Session so far gets mixed marks

ATLANTA - Ashley Carney is paying a lot more attention these days to the news coming out of the state Capitol. The 34-year-old medical technician from the Savannah suburb of Georgetown is hoping lawmakers will pass a bill overhauling the state's child support system.

Mr. Carney, who has a 6-year-old daughter from his first marriage, says the $750 he pays monthly to his ex-wife is too high and is optimistic lawmakers will approve a new formula requiring judges who award child support to look at the income of both custodial and noncustodial parents.

"I would say I am more anxious than nervous," Mr. Carney said of the proposal now up for hearings before a House subcommittee. "I really want it to go through."

He isn't alone in his anticipation of the Legislature's next moves.

Lawmakers have completed slightly more than half of their 40-day session for 2005, but many major bills remain pending, raising questions from some about the General Assembly's work pace.

Republicans are calling the shots under the Gold Dome for the first time since 1870, and some say the GOP is abusing its power by focusing relentlessly on partisan politics.

"The Republicans basically are taking the approach of trying to see how much they can overturn of what's been done that's good in Georgia," said Senate Minority Leader Robert Brown, D-Macon.

Republican leaders are quick to point out they have already passed some of the session's major legislation, including a controversial bill that overhauls medical-malpractice lawsuits and reduces insurance premiums for many doctors.

As for other key bills languishing before committees - such as a 24-hour waiting period on abortions and a resolution guaranteeing that the state can contract with faith-based groups that provide charity work - the GOP says it's only a matter of time.

"We can't go any quicker than we're going," said House Majority Leader Jerry Keen, R-St. Simons Island.

Mr. Keen added that much of the legislation passed in the first half of the session garnered wide support from Republicans and Democrats.

"There is room for improvement," he conceded, noting that Republicans are still adjusting to being in control of the legislative process. "But overall for this first half, I think I'd give (the Legislature) an A."

AMONG THE CHIEF complaints heard from Democrats is that new GOP rules at the committee level are stifling debate and providing a unobstructed track on which Republicans can railroad any piece of legislation.

When the session began, Republicans designated several of their own members as "hawks," a position that provides a voting membership on every committee.

Democrats argue the hawk system stacks the deck and prevents a fair debate because hawks can show up at any committee at any time to make sure legislation passes or fails.

"I'd love to see what would happen if Iraq installed these rules," said Rep. Al Williams, D-Midway. "The entire world would cry out against an oppressive dictatorship."

But Republicans say their leadership is trying to carefully decide which of the nearly 1,300 bills and resolutions deserve to move forward.

So far, the GOP's top lawmakers have backed away from a bill that would create an outright ban on abortions and another that would have allowed local governments to seize private property for public-private development deals. Both pieces of legislation came from Republicans.

"I think you're going to see us (vote on) the bills that are in the key interest of the state and then we are going to go home," said Rep. Ron Stephens, R-Savannah. "It's a slow process, and we're not squashing in a whole bunch of bills."

Still, some Democrats say Republicans are moving too quickly with bills that are considered personal priorities.

"I think every day we vote on bills that probably should have been discussed more," said Rep. Jane Kidd, D-Athens.

"There hasn't been time for that. The debate has been going so fast."

ASIDE FROM POLITICAL banter inside the chambers, many of the lobbyists who stroll the Capitol halls in hopes of influencing legislation offered mixed reviews on the Republicans' first session in the driver's seat.

Allen Thornell, a lobbyist for the Service Employees International Union, said he is still waiting to see whether legislative budget writers will consider giving state employees more than the 2 percent raise called for by Gov. Sonny Perdue.

"I really don't think there's been much discussion at all about the pay-raise issue," Mr. Thornell said.

"Certainly there needs to be, because the (2 percent) pay raise doesn't keep up with inflation."

Sylvia Caley, a lobbyist for such groups as the Atlanta Volunteer Lawyers Foundation and Atlanta Community Food Bank, openly opposes much of the legislation being pushed by Republican leaders.

However, Ms. Caley said she sees little difference between how the GOP manages the Capitol compared to when Democrats reigned supreme.

"It's not any worse than it has been in any other session," she said.

"They're allowing the public to speak. The word is getting out, and Georgians need to start paying attention."

Senate President Pro Tempore Eric Johnson, R-Savannah, gave the first half of the session high marks on the rapport between Republicans and Democrats.

"We've had good debates," he said. "Nobody's called anybody names."

Still, some Democrats say they are just being realistic when it comes to disagreeing with the new Republican majority.

"The bottom line is that who is in control decides the way the ball bounces," said Rep. Henry Howard, D-Augusta. "It's gone the (Republicans') way, no doubt about it."

Reach Brian Basinger or Brandon Larrabee at (404) 681-1701.