Under the Gold Dome

ATLANTA - Here is a summary of news from this week's session of the Georgia General Assembly:

HEADLINES

House Republicans pledged to bring a halt to school austerity cuts, which have totaled $1.4 billion over six years. The election-year maneuver was seen as a direct rebuke to Gov. Sonny Perdue. The Republican governor is pushing for another $141 million in cuts to formula funding for the fiscal year that begins July 1 even though the state has a reserve of about $1.5 billion. Republican lawmakers have gone along with those cuts until now. Democrats - who have been hammering the Republicans for several years now on school funding - asked what's taken so long. The cuts began in fiscal 2003 as the state grappled with a budget shortfall. Critics have questioned why they've continued as the state's economy has rebounded. Democrats have suggested that the lack of adequate school funds from the state has led local governments to boost property taxes.

ODDS & ENDS

-Lawmakers took a step toward moving the state line and tapping into a powerful river in a neighboring state. The Senate unanimously approved a resolution asserting that a flawed 1818 survey mistakenly placed Georgia's northern line just short of the mighty Tennessee River. The House later voted 136-26 to pass a similar plan, which could soon go to Gov. Sonny Perdue.

-Anti-abortion activists descended on the Capitol for two days of hearings on the so-called "Human Life Amendment." The proposal would amend the state constitution by granting "personhood" to fetuses. Sponsors say it's a bid to create a legal foundation to challenge the Supreme Court's 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion.

-Lawmakers have agreed to allow consumers to freeze their credit to thwart identity thieves, but they still haven't settled a dispute over how much it will cost. Approved by a 45-4 vote, a Senate plan would allow state banking officials to set the fee based on the cost to the credit reporting agencies.

-The Senate voted to crack down on "robo-calls," the sometimes nasty and annoying recorded political phone calls that clutter voicemail boxes during election season.The chamber voted 40-9 to adopt a measure that requires a live person to be on the line to get permission before delving into a political pitch.

-Spurred by the stalled trial of alleged Atlanta courthouse gunman Brian Nichols, three Republican lawmakers introduced legislation that would allow only elected judges to handle death penalty cases. House Majority Whip Barry Fleming, of Harlem, said it was critical that judges be accountable to the voters.

-The Senate easily approved a plan that would allow counties or regions to impose a one-penny sales tax to pay for roads and other transportation projects as long as local voters agree. While legislative leaders agree that some sort of tax is needed to fund transportation projects, Georgia lawmakers remain sharply divided over how best to raise that money.

-The Senate passed a trio of bills aimed at cash-strapped Grady Memorial Hospital. One of them would create a legislative oversight panel to monitor the new nonprofit management the Atlanta public hospital is putting in place.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

"It's the silliest thing I've ever seen any group of Republicans do. I'm embarrassed that they would embarrass the party like that. They're idiots," said Tennessee Rep. Gerald McCormick, a Republican from Chattanooga.

DAYS IN SESSION

18 days remain in the 40-day session.

LOOK AHEAD

-House and Senate budget negotiators will meet to hash out their differences in the midyear spending plans that have passed both chambers.

-The House will take up legislation that would designate English as the state's official language and another that restricts the use of state purchasing cards.

-Senators will debate a bill that would provide "scholarships" to public school students allowing them to apply it their school of choice. Also on the schedule is a bill that would allow Cancer Treatment Centers of America to open a facility in Georgia.