Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1920-08-10
MANY REVENUE BILLS
STILL PENDING IN
STATE LEGISLATURE
Measures to Supply. Finan-
ciaI Deficiencies Untouch-
ed, With Only Three Days
to Act In


ture has not yet disposed Of the
pending legislation to raise more
revenue, the pending bills to supply
the deficiency in the maintenance Of
numerous state departments and IN
situations, or the legislation to COM
plete the highway program. These
are the most important Of all the
matters before the legislature, ant1
all are unfinished with the end of
the session looming just ahead.
Appropriations passed by the leg
islature and approved by Governor
Dorsey in the past three years have
been so much in excess of the states
revenue that there is deficit cur
rently estimated from 100000 to 81
| 100000. The total revenue collected
in 1919 was not enough to pay the
appropriations for that year, and the
total revenue to be collected in 1920
will not be enough to cover the ap-
propriations already made Gin 1919,
for the present calendar year. On
top Of this deficit, the states In
situations and departments in many
instances are finding themselves un-
able to operate on the maintenance
funds allowed them and are before
the legislature asking special bills to
cover their deficits.
Special, Bills for $4,000 900
Special bills aggregating $2,000,-
900 were introduced in the house
during the present session. The ap-
propriations committee picked out
what they considered the most
urgent and important and reported
them back to the house with a rec
ommendation that they do pass.
| These selected bills aggregated near
ly 100000, and the house has pass
ed them up to the senate.
But before passing these appro-
priation bills, the house had been
officially put ON notice by a special
committee headed by Governor Dor
sey that there was no money and
would be no money in the treasury
| to pay them, and had been advised
to. pass legislation to raise more
revenue before It passed dollars
worth of appropriations.
Accordingly, the house, having
| been notified Of the states financial
situation, and having informed itself
that the facts as stated by the COM
mittee were not exaggerated, pass
ed the income tax bill. This IS a
bill to amend the constitution so
as to authorize the general assem-
bly, to impose a tax upon all incomes.
| It would not be tax in lieu of the
existing ad valorem taxes collected
by the state, but would be in addi-
| ton to these taxes. Numerous meth
DDS of raising more revenue had been
suggested, and bills embodying these
several methods had been introduce
| ed, but the special committee recon-
mended the income tax as the most
| direct and speedy and expedient solu-
ton of the problem. Governor Dor
sey favored the income tax, and the
| house put 1t through in preference
| to the others.
When the income tax reached the
senate, however, it encountered the
strongest kind Of opposition. The
Georgia Manufacturers association.
| the Georgia Bankers association and
other interests appeared Friday aft
ernoon before the constitutional
amendments committee of the SEN
ate to speak against the bill. The
committee postponed action on it
until No Monday fnSom afte fa9 Does not
the senate, then the senate must de-
eide whether it will pass the ST..
| 100000 of special appropriation put
up to 1t by the house. The senate
Dorsey take the responsibility Of ap-
proving or disappearing them. or the
senate can kill them and leave the
states institutions short Of funds.
May Call Extra Session
the senate s7se n ehe
income tax bal, Governor Dorsey, 1t
| is believed, will veto the bulk of
them and call an extra session to
throw the states financial problem
| back to the Legislature. That is to
say. he will say to the legislature
that there must be more revenue If
there are to be more appropriations.
and without the former the latter
cannot pass with his approval. The
governor has gone to the limit of
safety in anticipating increased
revenue from increased tax values.
and will go no further, 1t is gener-
| ally understood.
So serious is the financial condi-
ton of the state that there Is being
urged, as one solution Of the prob
lem, a bond isue Of 100000 to
catch up with school teachers sal
aries, catch up with pensions and
catch up with other expenditures
which are running far ahead of the
states ability to pay them. A bill to
this effect was introduced in the
house early in the session by Rep
resentative Brown, of Clark, ana
another bill of similar import was
introduced Saturday in the senate by
Senators Flynt and Dixon.
Of course an emergency bond is
sue would require a constitutional
amendment, and so would an income
tax. Should the income tax Dill,
Legislature, either in the closing
hours Of the present session or at an
extra session called by the governor,
the people would vote on it ins the
general election this fall.
The highway legislation has about
reached a stalemate. The senate has
passed the highway bond issue bill
and sent it to the house. The house
has passed the Knight resolution
directing the highway board to pro-
rate the automobile fund among the
counties pending the issuance of
highway bonds-and sent 1t to the
senate.
Knight resolution until and unless
the house passes the bond issue BILL
and the house refuses to pass the
bond issue bill until and unless the
senate passes the knight resolution
and the governor signs it.
AS both sides are obdurate In the
controversy, there appears to be lit
tie hope of putting through the high