Georgia’s new legislative season starts this week and lawmakers returning to the capital will face the usual assortment of issues. The session, though, will be dominated by the oldest issue of all — how to balance the budget while meeting the needs of a growing state and the expanding demand for services from residents. Doing that has never been easy in Georgia — or anywhere else, for that matter — but it could prove especially hard in the Peach State this year.
Revenues in Georgia are on the rise, but not so much so that legislators won’t have to tackle difficult economic issues. It’s expected that the state will have a budget shortfall of between $260 and $350 million in the current fiscal year ending in June, and additional deficits next year. Much of the current deficit is tied to increases in the cost of health care and in education. Some, however, comes from accounting tricks used last year to balance the budget. The bill for those legal but questionable practices is now due.
Paying that bill will be difficult in a state where unemployment remains at about 10 percent, a figure above the national average. Indeed, many legislators hope to avoid the issue altogether. They no doubt hope that the economy will continue to improve, that revenues will increase and the need for more sharp cuts in spending will be reduced if not eliminated.
That’s more hope than reality, though, given the fact that the state’s Medicaid rolls continue to grow as a result of persistent unemployment. Given that, the Legislature’s 40-day session is sure to be dominated by talk about the flow of money into and out of state coffers, and the way to balance the budget by cutting costs and services rather than by raising taxes.
Budget matters, while dominant, won’t be the only major topic of discussion. State residents, in polls and in comments to elected officials, have made it clear they expect the state to build programs that create jobs and that promote statewide economic development. Health care, education and unemployment benefit issues will draw legislative attention. So will tax, prison, criminal justice and transportation reform. Money, of course, will play a a role in discussion of each of those topics.
The session won’t be free of divisive social issues, either. It’s possible that several bills about immigration, guns and abortion, for instance, will be introduced. Whether action is possible on any them is uncertain, though the Republican-controlled legislature can do as it will in most instances.
Legislators have an impetus to work quickly this winter and spring. It’s an election year and all 236 seats in the newly redistricted General Assembly are up for grabs in the July primary and on the November ballot. Candidates won’t want to linger in Atlanta and thus miss a chance to meet the electorate and raise money. State residents can only hope that the desire to go politicking doesn’t trump the need for the careful thought and considered action that are essential to good governance and fiscal management.