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2004 Session
of the
Georgia
General Assembly

 by Chip Rogers

HOPE Scholarship - This was perhaps the most talked about issue heading into the session. Unfortunately, it did not receive the necessary legislative attention I believe it requires. We essentially patched up the current system making it vulnerable to future problems. Recent improvements in Lottery revenues appear to have helped in the short run, but a program that has been this successful does not need to rest on such shaky ground. The HOPE should reward Georgia's outstanding students, as originally intended, and challenge all students to achieve more. We need to make sure this program is solid for the next 50 years, not just the next 5. The HOPE changes receive a "C."

Education - I do not know what it will take for the legislature to truly address our education problems. How can we afford to spend more than half of all funding on education yet accept the current results? Georgia children deserve better. Again this year, we simply tinkered with the current system. We did not address significant local control issues. We did nothing to help curb the massive over-testing that our students face. We couldn't even get schools to offer a 15-minute recess period. Instead we wasted time arguing about whether third grade students should be held back if they fail one of the numerous standardized tests. Did it ever occur to anyone that if we had local control, then the teachers, who personally know the students, could make the decisions? Education legislation receives a "D."

Environment - This is where the defense saved us. It wasn't what we passed that helped, but rather what we defeated. HB 1615 was on track to seriously damage water resources in our area by allowing significantly increased inter-basin transfers out of our only major water resource. I was able to amend this bill in the House to protect Lake Allatoona and the Etowah River. In the Senate, my amendment was removed temporarily. The threat of it being reattached by Senator Bill Stephens helped kill the bill. Outside of stopping this water legislation, not much else was accomplished. I will give us a "B."

Transportation - The Governor announced a multi-billion dollar plan to help alleviate the congestion that has such a damaging effect on our quality of life. Unfortunately, the legislature is a few steps behind. We continue to be stuck with this notion that transportation spending needs to be spread evenly throughout the State. Despite the fact that north metro Atlanta is where the problem is located. I'm still trying to find out why we are building a rail line between Atlanta and Lovejoy. Who goes to Lovejoy? The best I can do on this grade is a "C."

Overall it's a 2.1 GPA. This not only eliminates us from HOPE consideration, it puts us dangerously close to academic probation. Even if we take out the redistricting issue, we are still only a solid "C." My hope is that next year, without redistricting, we can take some bold steps towards education reform, tax reduction and transportation infrastructure. I look forward to helping lead the way.

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.

The 2004 session of the Georgia General Assembly is finally complete. The constitutionally mandated forty days, plus a special session, stretched from early January to early May this year. Now that it is over, it's time for my annual report card.

As I begin to grade the legislature on the issues, please keep in mind that everything we did this year was overshadowed by the court mandated redistricting. To put this in perspective, it would be like your boss telling you, "Later this week we will let you know if you have a job anymore, in the meantime make sure you work extra hard." Despite efforts to tackle many major issues, the reality of drastic political change seemed to slow everything to a snail's pace.

Redistricting - The U.S. Federal Courts determined that the political maps drawn in 2001 had violated the basic rights of "One Man - One Vote" making them unconstitutional and requiring that they be redrawn. The judges gave us about three weeks to accomplish this task. The State Senate responded with a new map in less than a week. The State House was a miserable failure and never even produced a map to be voted on. In the end, a "Special Master" judge drew the lines. I believe the new maps are better than anything the legislature would have produced. The districts are mostly compact with no strange gerrymandered lines. The judges deserve an "A" while the legislature deserves an "F."

State Budget - The fiscal year 2005 budget represents the leanest state-spending plan I have seen in the last 15 years of following this process. After many years of budgets growing by as much as 10 percent a year, this is now the second consecutive year in which spending was held steady. Considering the strong population growth in Georgia along with mandated health care spending on the rise, I believe this spending plan was a significant accomplishment. We still have a ways to go to eliminate unnecessary government programs. We should also begin funding preventative health care instead of the reactive approach government almost always uses. Overall, I think we are moving in the right direction. The 2005 budget deserves a "B."

Protecting Children - This is one area where the legislature excelled this year. We passed SB 469, which helps track child molesters. We also enacted HB 1093, which strengthens the sexual offense registry. HB 1580, which I was proud to co-sponsor, is known as the "Foster Care" bill of rights. It will help both foster parents and foster children. Finally, I was proud that my bill, HB 653, which prohibits minors from using cigarettes and tobacco, was signed into law. The grade here is an "A."