From Where I Stand

Know the Candidates and Issues, Then Vote

We must vote from an informed position.

We only have 92 days until Primary Election Day. Those days will pass quickly. Given the reality that we have early and advance voting along with the opportunity to vote absentee, for some people the voting process will arrive sooner than 92 days. One of the most cherished of all the freedoms we enjoy in this nation is the opportunity to have free and open elections. I know all of the naysayers strike up their negatives about elections not making a difference and that the choices are few with so many of the candidates seeming like all the others, but honestly, I don’t want to hear that anymore. In this election cycle we will be voting for the people who will represent us at the Capitol in Atlanta for the next two years. We will vote into …

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Tax Reform Legislation Appears Dead

Georgia House of Representatives fails to vote on measure before adjourning.

Georgia House Democrats are claiming victory now that HB 388, the tax reform legislation, appears dead for this session. Today was the last day the bill could pass the House and still have time to clear the Senate before the legislative session ends on April 14. The House failed to vote on the measure before adjourning for the day. Democrats claimed the attempt at tax reform would have increased taxes for 82 percent of all Georgians and would have resulted in a multi-million dollar increase in the state deficit. "The overall impact of the legislation would have been to increase the state's budget deficit by an amount ranging from $132.3 million to $151 million for calendar year 2012, during a time of slow economic recovery,” said House …

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Criminal Justice Reform Passes House

New legislation could result in fewer jail sentences, more drug treatment.

By an overwhelming 169 to 1 margin, the Georgia House of Representatives passed legislation Wednesday designed to reform Georgia’s criminal justice system. State Rep. Jay Neal (R-Lafayette), who introduced House Bill 265, said the legislation will improve public safety and save taxpayer dollars. “H.B. 265 and the reforms that it will ultimately create will allow Georgia to stop wasting money on expensive short term prison services for drug addicts and the mentally ill. Instead, it will allow the state to provide treatment that helps the individual, relieves our overburdened justice system, and saves the state money,” said Rep. Neal in a released statement.  “Basically, we’re trying to make criminals into law-abiding taxpayers, not tax …

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Dacula Patch Columnist Selected as House Chaplain

Newman will serve as chaplain of the Georgia House of Representatives on March 16.

Dacula Patch’s Ray Newman has been invited to serve as chaplain of the Georgia House of Representatives on Wednesday, March 16. Newman, a pastor, columnist and ethics and religious affairs specialist for the Georgia Baptist Convention, will serve as chaplain of the day on crossover day. Crossover day is the 30th day of the session. No new legislation will be introduced during the session after March 16 as legislators focus on bills already working their way through the system. “This will be my first time having this honor and opportunity to speak to all the House members at one time in a spiritual devotional setting,” Newman said. House Speaker David Ralston issued the invitation at the request of State Rep. Terry England (R-108), who …

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Ray Newman

10:24 pm on Wednesday, March 16, 2011

Thank you, Kevin. I was honored to serve today.   more ›

‘Health Care Compact’ Legislation Introduced

Legislation to protect state’s right to regulate healthcare.

Rep. Rick Jasperse (R-Jasper) introduced legislation in the Georgia House of Representatives last week that seeks to restore the power of states to regulate their individual health care systems. House Bill 461 or the “Health Care Compact” Bill is aimed at protecting Georgia’s 10th Amendment right to regulate healthcare within the state. “Our founding fathers intentionally created a federalism that reserved the states’ authority over all issues not specifically given to the federal government, because they knew it was the best way to preserve individual freedom and opportunity while still enabling individual states to safeguard jobs and prosperity,” said Rep. Jasperse in a released statement.  “Unfortunately, the federal government’s …

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Legislative Update: Bath Salts Legislation Passes House

College readiness, student health bills also move on to Georgia State Senate.

A bill to ban the sale and possession of chemicals marketed as “bath salts” passed the Georgia House of Representatives on March 8 by a 150-9 margin. House Bill 199, introduced by State Rep. Jay Neal (R-LaFayette), bans five previously legal chemicals in bath salts that create narcotic effects similar to cocaine and methamphetamine. “The House took a significant step today to get a dangerous designer drug off the shelves of the corner convenience store,” said Rep. Neal in a released statement.  “While the key to success in reducing drug use is education, prevention, and treatment, we must also take appropriate steps to limit availability. This bill does that.” Bath salts are available in many Georgia smoke shops and can be snorted, smoked …

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House Democrats Oppose Immigration Bill

H.B. 87 passes out of committee along party lines.

House Democrats say a new Arizona-style bill is could hurt Georgia’s tourism and agriculture industry. On March 2, the Georgia House Democratic Caucus voted to oppose H.B. 87, a bill Democrats say would allow local police to randomly detain anyone who could not produce documentation of citizenship or suspected of transporting those thought to be undocumented. "No one in our caucus is condoning illegal immigration," said Caucus Treasurer Rep. Stephanie Stuckey Benfield in a released statement. "But this bill does not solve that issue, and it creates new ones.  We must be mindful of the side effects of any legislation on business, tourism, and law enforcement. Our state can ill-afford what Arizona has been through." On Monday, the bill …

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