My proposal would put into law recommendations that are already in the statewide water management plan and Georgia Environmental Protection Division (EPD) rules.
HB 134 would require the director of EPD to consider the various economic and environmental impacts on both ends of an inter-basin transfer before deciding whether to issue a permit for surface water withdrawals. New rules for inter-basin transfers recently adopted by the State Board of Natural Resources include a statement that the EPD director “should” consider those factors but do not specify a requirement as such. HB 134 would change “should” to “shall” with legal force.
For many years, I have worked with fellow lawmakers from rural areas in seeking to restrict transfers to ensure that our local water supplies are not depleted and piped to the metro counties. Corporate interests in the Atlanta region continue to promote inter-basin transfers as a strategy to address water shortages caused by population growth and a federal court decision restricting Georgia’s rights to withhold water from the Chattahoochee River.
Gov. Nathan Deal has set aside funding in his budget proposal for the construction of new reservoirs in North Georgia.
This is a serious issue for the future of agriculture, industry and quality of life in Northeast Georgia. In my opinion, a policy as environmentally and economically impactful as taking water from the area where it naturally flows and moving it somewhere else requires the state to have a process of legally enforceable regulation in place to ensure these decisions are made thoughtfully and with all potential consequences taken into consideration. Under my proposal, the same wording that is in Georgia’s water management plan would be codified into law.
HB 134, which is co-sponsored by other rural House members from around the state, and a similar measure, HB 111, have both been referred to the House Natural Resources & Environment Committee for its consideration.
•Early Voting Changes: The House Governmental Affairs Committee is considering legislation that would reduce the time period allotted for early voting, specifically in-person, absentee voting. HB 92 would set aside three weeks of Monday-through-Friday early voting before each primary and general election, as opposed to the current period beginning 45 days prior to those elections, providing considerable costs savings to county governments that must hire additional personnel to administer that type of early voting. HB 92, which has strong bipartisan support, would also set aside the second Saturday before each election, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., for a special day of in-person early voting.
•HOPE and Pre-K: One of the greatest challenges Georgia legislators face this session is finding a way to sustain the lottery funded pre-kindergarten and HOPE Scholarship programs. The overwhelming success of these programs makes this problem particularly troubling. Clearly the continuation of these lottery funded programs is vital of the future prosperity of this state. However, over the past several years Georgia’s pre-K and HOPE programs have paid out more than the lottery has brought in. If this continues, all reserve funds for these programs will be depleted by fiscal year 2013. To ensure this does not happen, reforms to these programs are carefully being considered during the current legislative session – including changing HOPE eligibility requirements for family income or grade point average, removing benefits for remedial classes or perhaps limiting the amount of HOPE grants to less than full scholarships. Please rest assured that I am keeping a close eye on this issue and will work to maintain the continued success of our pre-K and HOPE programs.
•Tax Refunds Re-Deposited: The state Department of Revenue announced it has re-deposited 32,423 state income tax refunds after the department’s error last month had put refunds in taxpayers’ bank accounts, then taken them out without warning and caused some recipients to overdraw their bank accounts. Many banks have agreed not to charge customers overdraft fees resulting from the state error, and Revenue Commissioner Doug MacGinnitie has promised the state will reimburse taxpayers for any charges that did occur. The department’s website, www.etax.dor.ga.gov, has a printable form that can be turned in to appeal bank charges.
•General Assembly Online: Throughout the session, you can read the details and check the status of legislation and watch live broadcasts of House and Senate proceedings online at www.legis.ga.gov. You can also sign up for regular email updates at www.alanpowell.net.
State Rep. Alan Powell (R-Hartwell) represents the 29th District (Franklin, Hart and Madison counties) in the Georgia House of Representatives. Contact him at 507 Coverdell Legislative Office Building, Atlanta, GA 30334; by phone at 404-656-0202; or by email at alanpowell23@hotmail.com.
