Gonzo Lawmakers - Day 15

A daily recap of the Georgia Public Broadcasting show "Lawmakers". The show airs weekdays at 7:00pm with a replay at 5:30am the following weekday.

Day 15

* I fear today will be filled with hate and sorrow. News of the disastrous January revenue numbers seeped out. I doubt even Nwandi, Dave and the gang can honey up this mess.

* Property tax bills passed the Senate. Motion to engross. That's not as bad as it sounds. It just means no amendments can be attached. Engrossment passed. By the way, that'd be a pretty cool band name.

* Sen. Preston Smith is a big dude.

* There's a bunch of constitutional stuff here. HB143 is going to be reconsidered because it may not be constitutional.

* Here's a house bill on when a patient cannot be resusciated. Having had to make that most painful decision in the past, I'm very interested in this one. Looks like its just closing some legal vagueries. No big deal.

* Oh good grief. Here comes the criticism of the Georgia State sociology departments studies on human sexuality. I bet you never thought you'd hear "Queer Theory" spoken from the well. The representative suggests that students should self-pay for these "controversial" courses. Ummmm, isn't that called tuition?

* Revenue in January down over 14%. Chip Rogers says this is "historic". We're going to see significant reductions. Even the reserve won't cover it. Remember last year's GREAT plan? Imagine if that sucker was in place.

* Casey time!

* Senate Dems are not happy with the whole engrossment thing.

* We're about to slow things down. Rep. Keen 'splains. They are going to a three day work week in order to stick around long enough to see what happens in D.C. Which means Lawmakers and Gonzo will also slow down.

* Governor Perdue's education bill's are winding their way through the Capitol. This gives Nwandi a chance to visit Maynard Jackson High School. They are talking serious genetics in this biology class. No wonder this school is considered a model. It also more than doubled its graduation rate. This is a very good segment. Good job, Lawmaker people!

* We haven't had any live shots today. Second Friday in a row this is true. It must be hard to corral the kids right before the weekend.

* Poll results! They didn't tell us how many people voted. It's probably for the best.

* Time to talk to Tom Crawford, editor of Capitol Impact. I've introduced myself to Tom three different times. He never remembers me. Or maybe he does and the thought of a "blogger" knowing him freaks him out.

* Tom says the transportation fight is just a replay of what happened last year. That's not good news. He believes this could have repurcussions in the upcoming political battles.

* Tom says they're going to hold on to the extra 5 days until June. That way they can make adjustments to the budget just before the fiscal year ends. He doesn't remember them ever using this method. I bet he remembers Denmark Groover and the clock.

* Week in Review time. Feel free to use the facilities during this time.

* Lawmakers doesn't return until Tuesday. Gonzo Lawmakers. But feel free to stop by anyway. Lord only knows what madness I might turn out in the morn.