July 23, 2004 Report of Staff Council 2003-2004 Legislative Commtitee

The 2003-2004 Legislative Committee consisted of Nelda Parker, chair, Sandy Smith, and Julio Canseco (until his departure from UGA). The committee interpreted its mission as to monitor legislation that could have an impact on UGA staff.

In September 2003, the Legislative Committee sent letters to 14 state legislators and state senators asking them to help keep Staff Council informed about upcoming legislation that affects UGA staff members (attachment 1). The only response came from Representative Louise McBee, who thanked us for our interest and said that she would be willing to answer any questions we may have.

In monitoring legislative activity, little progress occurred with some of the bills that would have had an effect on UGA employees -- until, of course, after the budget allocations were made in a special session following the end of the regular legislative session.

The Legislative Committee compiled for the Staff Council web site a list of contact information for elected officials: names, addresses, and web sites. Because there were problems in updating and adding this information to the web site, in December, an e-mail containing the information was sent to the staff list (attachment 2).

The Legislative Committee continually urged UGA staff members to contact their representatives in order to make them aware of employees' opinions and to hear employees' voices on issues, particularly how devastating cutbacks at UGA would be to UGA staff, and the Committee requested copies of any letters to or feedback from elected officials that staff members were willing to share. Only a few were forwarded to us. Additionallly, the Legislative committee informed staff of the web site http://www.legis.state.ga.us where daily tracking of legislative sessions is posted.

Frankly, more informative and potentially effective than any work of this committee is the face-to-face contact by the Staff Council president. For all of the non-response from elected officials to the Legislative Committee, our president reported in nearly every Staff Council meeting of having met and talked with various officials on a number of issues.

Attachment A

University of Georgia Staff Council

Legislative Committee

September 17, 2003

The Honorable Jeanette Jamieson

P.O. Box 852

Toccoa, GA 30577

Dear Representative Jamieson:

As we hope you are aware, the University of Georgia has a Staff Council which represents non-faculty, non-contract employees (www.uga.edu/ugasc). Our Staff Council legislative subcommittee would like to request your assistance in helping us keep aware of ongoing and upcoming legislation that may affect us directly or indirectly as UGA staff members.

We have found a wealth of information on the legislative web link and hope that you will be willing to keep us apprised of anything upcoming that you think we should follow.

UGA Staff Council meets the first Wednesday of each month at 2 p.m. For the remainder of this calendar year, the meetings will be held in the new UGA Student Learning Center. All meetings are open, so please feel free to attend at any time. If there is an issue(s) which you feel clearly affects UGA staff that you would like to address at a Staff Council meeting, we will be more than happy to work toward having you added to the Staff Council agenda. We hope we can remain in contact to bring to you questions about any issues conveyed to us by staff.

Thank -you so much for your time and thank-you for your public service, which we are discovering through our work on UGA Staff Council is more detailed than most people would imagine. We look forward to hearing from you about your work as our representatives.

Sincerely,

Staff Council Legislative Committee

Nelda Parker (

Julio Canseco (

Sandy L. Smith (

The Honorable Alan Powell

P.O. Box 248

Hartwell, GA 30643

The Honorable Warren Massey

16 Sims Road

Winder, GA 30680

The Honorable Chris Elrod

184 Washington Parkway

Jefferson, GA 30549

The Honorable John F. Douglas

70 Windsong Drive

Covington, GA 30016

The Honorable Louise McBee

145 Pine Valley Place

Athens, GA 30606

The Honorable Keith G. Heard

P.O. Box 5068

Athens, GA 30604

The Honorable Bob Smith

P.O. Box 108

Watkinsville, GA 30677

The Honorable Mickey Channell

P.O. Box 839

Greensboro, GA 30642

The Honorable Tom McCall

2835 Washington Highway

Elberton, GA 30635

The Honorable Renee Unterman

P.O. Box 1685

Loganville, GA 30052

The Honorable Brian P. Kemp

P.O. Box 5187

Athens, GA 30604

The Honorable Ralph T. Hudgens

P.O. Box 534

Comer, GA 30629

The Honorable Casey Cagel

4143 Ashford Way

Gainesville, GA 30507

Attachment B

-------- Original Message --------

Subject: some State of Georgia legislative contact information

Date: Fri, 5 Dec 2003 09:52:53 -0500

From: Nelda Parker <nparker@UGA.EDU>

Reply-To: UGA Staff List <UGASTAFF@LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>

