Tempers flare as long legislative session forces members to miss vacations, work

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Posted 7:47PM on Sunday, April 7, 2002

ATLANTA - The longest legislative session in recent history is more than a headache for some lawmakers. One south Georgia representative is sick of sleeping on a relative's couch in Atlanta while the session drags into mid-April. Others missed spring break trips with their children. Many are feeling a pinch from missing more than three months of work, and all of those planning to run again are worried they are losing campaigning time. Democratic leaders recessed the session repeatedly during the past few weeks, working a few days here and a few days there, a slowdown designed to ensure lawmakers were still in session when a federal court ruled on their redistricting plans. The court sent the new map for the state Senate back to the Legislature to be redrawn. The delaying tactic worked because while legislative sessions are limited to 40 working days, a ``working'' day is not the same as a calendar day. Lawmakers can stop the clock to prevent time from counting against their allotted span. The delays have left lawmakers from both parties short-tempered. ``I am beyond exhaustion,'' said Rep. Karla Drenner, D-Avondale, who teaches several classes at DeVry University and said she can't keep up with the workload. ``I teach, I have a family. I'm having a very difficult time,'' she said. Others in the General Assembly are losing money by the day because they run a business and can't plan for when to be back. Rep. Austin Scott, R-Tifton, sells insurance and said it's been ``pretty much impossible'' to run his business lately because he doesn't know when he'll be in Atlanta. ``If I can't work, I can't get paid,'' Scott said. ``It creates an unnecessary hardship on those of us that work for a living.'' Tensions over the delays have flared during debates in both houses in recent weeks. Republicans are grumbling about the constant stops and starts, and they blame Democrats for the redistricting wait. Republicans have been fuming all session over last summer's redistricting, a fierce partisan battle that left many in the GOP with difficult-to-win districts. Lately their annoyance has spilled onto the floor debates. Senate Republican Leader Eric Johnson took the podium last week to complain about yet another Democratic proposal to take a break. ``Here we go again! The longest session in history!'' he said loudly. Then Johnson pointed out how many lawmakers have missed spring vacations because of the long session. His own family took a spring break trip to Colorado without him. The griping has Democratic leaders concerned because many in their own ranks are agitated, too. Lawmakers are not allowed to raise money while they're in session, so incumbents will have only a few months to prepare for primaries against non-incumbents who have been raising money all spring. Even Democrats are complaining that the delay makes it hard for those who aren't rich to raise enough cash for the primaries. ``It eliminates the opportunity for me to be out right now beating the bushes and raising funds,'' Drenner said. House Democratic Leader Larry Walker stood up last week and urged House members to keep working. ``We've been here forever,'' Walker conceded. ``We ought not hit the final three, four days and give up.'' Legislators have three more working days, and they may finish the session as early as this week. ``We've just got a little bit longer, and then we'll all go home. I know that's what we all want at this point,'' Walker said.