South Georgia at the State Capitol

By State Sen. Greg Goggans

ATLANTA (February 20, 2009) – This week was a great week for Georgia homeowners, small businesses, and citizens alike here at the General Assembly. As me move into the second half of the 2009 Session, I am proud to report solid measures that I am sponsoring and supporting are making their way through the legislative process and hopefully will bring much needed job creation, homeowner tax relief, and a funded trauma care network.

Senate and House members announced the Jobs, Opportunity, and Business Success Act of 2009 recognizing that the greatest stimulus for a prosperous economy comes from an environment that promotes opportunity, productivity, and innovation. This plan recognizes that we are currently in very difficult times for most families and businesses, and offers initiatives like a $500 credit toward unemployment insurance tax for eligible employees hired, a $2,400 income tax credit for hired employees, elimination of the state inventory and sales tax deposit for all Georgia businesses, and the gradual removal of the corporate income tax. There will also be a “Start a New Business Holiday” where entrepreneurs can have business application fees waived.

This plan spends no taxpayer money and allows the market to respond immediately. It will create an attractive environment for new business startups and others looking at out state for possible expansion. This proposal is the exact opposite of what the federal stimulus needed to be about, which is empowering small business, not the government.

I firmly believe that the hard-working citizens of Georgia are the answer to finding economic success, not inflating government to solve all our problems. We must find ways to create true and sustainable job creation and take advantage of the intellectual and entrepreneurial spirit of everyday Georgians. This plan sets Georgia on the right path towards economic recovery with investing in hard-working people and free-market solutions, and getting government out of the way.

Senate Resolution 277, the legislation I authored which establishes the Georgia Trauma Trust Fund, just passed favorably out of the Senate Finance Committee and will soon be heard on the Senate floor. The measure would impose a charge of $10.00 per year on each passenger vehicle licensed and registered in the state. A dedicated funding source is sorely needed for our state to manage and improve our trauma care system, which could help save over 700 lives a year. There is no price you can put on life and its time Georgia steps up to the plate and creates a permanent source of revenue for this essential and urgent need. I am proud to lead the charge in making sure every person in the state has access to trauma care and will fight hard to see this measure though this year.

At the start of the 2009 Session, I joined Senators and House members to make funding the $428 million 2009 Homeowners Tax Relief Grant (HTRG) our top legislative priority. I did not want to have over 3 million Georgia homeowners forced to pay an additional $200 to $300 in property taxes at a time when every dollar counts for families being forced to make tough financial decisions. House Bill 143 would guarantee that HTRG be honored this year and sets up a system to where any future grants would be based on available funds from a revenue surplus. On Tuesday Governor Sonny Perdue signed HB 143 into law.

I have been working on an important bill that seeks to add integrity to our state Medicaid and PeachCare programs. Senate Bill 165 would authorize the Department of Community Health (DCH) to obtain income eligibility verification from the Department of Revenue (DOR) for applicants to the state health care program. DCH will have the ability to make sure any applicant is not exceeding the income threshold to receive the service. Ensuring all Medicaid and PeachCare funds are going toward only those who qualify is something I hope to maintain and protect with this bill. The measure passed the Senate Health and Human Services Committee Thursday and will head to the Senate floor for consideration.

Please remember to contact me in my office on the issues that are affecting you and your area. I am here to represent you and it is an honor for me to work on your behalf. As always, I’d like to thank members of the Senate staff, who contribute regularly to my column.


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Sen. Greg Goggans represents the 7thSenate District, which includes Atkinson, Bacon, Berrien, Clinch, Coffee, Echols, Lanier, Pierce and Ware counties and a portion of Cook County.