To: UGASTAFF@LISTSERV.UGA.EDU

The information below was compiled by the Staff Council Legislative Committee

several months ago. All of the information is available on the web; some of it does

take some time to find, as we spent several days making the compilation. Hope it will be

used!

Additional links and information are on the Staff Council web page www.uga.edu/ugasc

Georgia Governmental Information

Web Sites:

www.legis.state.ga.us (click on picture book for lists, committees, contact information)

http://www.georgia.gov/00/channel/0,2141,4802_1361924,00.html

http://www.legis.state.ga.us/legis/2003_04/com/gahret.htm

GEORGIA GOVERNMENT, GENERALLY

Lieutenant Governor

The Honorable Mark Taylor

240 State Capitol

Atlanta, GA 30334

404-656-5030

Attorney General of Georgia

Thurbert E. Baker

40 Capitol Square, S.W.

Atlanta, GA 30334

404-656-3300

Commissioner of Agriculture

Tommy E. Irvin

Georgia Department of Agriculture

19 Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive, S.W.

Atlanta, GA 30334

404-656-3600; 404-656-3685

e-mail: bgriffin@agr.state.ga.us

or tirvin@agr.state.ga.us

Commissioner of Labor

Michael Thurmond

Commissioner of Insurance

John W. Oxendine

Public Service Commissioners:

Stan Wise ('95-'06)

stanwise@psc.state.ga.us

Angela Speir ('03-'08)

aspeir@psc.state.ga.us

Bobby Baker, Chair ('93-'04)

bbaker@psc.state.ga.us

Doug Everett, Vice-Chair ('02-'08)

deverett@psc.state.ga.us

Secretary of State

Cathy Cox

214 State Capitol

Atlanta, GA 30334

404-656-2881; fax, 404-656-0513

sosweb@sos.state.ga.us

State School Superintendent

Kathy Cox

Georgia Department of Education

205 Jesse Hill, Jr. Drive, S.E.

Atlanta, GA 30334

404-656-2800; 800-311-3627

REPRESENATIVES

Georgia House of Representatives -- County - District(s)

Banks - 22 Barrow - 24, 25

Clarke - 74-76 Madison - 23, 76, 78

Oconee - 73, 76 Oglethorpe - 77

Jeanette Jamieson (D, Dist. 22)

P.O. Box 852

Toccoa, GA 30577

706-886-6889

Committees: Appropriations, Education, Ways & Means

Alan Powell (D, Dist. 23)

P.O. Box 248

Hartwell, GA 30643

706-376-4422

alanpowell23@hotmail.com

www.alanpowell.net

Committees: Appropriations, Governmental Affairs (Chairman), Motor Vehicles

Warren Massey (R, Dist. 24)

16 Sims Road

Winder, GA 30680

770-307-2020

repmassey@aol.com

Committees: Banks & Banking, Health & Human Services, Judiciary

Chris Elrod (R, Dist. 25)

184 Washington Parkway

Jefferson, GA 30549

706-367-5290

christopherelrod@alltel.net

Committees: Defense & Veterans Affairs; Game, Fish, & Parks; Intragovernmental Coordination

John F. Douglas (R, 73)

70 Windsong Drive

Covington, GA 30016

770-787-1222

jfdouglas@aol.com

Committees: Arts & Humanities, Intragovernmental Coordination, State Institutions & Property

Louise McBee (D, Dist. 74)

