Cobb Legislators Work Together, but Disagree

In Georgia, the annual legislative session means long days for lawmakers.

Despite busy schedules, several members of the Cobb delegation shared information about Gold Dome activities Wednesday at the annual Marietta-Cobb League of Women Voters Georgia Legislative Coffee.

A predawn day start for East Cobb State Rep. Sharon Cooper, a Republican from the 41st district, did not keep the medical administrator from participating in the program: "I take advantage of opportunities to reach citizens of Cobb County because informed citizens perform their civic duties more effectively."

Cooper is the chairwoman of House Health & Human Services committee and is optimistic that, during this session, she will be able to help pass legislation that would set up crisis intervention centers across the state.

Other elected attendees representing East Cobb constituencies included Rep. Stacey Evans, a Democrat from Smyrna, Senate Majority Leader Chip Rogers, a Republican from Woodstock;  and Sen. Steve Thompson, a Democrat from Marietta. 

Thompson admitted to being called "Dean of the Gold Dome" and during his opening statements praised the delegation turnout for the event: "On a state level, Democrat and Republican lawmakers work well together and treat each other with civility."

Party lines were only visible on topics of the HOPE scholarship and federal health care reform.

Democratic legislators support a possible family income cap for HOPE scholarship recipients while Republicans want the scholarships and vocational school grants to remain income neutral.

Ideas about how to address the fiscal soundness of the lottery funded pre-kindergarten program varied.

Cooper shared Gov. Nathan Deal's commitment to preserve the program and to look for ways to expand funding for it.

On the subject of the federal health care legislation passed last year, Cooper expressed concern about the quality of patient care. 

She claimed that 625,000 new people will join Georgia Medicaid rolls if the the new federal mandate remains, saying there are not enough doctors to service current Medicaid recipients.

Cooper, whose husband is a physician, said there is nothing in the bill to increase the number of doctors and that the federal government controls the number of physician residencies each year.

State Rep. David Wilkerson, a Democrat from Austell, said that parts of the bill need to be fixed but countered Republican arguments for repeal: "The free market is what got us into the mortgage trouble; how can market solutions fix health care costs?"

Cooper answered back, "Republicans had a plan and it was rejected. Republicans were shut out of the process, they did not walk away."

The forum will be re-aired on the Cobb government's TV23 public access channel Saturday at 1 p.m. on Saturday.