State Rep. Colton Moore said his bill to change a school tax break for the elderly in Dade County is dead, and he believes one of the most powerful members of the Legislature helped spike it.
Moore, R-Trenton, said he met with legislative counsel four times over the last three weeks to explain how he wanted his bill to look. Each time, the draft came back differently than he requested. After the most recent drafts came back Wednesday and Thursday, he said he was giving up.
Senate Rules Chairman Jeff Mullis takes to the well to defend the committee assignments Wednesday, Jan. 16, 2019 in Atlanta. Female senators on both sides of the aisle blasted what they’re calling sexism in committee assignments after Sen. Renee Unterman was moved from her powerful position as the chairwoman of the health committee to the lower-profile science and technology. Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan touted the fact that four committees are chaired by women this year. Two women chaired committees last year. Unterman, and Democrats, are arguing that the move is cosmetic, since those committees see very few bills. (Bob Andres/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP)But Moore, a freshman who has not been afraid to criticize his party’s leadership, has a theory on why he’s had so much trouble. He believes state Sen. Jeff Mullis, R-Chickamauga, has orchestrated confusion to hold him back.
“Legislative counsel has been used to obstruct the process,” Moore said. “That’s Mullis’ influence.”
Moore does not have any evidence of this. Mullis denies Moore’s claim.