Sunday, January 13, 2002
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Sunday, January 13, 2002 |
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Sen. Seabaugh wants more funds for roads and $100 tax refund from Georgia's budget surplus
By JOHN MUNFORD
Fayette-Coweta State Sen. Mitch Seabaugh has big plans for his second year in office as the 2002 legislative session begins next week. He wants to dedicate all tax revenues from motor vehicle fuel sales to road improvements, although a large chunk of those funds currently go right into the general fund for other projects. He also wants to put strict limits on the growth of state government. And he hopes to convince his fellow legislators that each Georgia taxpayer deserves a $100 tax break from the projected $1 billion surplus from this year's budget. In 1991, the state received 7 billion in revenues, but that more than doubled to 15 billion in 2001, Seabaugh said. Such dramatic growth in state government should be bridled, and one way is to issue refunds to taxpayers, Seabaugh argues. "We don't have any revenue problems," Seabaugh said. "We only have a spending problem in this state." Seabaugh said he thinks the state should focus its spending initiatives on its three most important services: education, transportation and public safety. "Those are the three primary areas that affect people's everyday lives," Seabaugh said. Part of Seabaugh's education plan includes a proposal to give a pay increase to teachers with more than 19 years of experience. Those teachers would get an extra step on the salary scale under his proposal. Seabaugh also wants to attract quality teachers to at-risk schools by offering one and a half year's credit in the teacher retirement system for each year a teacher works at an at-risk school. "We want to attract quality teachers to go to at-risk schools and help turn them around," Seabaugh said. He noted that the governor's education reform plan will penalize at-risk schools that don't meet dramatic improvement guidelines each year. "I'm saying we need resources, not necessarily money," Seabaugh added. For public safety, Seabaugh wants to see the state fund a communications system that would allow law enforcement personnel to communicate directly with emergency medical and fire personnel. "Now to do that, they have to either talk on the radio through dispatchers or call on their cell phone," Seabaugh said, noting that everyone is more aware of law enforcement needs after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11. Seabaugh also wants to tap into the state's budget surplus to provide $75 million in funds for road improvements. He argues that many Georgia counties are hurting and have roads in need of repair.
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