From the Desk of Senator Renee Unterman Senate District 45  About the 2008 legislative session  -- the highlights -- disappointments -- accomplishments

April 17, 2008   The 2008 session was definitely contentious and frustrating, but it also resulted in numerous victories for Georgian families and those interested in consumer issues.  Major aggressive agendas were tackled early in the session such as taxes, water, transportation, and health care with only a few emerging as winners  in the end.  Those that failed in the final minutes will emerge at the top of the agenda next session.  After serving several terms,  I have found this not to be uncommon.  This year I passed legislation that I have worked on for four solid, long years.  As an elected official, perseverance is definitely an attribute along with tenacity.  Unfortunately the main idea that many of us have worked on diligently for years, tax reform failed due to political leadership fighting.  We were all disheartened for our number one issue to go another year to be worked upon.  Regional water planning and reservoirs, our other goal, did succeed along with 30 million dollars in bond infrastructure development.  Transportation legislation did pass with two successful initiatives--to create infrastructure banks for building and legislative oversight, but the most important, development of regional districts for road improvement funding fell short in the Senate by three votes.    Three major bills which I contributed to:  trauma care, the credit freeze, and Certificate of Need, did emerge as real winners.  After serving on the Joint Trauma Study Committee and traveling the state for two years understanding our gross inadequate emergency health care services, trauma care emerged in the spotlight even though legislation failed.  It has taken this amount of time just to reach floor debate and media attention to focus on our dire state needs.  We did receive an appropriation line item, funded Grady for emergency money, and increased Medicaid reimbursement fees for hospitals keeping them in solvency.  Next year we will be successful in a permanent revenue stream to improve our ranking as one of the worst states in the nation to have a major accident.  The Credit Freeze bill, preventing identity theft, successfully passed with a $3.00 charge instead of the proposed $10.00 amended fee in the Senate, which would have resulted in $120.00 for a couple to enact on all three major vendors. Seniors, 65 and older will be free.  This bill is a huge, major victory for Georgia consumers that has taken a whole stampede of legislators to work hard and pass after many years.  The archaic Georgia "Certificate of Need" healthcare regulatory process was amended and was a giant victory for healthcare consumers, reforming an industry to make it more competitive, cost effective, and easily accessible for all Georgians as they interface in the medical profession.  This especially helps our Gwinnett Medical Hospital System, who has been stymied, road blocked for years with needed medical expansion.  Open heart surgery and access to advanced medical technology has been severely limited by these outdated, obscure, protectionist provisions.   The agenda of Gwinnett county local governments was easily advanced by our united Gwinnett legislative delegation.  We were successful in acquiring funding to build a new Life Science Building at Gwinnett Technical College.  Conservation districts were established with developer exchange rights.  Tax Allocation Districts were reworded for another constitutional amendment on the ballot.  We successfully placed the street drug "Ecstasy" in the appropriate Superior court status as felony offenses.  $90 million dollars was added in new equalization funding.   One of my most important jobs at the State Capitol is serving as the Subcommittee Chairman on Appropriations to write the Senate version with my committee, of the State's $40.1 billion dollar budget for the Department of Human Resources, Veteran's Affairs, and the Department of Labor.   Three quarters of my time during the session is spent in writing, hearings, negotiations, debating, and passing every year a balanced budget for my division.  This represents over 3 billion dollars to be accountable for and is a tremendous tasks that takes allot of institutional knowledge.  DHR is responsible for 34 programs such as DFCS, child and adult protective services, aging, developmental disabilities, mental health, public health, to name just a few.    Bills that I wrote and passed this session included and are awaiting the Governor's signature:   SB88 - Grandparents Raising Grandchildren and Legitimization of Children.  Grants Grandparents and Great-Grandparents standardized form for power of attorney so they may enter children  into school, provide medical care, etc. for an absentee parent.  Legitimization allows simple forms for fathers to claim the birthright of their child.  SB453 - controls drug trafficking on state parks, authorities and municipalities. SB 357, SB 55 and HB - are all related to control of the wine industry.  Direct shipment of certain wines, wine ordered in restaurants, and regulation of vineyards in the North Georgia mountains.  SR 445 - Joint Commercial Exploitation of Minors Study Committee.  The House and Senate will examine the child trafficking and prostitution of children in Georgia.  In the budget $560,000 was appropriated for a Georgia Regional Assessment Center for victims of child prostitution, enforcement of laws governing, and therapeutic services.