Tax Reform
It is incumbent for lawmakers across Georgia to revisit the state tax codes in a holistic manner to bring our tax systems into the 21st century. All components -- the income tax, sales tax, property tax and others --- should be thoroughly examined and modernized to improve and ensure the fairness, adequacy and integrity of our tax systems. In other words, lawmakers can truly represent people across Georgia by restructuring state tax codes to make them more representative of today's complex and rapidly changing economy.

Lower taxes, better schools: the Democratic Plan

Package ends years of Republicans tax hikes; keeps promise to Georgia schools

Democrats are proposing two bills to put a stop to school cuts and take the burden of $1.5 billion in property tax shifts off local government. The Democratic plans provide fiscally sound property tax relief by fully funding the Quality Basic Education (QBE) Act.

“This is immediate, effective tax relief without shifting the burden to local governments,” said Rep. Jamieson (D-Toccoa). “It creates no new taxes.” Under the first bill sponsored by Rep. Jamieson, counties who lower local property taxes can tap into $300 million this year in state education funding.

Accompanying that bill is legislation sponsored by Representative Kathy Ashe (D-Atlanta) that mandates the state to fully fund the Quality Basic Education Act for the first time in over 20 years. This will ensure that K-12 public education is adequately funded and the state no longer shifts the burden to local property owners.

The funding for local governments that reduce property taxes would come from the state's reserve fund for the next two years, $300 million this year and $300 million next year. Funding received would be dedicated to the Quality Basic Education formula that funds public education.

Rep. Kathy Ashe stated, “We cannot demand increased student achievement while the state is starving public education. Under the Republicans, public education has been cut by $1.5 billion and over 100 systems have been forced to raise property taxes as a result. It's time we do the right thing, and made the state government pay its fair share.”

“These are great bills that roll back property taxes and help fund public education in Georgia,” said House Democratic Leader DuBose Porter (D-Dublin). “Families have suffered from shifting the burden to homeowners and Georgia schools have been hurt by the cuts in their basic level of funding from the state which has forced local systems to raise property taxes.”

House Caucus Chairman Calvin Smyre (D-Columbus) noted, “There is a direct cause and effect here – cuts to education funding lead to higher property taxes. I'm calling on the Republican leadership to do their utmost to give both of these worthy proposals a fair hearing. It is time that education and protecting local property taxes becomes a priority once again in Georgia.”

In total, public education cuts by the GOP are as follows :

Transportation
Transportation Agenda for a 21st Century Georgia George Wilson understands the importance of building a 21st century transportation system in Georgia. Safe, reliable and efficient transportation means Georgians can spend more time at home with their families and less time stuck in traffic.

• As your state representative, George Wilson will work for the construction of a commuter rail line from Atlanta to Lovejoy, a line that would eventually extend all the way to Macon in the heart of central Georgia.

• George Wilson will work to leverage all available federal funds and work with municipal leaders to create the appropriate mix of state and local investment to build the "Brain Train" from Athens to Atlanta and the Atlanta Streetcar Project.

• Wilson supports fast-tracking the expansions of US-27 and US-441 to four-lane highways in order to create two new North-South corridors outside of the metro area, diverting tractor-trailers and snowbird traffic and reducing congestion and accidents.

• George Wilson believes that it is a state representatives job to work with the Governor to put forth a substantive, statewide transportation agenda, but he also recognizes the need for local communities to decide their own transportation future. As state representative, Wilson will introduce legislation to give local communities that power by creating Transportation Decision Zones that allow Georgians to choose for themselves which transportation projects are needed most.

Health Insurance for all Georgians
Making Health Care Accessible and Affordable
George Wilson believes Georgia moves forward when everyone-regardless of income-has access to affordable health care. Patients, their families, and their caregivers-not legislators or bureaucrats-are in the best position to make medical decisions. He is committed to bringing Georgia into the 21st century, where health care is accessible and affordable to all.

Investing in health care will pay dividends down the road; healthy children have the opportunity to succeed, and a healthy workforce will make Georgia more competitive and ready for the economic challenges of the future. George Wilson will work to create a Small Business Purchasing Pool to allow small businesses and the self-employed to band together to negotiate and purchase affordable health insurance. Wilson will work to ensure quality coverage by requiring a minimum level of benefits, emphasizing coverage for preventive care and the same premium levels regardless of age or condition. Everyone will have the choice of at least two plans, and no one will be excluded from coverage because of pre-existing conditions.

• Wilson will work for legislation to enable the bargaining power of the state to lower drug costs for a range of beneficiaries including state workers, small business employees and the self-employed and seniors falling through the cracks of Medicare.

• Wilson will try to improve accessibility to PeachCare by reducing premiums, taking away the harsh penalties imposed for late payments, and expanding education and outreach through schools and workplaces.

• Wilson will work to start a program on Health Care for all Georgians similar to the Massachusetts insurance plan where everyone has health insurance.

Education
George Wilson is a strong supporter of education reform, smaller class sizes, parental involvement in schools, increasing student achievement and accountability, as well as better pay and better working conditions for all educators.

George Wilson will work to increase student achievement and reduce the dropout rate including reducing bureaucratic regulation and administrative costs. Wilson will work to restore the average $800 per student that the Republican administration has cut from education funding. Wilson believes in supporting teachers with a meaningful career path, and focusing on reading and math basics, school discipline, and parental involvement.

Governor's school cuts put burden on local taxpayers

This week, the Georgia General Assembly was in official recess, but House and Senate Appropriations Committee members heard from state department heads on their budget requests for the remainder of the current fiscal year as well as fiscal year 2009, which begins July 1, 2008.

Gov. Sonny Perdue had outlined his record $21.4 billion state budget proposal to legislators during the first week of the session. One area of the governor's plan that appears to need legislative budget writers' help the most is that of funding for our local schools.

The governor has proposed to cut an additional $141.5 million in state funding to local school systems. Although it is the responsibility of the state government to provide public education, the governor has now cut almost $1.6 billion in local school funding since taking office in 2003, hurting our students and shifting the burden to local school boards and local taxpayers.

When the governor first imposed what he calls "austerity cuts" five years ago, it was understandable because the state was suffering an economic downturn and revenues were tight.

But with the governor's overall spending plan increasing by $1 billion over last year, no one seems to know why it is necessary to continue these tax shifts on local schools - including state leaders from the governor's own political party.

House Appropriations Committee Chairman Ben Harbin (R-Evans) pointed out during the budget hearings: "It's forcing districts to make changes, either raising taxes or cutting programs they have been funding locally."

State School Superintendent Kathy Cox added, "That cut is a disappointment to me as well. I am very concerned about that."

Those of us in Gwinnett, Rockdale and Newton county who have seen our local property taxes skyrocket are also concerned, and I will support the legislative effort to restore this funding so that the state can once again meet is obligation to educate Georgia's children.