Conservative activist Kay Godwin was frustrated as she stood outside the Georgia House chamber Tuesday.
“If this is what politics has come to in Georgia, then this is a sad day,” she said.
Godwin, co-founder of Georgia Conservatives in Action, was part of a dozen or so grassroots conservatives on hand to support an ethics bill that would limit the spending of lobbyists and PACs. But there was little GOP backing for the bill: Republicans control both General Assembly chambers, but sponsor Rep. Tommy Smith, R-Nicholls, could not find a single co-sponsor in his party.
The Georgia Alliance for Ethics Reform tried to get other Republican sponsors, but no one stepped forward, he said.
“All I can do is introduce the bill and do what is right,” Smith said. “It’s up to them to do what is right in their hearts.”
The alliance backing the bill is a novel blend of liberal and conservative groups like Common Cause Georgia, Georgia Watch and the Georgia Tea Party Patriots. The conservative wing of the coalition turned up the heat on House Republicans Tuesday in a letter urging them to get behind the bill.
“This truly is the most important election of our lifetime,” the letter states. “We as Republicans must stand up for all of the values we know to be good and honest. The ethics of our party and our elected officials must be above reproach.”
The letter was signed by representatives of 29 groups, including the state Christian Coalition and Right to Life presidents and numerous tea party affiliates. But it had little initial impact, much to the chagrin of Julianne Thompson of the Georgia Tea Party Patriots.
“These are the people who get them elected,” she said. “We are very disappointed in Republicans and the state House. They should be signing on to this and they should be leading the way.”
William Perry, executive director of Common Cause Georgia, made a pitch for the bill in the House Democratic Caucus meeting Tuesday, but Rep. Mary Margaret Oliver, D-Decatur, was the only member of that caucus to sign on. She said the reluctance to rein in lobbyist spending hurts the image of legislators, regardless of party.
Currently, Georgia has no caps on gifts from lobbyists, and the annual tab comes to about $1.6 million; most of it is spent on food, trips and event tickets for legislators. Every state surrounding Georgia has some sort of cap or ban on lobbyist gifts.
The legislation would limit such spending to $100 per lobbyist, per event. Out-of-town travel would be capped at $500 per event, except for transportation costs, which would have no limit. Rep. Smith said the bill's modest limits are a starting point, but even those have drawn little support.
House Speaker David Ralston, R-Blue Ridge, believes ethics reforms passed in 2010, which require lobbyists to report spending two times a month when the General Assembly is in session, make the process transparent to the public. With that information, voters can decide the issue for themselves, he has said.
Last year, Gov. Nathan Deal issued an executive order prohibiting his staff and directors of executive departments from accepting gifts larger than $25, but he has no authority over the Legislature.
House Majority Leader Larry O’Neal, R-Bonaire, offered little hope the bill would get serious consideration, considering no Republicans except Smith have stepped up to back it.
“It would certainly dissuade me,” he said. “It might mean there's some particular part of it or portion of it that is objectionable or impossible to accomplish.”
For instance, what makes a $100 limit “magic” in curbing ethical abuses, he said.
“That is the kind of discussion I want to have with the author to see how that is gauged, because this is very, very important,” he said.
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