SR44.html

Re-creating the Blue Ribbon Commission on State Government Decentralization; to provide for the membership, powers, duties, and mission of the commission; to provide for related matters; and for other purposes.

WHEREAS, a number of factors make the potential decentralization of state government an important subject for consideration by the General Assembly; and

WHEREAS, the relevant factors include, among others, increasing potential for decentralization due to technological and communications advances; potential cost savings to the state in moving facilities and functions out of high cost areas; potential economic benefits to lesser developed areas of the state through moving facilities and functions to such areas; and potential improved accessibility of facilities and functions to citizens through physical relocation and enhanced electronic access; and

WHEREAS, consideration of decentralization has been a recurring theme in state government in recent years; there still exists no thorough and up-to-date overall legislative study of this matter.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA that there is re-created the Blue Ribbon Commission on State Government Decentralization to be composed of 15 members, as follows: three members of the Senate appointed by the President of the Senate; four additional members appointed by the President of the Senate; three members of the House appointed by the Speaker of the House; four additional members appointed by the Speaker of the House; and the executive director of the State Properties Commission. Any vacancy on the commission, including a vacancy caused by a legislative member ceasing to serve in the Senate or House, shall be filled by appointment by the original appointing authority. The President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House shall each designate one member to serve as the cochairs of the commission. The commission shall meet at the call of the cochairs.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that, in addition to normal legislative staff support services, the commission shall make use of staff support services provided by the Carl Vinson Institute of Government of the University of Georgia.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the commission shall undertake a study of the conditions, needs, issues, and problems mentioned above or related thereto and recommend any actions or legislation which the commission deems necessary or appropriate. The commission may conduct such meetings at such places and at such times as it may deem necessary or convenient to enable it to exercise fully and effectively its powers, perform its duties, and accomplish the objectives and purposes of this resolution. The legislative members of the commission shall receive the allowances authorized for legislative members of interim legislative committees but shall receive the same for not more than ten days unless additional days are authorized. The public members of the commission who are not public employees shall receive from legislative funds a daily expense allowance as provided in subsection (b) of Code Section 45-7-21. Any public employee on the commission shall receive no compensation from legislative funds but may be reimbursed for expenses by their employers. The funds necessary to carry out the provisions of this resolution shall come from the funds appropriated to the House of Representatives and Senate. The commission shall report on its progress to the 2001 and the 2002 sessions of the General Assembly and shall set targets for the number of state positions to be moved out of metropolitan Atlanta. The commission shall stand abolished on July 1, 2002.