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The Budget - This is the one issue where we really spend most of our time. It is also the only thing we are required to accomplish each year. I would estimate that 50% of everything we work on is budget related. Tax revenues have not increased at the rate we expected, so additional cuts have been necessary. It does appear that there is light at the end of the tunnel. My hope is that we learn from the mistakes of the 1990s when we had annual surpluses of near $1 billion and spent every penny. If there were ever a time for fiscal discipline this is it. I believe the answer is House Resolution 1065 which I introduced this year. It is called the Georgia Fiscal Responsibility Act and would limit the rate of budget growth to population growth plus inflation. It also mandates that all surpluses be returned to the taxpayers.

Road Money Allocation - This is a largely unnoticed piece of legislation that could pay enormous dividends. Currently, road money is essentially divided equally among congressional districts. The argument against this method has always been that some areas need more money simply because the cost of purchasing land and constructing roads is significantly more expensive. House Bill 1295 would continue to allocate money similar to the current plan, but would exclude Interstate expenditures as part of the formula. This will allow those of us in the 7th Congressional District to receive a considerably larger share of money because so much of what this district spends is Interstate related.

Smoking - This has been the hot topic, no pun intended. There have been numerous bills related to this issue. A bill to outlaw all public smoking has passed the Senate. A bill to prohibit smoking in your car with the windows rolled up and a child restrained has passed the House. Finally, my bill to restrict children from possessing tobacco products, yes it is still legal in Georgia for kids to smoke, is making its way through the House.

Redistricting - I saved this one for last. Though it may not mean that much to people outside the system, it is the number one issue for those inside the system. This is truly about political livelihood. At the time of this writing, no one knows what his or her district will look like. A Federal judge is drawing the maps by which we will have our next elections. This could result in the largest turnover of elected officials in State history. Politics is about give and take, and let me tell you, the giving and taking gets a lot more serious when the stakes are this high. Ultimately I believe the resulting maps will be a benefit to the citizens of the state, which is good since they are the ones that sent us to Atlanta in the first place.

I thank you for allowing me to serve you in the General Assembly. Please contact me at anytime with questions or concerns.

Chip Rogers is the State Representative for District 15. You can call him at (770) 516-0543 or fax him at (770) 936-1967. You can also e-mail Chip at ChipRogers2@comcast.net. Chip also serves on The TowneLaker Community Board.

Inside
the
Issues

by Chip Rogers

There is a common claim that is universally accepted among all politicians, "The Media never gets it right!" As both a member of the General Assembly and a member of the media, I agree and take offense at the same time.

Most of what has been reported from the Gold Dome this year has focused on Gay Marriage and changes to the HOPE Scholarship. I would like to shed some inside light on these issues, plus some of what's really happened. (I am writing this article in the middle of March, so by the time you read this, things may have changed.)

HOPE Scholarship - There are two views on this issue and they are not necessarily split on party lines. One group looks at the surprisingly strong recent lottery revenues and says, "Let's work on the HOPE later." The other group says, "Despite more money, the system must be slightly revised to protect this scholarship for the next generation." I find myself in the latter group. Yes, the recent upswing in lottery ticket sales has helped, but why put off the inevitable? It is our responsibility to make the proper decisions. We know that even with more money, the program will likely fail to meet demands by 2008. Furthermore, appropriate actions today will mean less drastic actions will be needed in the future. After considerable review, I do not believe we should cut books and fees. I think the program should meet its original intention and reward "Outstanding" students. This will mean that standards must be raised and evaluations of performance must occur more often while in college.

One Man One Woman Marriage Amendment - The response we have received on this one issue dwarfs anything I have seen in my tenure in the legislature. I must have received over 1,000 e-mails on this topic. This is one issue where the media has done a poor job of reporting what is actually happening. The legislation we are voting on will NOT change the current Georgia law, which already defines marriage as between "One Man and One Woman." The legislation we are voting on will NOT, by itself, change the constitution. The legislation we are voting on will NOT criminalize or decriminalize anything. It simply allows the citizens of Georgia the opportunity to vote as to whether they believe the current State law should become part of the state constitution. I understand there are at least 1,000 different opinions on this one issue, but I wanted to be clear on what we are actually voting on. I will certainly be glad when this is over. I've been yelled at in the middle of the Capitol, called every name in the book, and been lectured on civil rights. They told me it took thick skin to do this job, now I know why.