviously the more we have the more likely we are to get the attention of the people in Washington. This is democracy in action.

Enclosure: Petition

REVISED PRESS RELEASE

July 21, 1999

Representative Jeff Brown of LaGrange is pleased to announce that the Human Relations and Aging Committee will have a hearing in LaGrange on Thursday July 22, 1999 starting at 9:00 am at the Baily Room in Smith Hall at LaGrange College. The committee will discuss HB758 which deals with assisted living facilities. At approximately 10:30 the committee with then discuss HB784 that deals with prescriptive authority for Advanced Practiced Registered Nurses. (Revised - We will start with HB784.)

The public is invited. We especially encourage people with a vested interest in either or both of these bills to come and to give testimony to us as to whether or not the bill should not be passed in their opinion.

There will be several other hearings on these two key bills around the state prior to the reconvening of the legislature in January. At that we will take the input we have received and vote on both of these bills. Without a favorable vote by the committee the bills can progress no further.

This is a good opportunity to see your state government in action. For additional information please contact Representative Jeff Brown at (706) 884-3232.

August 4, 1999

Once again the Corp of Engineers has announced that they will be dropping the level of West Point Lake from 635.8 ft. to 632.5 ft. by the second week of August for navigational purposes. It appears that of all of the lakes on the Chattahoochee once again West Point Lake will have the greatest draw down. Lake Lanier will only drop six tenths of one foot.

Rep. Brown feels that this is yet more evidence that the Corps of Engineers is not using best management practices. Also it continues to call into question why tens of thousands of people should be inconvenienced just for the sake of a few barges. Congressman Bob Barr has recently written to the Corps of Engineers questioning why they removed approximately 21 billion gallons of water from West Point during the last draw down in mid June.

Hopefully the above will cause you to circulate petitions or at least sign one if you have not done so already. Brown first announced in June that he was conducting a petition drive to call for a hearing by the appropriate committee in Washington to try and stop the barge traffic on the Chattahoochee river. Please call 706-884-3232 ext. 203 and leave your name, address and a fax number, if you have one, to receive a petition. These need to be turned in quickly because they will be sent to Washington in the very near future. If you have left petitions at retail establishments, etc., please get them and forward them to Rep. Brown.

September 2, 1999

Representative Jeff Brown visited with Congressman Bob Barr on Thursday, August 26^th in regard to the petitions calling for a congressional hearing on the barges on the Chattahoochee. Following this meeting, Congressman Barr announced that there would be a meeting in LaGrange concerning this subject with key people within the Corp of Engineers within the near future. Congressman Barr and Rep. Brown will be jointly announcing the date and the dignitaries to attend.

Rep. Brown was in Washington D.C. on Friday, August 27^th. There her met with Jonathan Blyth who is Congressman Barr’s Legislative Director. We discussed strategies in regard to the issue of how to stop the barges using the Chattahoochee River. There are several efforts underway in addition to the pending hearing here in LaGrange referenced above. First, President Clinton had appointed a commission on the use of Corp legs throughout the U.S. That report has been issued and I will be receiving a copy of it in the near future. The feeling is that there’s some information in there that will help our efforts in trying to get the charter changed.

Secondly, you are going to encure a fairly significant cost in terms of severance pay, out-placement which I hope you’ll offer, relocation cost, start-up cost elsewhere, and I would imagine higher rents and higher labor rates given most other areas of the country. Thirdly, if you took some of these monies and paid a more attractive salary you could retain and recruit better people. I have 32 years history when I make that statement and own a nationwide search firm so it’s an area I know a fair amount about. Additionally, I know LaGrange. You probably are aware of this but we are in a record economy and no matter where you go, you’re going to have trouble recruiting people for this type of activity. I’d be more than happy to spend some time with your people if you’d like to explore the subject to let you know how you can tap into a larger of qualified people.

I am sure that we can bring significant pressure to bare against Sun Trust to be a substantially better landlord. They have a reputation of wanting to build the communities in which they participate and obviously they’ve helped to create exactly the opposite effect if the reports that you gave to Joe were accurate.

I hope that you’ll at least call to discuss this. I have found that good business decisions often are reversed upon the infusion of new information. Possibly my letter represents such.

Sincerely,

Jeff Brown

JB/la

On Wednesday November 10^th, 1999 the most important meeting ever held regarding West Point Lake will take place. The meeting will be from 1:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. at the Callaway International Building at West Georgia Tech. Come for as much of it as you can. Your attendance will be a proof statement that this area is not happy with how the Corps of Engineers is managing West Point Lake. Also, you will learn of facts about their present practices and how changes could better serve more people and enhance many aspects of the lake.

While I’m disappointed that Dr. Westphal is not coming, Michael Davis, Deputy Assistant Secretary of the U.S. Army is a decision maker who can make things happen. It is my opinion that in past meetings with the Corps of Engineer, we have not had decision makers. Also, our body of facts has grown substantially about present management practices and how they can be improved.

West Point Lake affects all of us from recreation to electrical power to drinking water and has well over $100 million dollars a year in economic impact. We need you there to deliver the message.