GA - $30 Million In State Fees Collected For Hazmat Projects In 2010; > $2 Million Spent On Same

[hatrack]

The state collected more than $30 million in fees from Georgians last year for programs designed to clean up landfills, tire dumps and hazardous sites and to improve 911 services. The governor and state lawmakers put less than $2 million of the fee revenue toward those programs. Instead, the money went into the state’s general kitty, where it could be spent on everything from education and prisons to hometown projects, economic development and farm programs.

Since the state began collecting the fees, the governor and lawmakers have diverted almost $150 million for things other than the intended purpose of the fees, according to figures from the Association County Commissioners of Georgia.

They did it despite the fact that the laws they passed to create the fees intended the money for those programs. However, the laws also send the fees to the general treasury, giving lawmakers the opportunity to divert the money. Lawmakers say it would take a constitutional amendment to dedicate the money.

Some now argue that the fees have become backdoor taxes to fund state government. The diversion of the money has county officials and some environmentalists vowing to fight the renewal of laws authorizing the fees — one of which comes up for consideration this session — if lawmakers can’t guarantee the money will go for cleanups and 911 services.

EDIT

http://www.ajc.com/news/georgia-politics-elections/state-has-diverted-millions-807366.html

[n2doc]

1. That's my state!

Wouldn't be surprised to see that the money went directly into paying the fines for those same haz waste producing industries.