Fayette-Coweta

State Sen. Mitch Seabaugh has big plans for his second year in office

as the 2002 legislative session begins next week.

He wants to

dedicate all tax revenues from motor vehicle fuel sales to road improvements,

although a large chunk of those funds currently go right into the general

fund for other projects. He also wants to put strict limits on the growth

of state government.

And he hopes

to convince his fellow legislators that each Georgia taxpayer deserves

a $100 tax break from the projected $1 billion surplus from this year's

budget.

In 1991, the

state received 7 billion in revenues, but that more than doubled to 15

billion in 2001, Seabaugh said. Such dramatic growth in state government

should be bridled, and one way is to issue refunds to taxpayers, Seabaugh

argues.

"We don't

have any revenue problems," Seabaugh said. "We only have a spending

problem in this state."

Seabaugh said

he thinks the state should focus its spending initiatives on its three

most important services: education, transportation and public safety.

"Those

are the three primary areas that affect people's everyday lives,"

Seabaugh said.

Part of Seabaugh's

education plan includes a proposal to give a pay increase to teachers

with more than 19 years of experience. Those teachers would get an extra

step on the salary scale under his proposal.

Seabaugh also

wants to attract quality teachers to at-risk schools by offering one and

a half year's credit in the teacher retirement system for each year a

teacher works at an at-risk school.

"We want

to attract quality teachers to go to at-risk schools and help turn them

around," Seabaugh said.

He noted that

the governor's education reform plan will penalize at-risk schools that

don't meet dramatic improvement guidelines each year.

"I'm saying

we need resources, not necessarily money," Seabaugh added.

For public

safety, Seabaugh wants to see the state fund a communications system that

would allow law enforcement personnel to communicate directly with emergency

medical and fire personnel.

"Now to

do that, they have to either talk on the radio through dispatchers or

call on their cell phone," Seabaugh said, noting that everyone is

more aware of law enforcement needs after the terrorist attacks of Sept.

11.

Seabaugh also

wants to tap into the state's budget surplus to provide $75 million in

funds for road improvements. He argues that many Georgia counties are

hurting and have roads in need of repair.

Back

to News Home Page | Back

to the top of the page