State lawmakers facing re-election challenges may have gotten some good news from Gov. Brian Kemp on Tuesday.
Kemp said earlier this month that he’d call lawmakers into a special session — which would cost between $40,000 and $50,000 a day — to fix legislation meant to give a tax break to South Georgians devastated by Hurricane Michael in 2018.
If he did so before the November elections, lawmakers would have to head to Atlanta — taking time away from re-election campaigns. Under state law, legislators also can’t raise money during a General Assembly session.
During an interview Tuesday on WGAU radio in Athens, Kemp made it sound like any special session — if it happens — would occur after the November elections. In other words, weeks before the General Assembly reconvenes Jan. 11 for the regular 2021 session.
“It’s going to be really hard to do that before the election,” Kemp said. “I don’t think anyone wants to see that happen.”
Both House Speaker David Ralston and Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan have been critical of the idea, in part because they feared a special session would rob GOP lawmakers of crucial time for campaigning before the Nov. 3 election. Other lawmakers questioned the need to spend state money — and take time away from their districts — to make a fix the Legislature could handle in January.
Officially, Kemp said Aug. 5 that he was compelled to call lawmakers back because of “legitimate questions” involving an incorrect tracking number in House Bill 105. Rick Ruskell, the General Assembly’s legislative counsel, said he was asked about the issue that Kemp cited before the bill was passed and that he believes no fix is needed.
Kemp signed House Bill 105, which granted a state tax exemption on federal aid received by storm victims. The bill also included a 50 cents-per-ride fee on ride-share, taxi and limo services.
However, he said there were problems in the drafting of the bill.
In his signing message, the governor also said, “Such special session may also be timely to address other budgetary and oversight issues.”
Lawmakers in June passed a state budget that cut $2.2 billion in spending — including $950 million from k-12 schools — because the COVID-19 recession has shrunk state revenue. However, revenue collections have been stronger than expected — which Kemp’s office has attributed to the governor’s decision to open Georgia’s economy early from the COVID-19 shutdown.
Under state law, governors decide what issues lawmakers can consider in a special session, so other things could be addressed.
The General Assembly was called into a post-election special session in 2018 to provide a Hurricane Michael relief package for South Georgia. Lawmakers also used the session to tack on a tax break on fuel for airlines, with most of the benefit accruing to Delta Air Lines.
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