Shipp: Lawmakers selling out consumers

This week Bill Shipp writes:

If the lawmakers are not soon distracted, Georgia consumers might find themselves shivering in the cold without heat or cheap transportation by the time this session ends. