Americans for Prosperity - Georgia

February 02, 2007

In this issue...

• Watch for an e-mail alert
• AFP-GA Day at the Capitol Report
• How to track a bill through the GA legislature

Watch for an e-mail alert to call your State Senator on bills that will be coming out of committee soon! Please make every effort to call that same day. Pass the information to your likeminded friends and urge them to call, too.

AFP-GA Day at the Capitol Report

A special thanks to all who made the first annual AFP-GA Day at the Capitol a resounding success! We had participants from metro Atlanta to South Georgia, from teenagers to young business people to semi-retired folks.

We heard from the Speaker of the House, Glenn Richardson, about a revolutionary tax reform idea still in the works. State Rep. Howard Maxwell and State Senator Bill Heath dropped by for an informal Q&A. One of our dedicated activists, Carolyn Garcia, taught our members -- some of whom had never been to the State Capitol before -- how to call out their legislators and how to track a bill through the various stages. Mrs. Garcia was a volunteer lobbyist for a non-profit organization at the State Capitol for many years. AFP-GA State Director Jared Thomas spoke about SR 5, Taxpayer Dividend Act, and SB 12, Zero-Based Budgeting Act. AFP member Theresa Phillips prepared a fabulous breakfast for all.

For those who could stay throughout the morning, we made a group picture with Gov. Sonny Perdue. Our activists put into practice what they had learned, talking to their State Senators and Representatives about specific free-market legislation. Only one of our members was met with a chilly reaction to our message of fiscal restraint, but she handled the situation calmly and professionally, asking her Senator to consider her views when it came down to a legislative vote. After the Session ended for the morning, many of us continued to meet various Senators and Representatives from around the state. We received many encouraging comments about our ideas and our organization.

How to track a bill through the Georgia legislature

AFP-GA has been working on a few legislative priorities for this Session. You've contacted your Senators and Representatives to get their support. What next? Here's a quick tutorial on how to keep up with a bill from inception to law.

What's the process? Bills are dropped by a Senator, then assigned by the Senate leadership to any Senate committee. That committee determines if the bill will be sent to the Rules committee to be brought to the floor of the Senate for a vote. All along the way, amendments may be added. Then, if the bill passes, it's sent to the House, where it goes through the same steps. If the House passes the bill, but isn't passed exactly as the Senate passed it, a conference committee made up of Representatives and Senators meets to work through the differences. Then the conference committee takes it to both the House and Senate, where it is voted on again. If it passes both chambers, it's sent to the Governor for approval or veto. (Bills can also start in the House, the process is the same.)

What's Crossover Day? If the bill has not passed at least one chamber to be sent to the other by day 30 of the legislative session, it's dead for this year. In an odd year, it can stay alive for next year. On even years, every bill that hasn't passed both chambers and been signed into law dies, and the process must begin again.

How can I find out what's happening with the bill I'm interested in? If you're near the Capitol, you can drop by the House Clerk or Senate Clerk's office and pick up a report each day. But that's not easy for most people.

You can click on this link, http://www.legis.ga.gov/legis/2007_08/ , which will allow you to click on House or Senate bills, which are in numerical order. On that page, you can see a very brief description of the bill's purpose, its status (read and assigned, to which committee), and main sponsors for the bill. Click on the name of the bill to read it in its entirety , click on the sponsor's name to find all the bills they're sponsoring, click on the SC or HC initials to get the committee name and what other bills have been assigned to that committee.

You can call the Senator or Representative's Capitol office and ask a staffer to get an update . They're paid with your tax dollars -- be polite though, and remember they may have to return your call.

How can I have any effect on the bill I'm interested in? Call your State legislators office and get your friends to do the same. Only talk about one bill when you call, have the bill number (i.e. SR 5), and leave a brief message with his staff, like, "This is Fred Smith, a member of Americans For Prosperity. I live (or have a business) in Senator Heath's district. Could you please tell him that I support SR 5, and urge him to vote for it? I'd really appreciate if you write or call to let me know how he voted." Give them your contact information and let them know you'd be glad to have the Senator call you if he has any concerns about the bill. Do not be hostile, threatening, or condescending.

You can also call the members of the Committee to ask for their support while the bill is in committee, but don't neglect to call your own State legislator.

How do I call my State Legislator? If you don't know your Senator or Representatives Capitol office phone #, go to http://www.legis.state.ga.us and click on your Representative or Senator by name or District #. As this update was prepared, some of the links were not up yet, but they should be by the end of the week.

Should I call more than once? Generally no, unless we send out an alert for you to call again. Remember, it is much more effective to get 25 of your friends, coworkers, family members, and neighbors to call once, than for you to call 25 times. Give them the contact info and bill # and ask them to call!

Should I call my Representative to support a Senate bill? Not until it has passed the Senate.

Should I call the Governor's office? Not until it has cleared both the Senate and the House.

What if I have any questions about the bills AFP supports or about contacting my legislator? AFP-GA would love to hear from you and answer your questions. We are here to help you. Please call State Director Jared Thomas at 404-736-1463 or e-mail jthomas@afphq.org , or call Grassroots Coordinator Virginia Galloway at 404-736-1465 or e-mail vgalloway@afphq.org