145 Pine Valley Place

Athens, GA 30606

706-548-5343

Committees: Appropriations, Higher Education (Chairman), Retirement

*7-03, Appointed by House Speaker Terry Coleman as co-chair of HOPE Scholarship Joint Study Committee,

a commission which will review (July 30 - Nov. 13) the HOPE fund's adequacies & lack of and recommend

necessary legislation to improve the program

Keith G. Heard (D, Dist. 75)

P.O. Box 5068

Athens, GA 30604

706-353-1772\

kheard@legis.state.ga.us

Committees: Appropriations, Insurance, Intragovernmental Coordination (Chairman), Ways & Means

Bob Smith (R, Dist. 76)

P.O. Box 108

Watkinsville, GA 30677

706-769-8794

smith98@bellsouth.net

Committees: Children & Youth, Health & Human Services, Public Utilities & Telecommunications

Mickey Channell (D, Dist. 77)

P.O. Box 839

Greensboro, GA 30642

706-453-1230

mickey@legis.state.ga.us

Committees: Appropriations (Vice Chairman), Health & Human Services, Special Rules Policy), Transportation (Vice Chairman), Ways & Means (Ex-Officio)

Tom McCall (D, Dist. 78)

2835 Washington Highway

Elberton, GA 30635

706-283-5436 (H)

Committees: Agriculture & Consumer Affairs, Natural Resources & Environment (Vice Chairman), Transportation

GEORGIA SENATORS

Georgia State Senate -- County - District(s)

Banks - 47 Barrow - 45, 46

Clarke - 46 Madison - 47, 49

Oconee - 46, 47 Oglethorpe - 47

Renee Unterman (R, Dist. 45)

P.O. Box 1685

Loganville, GA 30052

770-466-1507

reneeu@bellsouth.net

Committees: Agriculture & Consumer Affairs; Health & Human Services (V. Chair), Science & Technology (Sec.)

Brian P. Kemp (R, Dist. 46)

P.O. Box 5187

Athens, GA 30604

770-543-0188

Committees: Agriculture & Consumer Affairs (Secretary), Appropriations, Higher Education (Secretary), Natural Resources & the Environment,

Reapportionment & Redistricting

Ralph T. Hudgens (R, Dist. 47)

P.O. Box 534

Comer, GA 30629

706-783-2405

ralphhudgens@aol.com

Committees: Agriculture & Consumer Affairs (Vice Chairman), Banking & Financial Institutions, Natural Resources & the Environment, Reapportionment & Redistricting, Retirement (Chairman)

Casey Cagel (R, Dist. 49)

4143 Ashford Way

Gainesville, GA 30507

770-297-0409

Committees: Appropriations, Banking & Financial Institutions (Ex-Officio), Finance (Chairman), Natural Resources & the Environment (Vice Chairman),

Rules (Vice Chairman)

GEORGIA'S U.S. SENATORS

Zell Miller (D-GA)

257 Dirksen Senate Office Building 100 Colony Square, Ste. 300

Washington, D.C. 20510 1175 Peachtree Street, N.E.

202-224-3643, phone Atlanta, GA 30361

202-228-2090, fax 404-347-2202

web form: miller.senate.gov/email.htm 404-347-2243, fax

term expires 2005

Saxby Chambliss (R-GA)

416 Russell Senate Office Building

Washington, D.C. 20510

202-224-3521

saxby_chambliss@chambliss.senate.gov

term expires 2009

GEORGIA'S U.S. REPRESENTATIVES

Congressman Charlie Norwood (9th district-Banks, Barrow, Green, Madison,

Oconee Oglethorpe)

315 West Savannah Street

Toccoa, GA 30907

202-225-4101

e-mail link from web site www.house.gov/norwood.contact.shtml

Congressman Max Burns (12th district, Athens, Winterville, Maxeys)

855 Sunset Drive, Suite 4

Athens, GA 30606

706-613-1613