I have never actually called him “Shack.”  But I was nonetheless privileged to participate in a luncheon yesterday honoring Wayne Shackelford, Georgia’s former Commissioner of Transportation and Gwinnett County’s former County Administrator.

The interchange of I-85 and SR 316, in the heart of Gwinnett County and scheduled for completion early next year, will be named in his honor.

The idea originated with Emory Morsberger, who organized the luncheon and penned this tribute to Mr. Shackelford.

Several of Mr. Shackelford’s longtime friends spoke, and I read a resolution honoring his many accomplishments.  Every member of the State Board of Transportation attended, some looking a little weary after the grueling selection of a new DOT Commissioner.

Camie Young from the Gwinnett Daily Post wrote this article covering the luncheon. 

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The Lieutenant Governor has asked me to chair two study committees, one on communications taxes and fees and the telecommunications franchise process and the other on cigarette tax evasion.

Brian Johnson in the Senate Research Office is helping me organize the work of these committees.  If you have suggestions for either study, let one of us know.

I have also been appointed to a third study committee, chaired by Senator Eric Johnson, on reproductive and genetic technology.  Melanie Stockwell in Senator Johnson’s office is coordinating the work of this study committee.

For a complete list of 2007 study committee appointments, visit the Senate website.

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Today was the fourteenth day of the 2007 Legislative Session.  We passed the one-third mark of our forty day session when the Lieutenant Governor called the State Senate to order this morning.

There were four bills and one resolution on the calendar today.  The first two bills were approved unanimously without much debate.  Senate Bill 44 dealt with the training of firefighters and Senate Bill 45 created the Chronic Kidney Disease Task Force within the Department of Human Resources. 

Senate Resolution 68 naming the Georgia Department of Transportation’s Long County Maintenance Headquarters after William H. ”Sonny Boy” Skipper, a longtime Department of Transportation maintenance foreman, inexplicably drew a dissenting vote from Senator Vincent Fort, who was likely confused.

The next two bills on the calendar, Senate Bill 39 and Senate Bill 68, were introduced on behalf of Lieutenant Governor Casey Cagle.  Senate Bill 39, the Charter Systems Act, is the centerpiece of the Lieutenant Governor’s education platform.  It encourages innovation through the creation of charter schools.  In return for meeting high performance standards, charter schools are allowed greater flexibility through certain exemptions from state regulations.  The Lieutenant Governor’s bill, presented by Senate Education Chairman Dan Weber, would allow entire school systems, not just schools, to obtain charters.

Senator Fort protested both bills, inexplicably implying they were somehow racist.  They both passed with overwhelming bipartisan majorities that included virtually all of the African American members of the Senate except Senator Fort.

Pursuant to Senate Resolution 124, the Senate will reconvene next Thursday, February 8 for the fifteenth legislative day.  We are also set to meet on Friday, Saturday and Monday, taking us through day eighteen.

You can watch our proceedings live as always at the General Assembly website.

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I began the sixth legislative day of the 2007 Legislative Session with brief remarks at a breakfast meeting of the Georgia Utility Contractors Association.  It was one of several breakfast meetings in and around the State Capitol, and I did my best to make appearances at all.

Today’s session of the State Senate will again be brief.  Several bills were passed out of committee yesterday afternoon, but it is still too early for any of them to have made their way to the floor.  Once a bill is passed out of committee, it goes to the Senate Rules Committee.  This committee, in consultation with the Lieutenant Governor, will decide if and when a bill is scheduled for a floor vote.  Depending on how quickly the committee chairmen filed their reports yesterday afternoon, the first bills will likely make it to the floor on Thursday.  I am hopeful that Senate Bill 11, passed yesterday out of the Senate Special Judiciary Committee, will be among them.

The Senate Finance Committee will meet this afternoon for its organizational meeting.  Senator Chip Rogers is the new chairman of this committee, and I am very much looking forward to serving under his leadership.  Senate Resolution 5, the Taxpayers Dividend Act, should be sent to Chip’s committee.

In other news, the Lieutenant Governor has asked me to serve on MARTOC, the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Overview Committee.  I served on this oversight committee once before, in 2002, as an appointee of Governor Barnes.

As always, you can watch your lawmakers in action on the General Assembly website.

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The Atlanta Journal Constitution carried an article today about the elections for the State Board of Transportation.  Members of this board are elected by the General Assembly, caucusing by Congressional District.  These elections have historically been conducted by secret ballot.  Proponents of secret balloting say that it frees the legislators to vote their conscience and prevents intimidation by the Governor, legislative leadership or business interests.

In 2004, I co-sponsored legislation that would have required these elections to be conducted by roll call vote, show of hands or some other open method of voting.  What do you think?  What is the best method for members of this powerful board to be elected?

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Today is the fourth day of the Legislative Session.  It is still too early for legislation to have made its way through committee and on to the floor, so the session will be brief.

Our most important work of the day will be done this afternoon when we elect several members of the State Board of Transportation.  Each Congressional District is entitled to one member of the Board, elected by the legislators whose districts are within or overlap with the Congressional District. 

Because of the way my Senate District is configured, I have a vote in both the Sixth and Seventh Congressional District elections.  In the Sixth, two outstanding members of the Board, Johnny Gresham of Cobb County and Garland Pinholster of Cherokee County, have been forced by redistricting to run against each other.  They were unfortunately drawn into the same district when we last approved Congressional District maps.  In the Seventh, which was formerly represented by Garland Pinholster, Rudy Bowen of Gwinnett County is running unopposed.

The newly reconstituted Committee on Assignments will have its first meeting today.  I am looking forward to my service on this committee.

I will let you know how the State Board of Transporation elections turn out, but you can watch our morning session live as always at the General Assembly website.  I appreciate your interest in this site.  Please continue to me know what you think.

[UPDATE] Garland Pinholster was elected at the Sixth Congressional District Caucus.  Voting was by ballot and the count was not announced.  Representative Wendell Willard served as Chairman of the Caucus and Representative Jill Chambers as Secretary.  

[UPDATE] Rudy Bowen was elected at the Seventh Congressional District Caucus.  I was privileged to serve as Chairman of the Caucus. Representative David Casas served as Secretary.

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