By Shannon McCaffrey / Beacon Special

The days of limitless wining and dining of Georgia legislators may be coming to a close at the state Capitol.

A key Republican has unveiled legislation that would cap lobbyist spending on gifts for state legislators. Currently, there are no limits so long as the gift is reported.

The bill emanated from North Fulton Rep. Wendell Willard (R-Sandy Springs) and would place a $100 cap on individual meals, trips and concert tickets that lobbyists routinely provide for. It has bipartisan support.

Georgia legislators are under pressure to act on ethics this session in the wake of a scandal that brought down former House Speaker Glenn Richardson, who stepped down Jan. 1 after allegations of an affair with a utility lobbyist.

Willard is chairman of the House Judiciary Committee that covers non-criminal matters. His bill would also create a one-year “cooling off’’ period for top executive branch staff, similar to the one that governs the conduct of state legislators who leave office. It would require that they wait a year after leaving state government before being permitted to lobby state officials.

And the bill would also cap at $10,000 the amount of money that state officials may transfer from their campaign coffers.

“These really are common-sense proposals,’’ Willard said.

The bill has the backing of the good government group Common Cause Georgia and has Democratic support.

A separate Democratic bill, sponsored by state Rep. Mary Margaret Oliver of Decatur, would place lobbyist gift limits of $25.

Willard said Thursday he is seeking co-sponsors before formally introducing the bill on Wednesday.

Ethics is a hot topic at the state Capitol this session following the Richardson saga late last year. Lawmakers are working to restore public trust before they face voters at the ballot box in November.

David Ralston, the Blue Ridge Republican who took over as House Speaker on Monday, has pledged more openness and transparency in the way the House conducts its business. But that didn’t stop the House Republican caucus from closing its first meeting Tuesday morning to the media and other outsiders.

Ralston named Willard, a key supporter in quest to become speaker,  Vice of Chairman of the Rules Committee, a powerful organizational position.

GEORGIA SENATORS ASK TO SEE EARMARKS IN HEALTH CARE BILL

Johnny Isakson and Saxby Chambliss of Georgia joined 21 of their U.S. Senate Republican colleagues in signing a letter to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) asking him to provide a list of all earmarks and congressional directed spending in the Senate health care bill, as well as in any future version of the health care bill that House and Senate Democrats might push to a vote.

Isakson and Chambliss have repeatedly criticized the lack of transparency throughout the process of drafting the $2.5 trillion health care bill, as well as the backroom deals that Reid made with certain Senate Democrats in order to secure their votes.

Georgia will share in $11.9 million in federal grant money designed to help residents of the nation’s public housing authorities find jobs that could lead to economic independence.

STATE GETS HUD MONEY

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development will give Georgia $379,102 as part of its Public and Indian Housing Family Self-Sufficiency Program. The program lets public housing authorities hire program coordinators to connect residents with local education and training opportunities, job placement organizations and local employers.

Participating public housing residents sign a contract to participate, and commit to a list of employment goals for five years.

More than 200 public housing authorities are receiving money.

$1.2 BILLION TARGETED

Ga. Gov. Sonny Perdue (R) has proposed a budget that slashes another $1.2 billion in spending for the fiscal year that ends in June.

The governor said state employees will be hit with three more unpaid furlough days this year.

Perdue took the wraps off his budget plan at a state Capitol news conference on Friday.

Tax revenues in Georgia have declined for 13 consecutive months, depleting state coffers.

To avoid deep cuts to the Medicaid program for the state’s poorest residents, Perdue said he wants hospitals and health insurance plans to pay a 1.6 percent fee on their total revenues.

For the current fiscal year, the budget shrinks from $18.6 billion to $17.4 billion, under Perdue’s plan.

MORE FOR TRANSPORTATION

Perdue also announced a comprehensive plan to provide additional resources to invest in Georgia’s transportation network.

“The plan we are putting forth is a departure from the traditional scheme of input-based accounting that seeks to measure effectiveness by expenditures,” said Perdue. “The old focus on counting the number of contracts and dollars spent has given way to a comprehensive investment strategy.”

After reforms passed by the General Assembly last year, the statewide strategic plan now drives the decision-making process on how and when to make additional investments that deliver results, says Perdue.

“Georgia is now in a position to strategically target investment to fuel Georgia’s job growth and to position the state as a national leader in economic recovery,” Perdue emphasized.

“This is the ultimate accountability system, the DOT will be responsible for delivering projects, and the legislature will answer to the voting taxpayers in deciding whether to continue making these investments,” Perdue explained. He also said he would support legislation that would create special tax districts for transportation that mirror the state’s 12 regional planning boundaries.

“These district lines are important because they recognize our state’s regional business centers, and the areas from which those centers draw consumers,” the Governor said. “This approach will mean dollars spent in a region remain in that region, and the projects will benefit the entire region.”

Voters in each region will have the ability to decide on new transportation improvements by voting on a one percent sales tax. The transportation districts will enable a collection of counties to make strategic decisions that will produce growth in their region. The state’s director of planning will work closely with local communities to create a project list for each transportation district. The project list will knit together transportation improvements that connect our cities and regions, making the movement of people and goods faster and more cost-efficient.

The Governor’s proposal calls for a statewide vote to be held, with the voters in each transportation district considering their specific list. If the district votes yes, the additional sales tax collected in their district will be used to fund their list of projects. If the district votes no, the tax will not be levied.

 “The question has not been whether to invest in transportation, but whether or not we could get a return on transportation investment that the people of Georgia could support,” Perdue said. “Thanks to the hard work of many, we are there now.”

WATER BILL PUSHED

A Republican state senator is pushing a water conservation bill aimed at repairing the state’s aging and leaky water infrastructure.

The bill from state Sen. David Shafer, who represents parts of Alpharetta and all of Johns Creek, directs state environmental officials to compile data showing how much water public utilities are losing and requesting a plan from each to correct the loss.

Shafer’s legislation would allow a local government seeking water withdrawal permits to help pay the costs of repairing the infrastructure of another local government within the same river basin.

The Duluth Republican said that million of gallons of water are lost each day to old and inadequately maintained infrastructure.

The bill is backed by the Georgia Conservancy and Georgia Conservation Voters.

ICE STORM COSTLY

Insurance Commissioner John Oxendine has announced that insured losses in North Georgia from the recent snow and ice storm is estimated at $25 million.

He said Tuesday that the estimate includes damage to cars as well as homes and businesses and that more than 4,500 claims were reported.

The Commissioner said automotive damage was especially heavy, with multiple-vehicle accidents at several locations around the metro area.

GUN TOTIN’ FAVORED

Georgians could be allowed to carry guns in churches, bars, on college campuses and into the state Capitol, under legislation by a key Republican lawmaker.

The bill from state Sen. Mitch Seabaugh would also allow properly permitted gun owners to bring their firearms into the publicly accessible area of Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.

Seabaugh said Tuesday that the bill is aimed at clarifying the state’s firearms carry law to make it less confusing for law enforcement as well as the roughly 300,000 Georgia gun owners with permits to carry weapons.

Under the bill, guns would still be banned inside elementary and secondary schools, in college dormitories and in government agency offices.