In business as well as politics, solutions matter. Georgia, like most states, constitutionally requires a balanced budget. Families and businesses know all too well that when their income declines then they must spend less.

My desire is to promote effective common sense solutions

During tough economic times state governments must do the same thing to make ends meet. When times are good often governments, business and many families increase their spending on less essential items. These new expenditures later become “normal” government spending with entrenched advocates protecting them. This reality makes it very difficult to reduce or eliminate these government programs during lean economic times.

Budget & Taxes - Senator Hill kept his word and opposed tax increase. Judson stood on principle and this year lost his committee Chairmanship to vote against a hospital tax and fee increases. Senator Hill believes that we must determine our state spending priorities and compare state programs with the state’s constitutionally mandated functions. We should determine if existing programs can be eliminated, combined, privatized or whether an agency can consolidate with another agency to leverage state resources and save money. This is the most effective long-term solution. Although short cuts such as tax hikes and fee increases may raise immediate revenue, they should be avoided since they often cause people to lose jobs and they distract leaders from the difficult work of examining Georgia’s constitutionally required services and functions to free up money for essential state services.

In 2010 Senator Judson Hill stood up to his Republican leadership and opposed numerous tax and fee increases and he was stripped of his committee Chairmanship for representing you.

Health Care - Senator Hill’s Senate Bill 317/411 allows you to lawfully stand up against the federal government’s takeover of healthcare. The legislation prevents you from being forced to buy health insurance or participate in government healthcare against your will or without being fined. Experts estimate that passage of this legislation will help save many jobs, allow seniors to keep Medicare Advantage plans and annually save taxpayers an additional $500 + million.

In economically challenging times both businesses and families prioritize their spending. It is incumbent on the legislature and other state leaders likewise to not only begin the same process, but to complete the difficult work of prioritizing our state's essential and constitutionally required services. Many believe that before new taxes should be considered to increase revenue that every state program should be examined against the backdrop of the Georgia Constitution. Leaders should determine if existing programs can be eliminated or combined, or whether an agency can consolidate with another agency to leverage resources and save money. If we don’t take the time now to examine our agency programs in this manner, then when will we do it? Existing barriers to complete this task should be addressed and removed, through legislation if necessary.

The 2010 Georgia legislature the 2010 Georgia legislature considered several bills that would either 1. sunset state agencies every 8 years to enable the legislature to reassess the need for each agency and/or program (House Bill 236), 2. require each agency to annually send the legislature their detailed agency budgets to increase transparency and accountability (Senate Bill 413), and 3. The legislature passed Senate Bill 1 now providing for zero-based budgeting which requires an agency to regularly justify all proposed expenses. The other two measures must also be passed in order to truly assess the necessity of certain government spending and programs. Without these laws the job of scoring and prioritizing agency programs is more difficult.

Before spending more on or cutting government programs we need a formula to determine state spending priorities. The solution is to compare current programs with the state’s constitutionally mandated functions. The task of grading or scoring becomes easier whenever the rules are established. For a state, the rule book is our state Constitution since that is where citizens have stated their most important priorities. The following is a preliminary list of essential state functions, in other words, the Constitutional role of state government, which are based on a review of our state Constitution.

The State of Georgia’s essential functions should include:

1. Provide for an educated citizenry to ensure all children receive an equal opportunity to achieve academic success.

2. Encourage job creation and entrepreneurship by removing regulatory and state tax barriers to job creation.

3. Protect citizens and communities through law enforcement, courts and corrections.

4. Build and maintain a transportation infrastructure to accommodate transportation and public utilities.

5. Help those who truly can't help themselves by offering a safety net of social services.

6. Manage public property and natural resources while protecting the rights of private property owners.

7. Require state agencies to conduct state business in an efficient, transparent and accountable manner.

Programs that fall within one of these functions should continue; and all others should be reassessed, phased out or privatized.

This difficult task of prioritizing programs must be completed. It’s the most effective long-term solution. Although short cuts, such as tax hikes, may raise immediate revenue, they should be avoided since they distract leaders from the difficult work of examining Georgia's constitutionally required services and functions. It’s time to place Georgians above politics and renew our efforts to prepare Georgia to meet its future challenges.