The Senate on Thursday rejected legislation that failed to protect state funds from being used for private school vouchers, fraudulent purposes or even terrorist activities.
A resolution calling for a constitutional amendment that would allow state government to provide funding for faith-based organizations that do charitable work fell three votes short of the 38 needed for two-thirds majority approval of the Senate. Senate Resolution 49, supported by Gov. Sonny Perdue, included no language protecting the funding from inappropriate uses or addressing constitutional church/state concerns.
Elements of the version of the legislation that I support (Senate Resolution 42), which features such protections, were offered as amendments to the measure under consideration Thursday. But a majority of senators, under intense lobbying pressure from the governor, voted down those amendments.
I see this as a missed opportunity for the Senate to assist the worthy programs that faith-based agencies conduct on behalf of people and communities in need. But no legislation at all is better than legislation that fails to ensure that taxpayer dollars are not siphoned off for inappropriate uses.
SR 42 earned the support of the Georgia Association of Educators, the Professional Association of Georgia Educators and the Georgia PTA because it would prohibit funds to be used for education programs in grades 1-12, thus prohibiting public-funded vouchers for private schools. The same education groups opposed SR 49 because of its failure to include such protections.
The governor and his supporters in the Senate insisted their bill was not about vouchers. What many other senators did not understand is, if this legislation is not about vouchers, why not include language that says that? We are concerned that another governor or other legislators in the future could use this legislation as a means of introducing vouchers.
The Senate can reconsider our vote on SR 49 when we return to session Monday. But I am hopeful we will ultimately adopt SR 42, which also stipulates:
— The charitable organization must be a separate entity from the place of worship.
— Audits of each organization would be required.
— Funds would be prohibited from going to organizations against the U.S. or the principles on which our nation was founded, including those that sanction terrorism.
— The charity would be required to follow nondiscrimination laws on race, gender and religion.
The Senate approved legislation I co-sponsored that would revise certain provisions relative to confining patients who are hospitalized for tuberculosis treatment. SB 56 would update state law regarding the public health dangers associated with active cases of tuberculosis and the confinement of patients with active cases.
Other legislation approved by the Senate this week includes SB 89, which deals with updating the definitions of controlled substances and would keep Georgia’s drug classifications up to date; SB 97, which provides that Juvenile Court Supervision fees that are already being collected may be used for truancy intervention services; SR 33, which approves the creation of the Gwinnett University Center; SB 92, which would allow employers to hire new workers under age 20 at a “training wage” of $4.25 an hour for up to 90 days; and SB 26, which would shield animal rendering plants from being sued for being a nuisance.
All of these measures go to the House of Representatives for further consideration.
The Senate failed by one vote Thursday to accept House changes to SB 3, dealing with medical malpractice liability, action which would have sent the legislation to the governor for his signature. If the Senate does not reconsider and accept the House version, a conference committee will be appointed to iron out the differences. Opponents of the legislation, which imposes an arbitrary cap on non-economic damages in cases of malpractice, would restrict citizens’ constitutional right of access to justice.