Veteran Lawmaker and Freshman Review the Legislative Session

Even though her bill to give DeKalb voters a chance to choose the size of their school board never made it to the House floor, state Rep. Mary Margaret Oliver is satisfied with how things worked out.

“People in general are happy the school board is being reduced,” said Oliver, D-Decatur.

“My original bill was designed to give voters a chance to choose between a five-, seven- or nine-member board, but I never got any consistent leadership or commitment from the DeKalb legislative delegation.”

The bill that did pass, Senate Bill 79, will reduce the board from nine to seven members, if Gov. Nathan Deal signs it as expected.

Oliver broke ranks with many members of the delegation in voting for SB79, which her colleagues decried as an intrusion by the state into a local issue.

Oliver also was pleased with the newly elected governor’s working relationship with the General Assembly. “There were a lot of good feelings and goodwill this session in working with the governor,” she said.

The veteran lawmaker, who has served in the House and Senate since 1987, said she was happy to find Deal interested in a bill she supports that would regulate the use of drugs that control mood and behavior in children.

That bill was held over from this session and will be considered in next year’s assembly.

Freshman state Rep. Scott Holcomb, D-Atlanta, rated the session as a disappointment.

“We didn’t make as much progress as we could have in moving the ball forward for Georgia,” he said. “We need to define what Georgia is going to look like in five to 15 years, and we haven’t done that.”

Holcomb voted against SB79, “but it wasn’t an easy vote,” he said.

“I was very supportive of her original bill, because it gave voters input into what the board would look like. I was looking forward to a hard and healthy debate regarding the board, because what’s happened over the last couple of years is unforgivable.”

Both Oliver and Holcomb voted for a bill to allow local governments to hold votes on whether to allow grocery stores and other outlets to sell beer, wine and liquor on Sundays. Deal has said he will sign the bill.

Holcomb said he was impressed with the lack of partisan rancor that is emblematic of national politics. “Our floor seating assignments isn’t determined by party affiliation, so you really can get to know people on the other side,” he said.

But Oliver said the Republicans' attempt to pass changes to the state's tax code “wasn’t particularly inclusive of Democrats."

Democrats argued the bill, HB 388, offered a minimal personal income tax cut for most Georgians, while increasing sales taxes on the same taxpayers for a net tax increase. The bill did not pass.

“I find it interesting that the GOP leadership wasn’t more successful in pushing through that issue,” she said.