The Senate voted Feb. 11 to approve the Georgia Nuclear Energy Financing Act, which would allow Georgia Power to implement rate increases beginning in 2011 to cover $1.6 billion in construction costs for two nuclear reactors at Plant Vogtle.
Building the nuclear units will generate about 3,000 jobs and ultimately result in less expensive electricity for Georgia consumers.
An amendment to SB 31 authorizes the Georgia Public Service Commission to consider the funds raised for the new units in future ratemaking cases. SB 31 now goes to the House of Representatives for its consideration.
On Feb. 12, the Senate passed a proposed constitutional amendment that would restrict future midyear budget appropriations to education funding, additions to the state reserve fund or repayment of state debt. No other new spending would be allowed without two-thirds approval of the legislature.
SR 1 would apply when economic growth results in higher-than-expected revenues, which is certainly not the case this year, with the state facing a nearly $3 billion revenue shortfall. As a constitutional amendment, the proposal still needs two-thirds approval by the House of Representatives and majority approval by Georgia voters in the 2010 general election.
The Senate also voted 49-4 in favor of legislation that would enforce the state’s seat belt laws for pickup truck drivers and passengers. Pickup trucks are currently exempt from seat belt requirements, costing Georgia millions of dollars each year in federal highway funding. Under SB 5, which now goes to the House for its consideration, an exception would still be made for trucks while they are being used for agricultural pursuits.
In response to the case of the Peanut Corp. of America plant in Early County, the Senate has approved legislation that would require Georgia manufacturing plants to regularly test their products and report any findings of contamination. SB 80, which came out of the Senate Agriculture & Consumer Affairs Committee, is intended to raise a “red flag” if a manufacturer finds salmonella or another type of contamination in its food products.
Under the bill, the state Department of Agriculture would launch its investigation earlier in the process and the company would be required to keep records of the tests for two years.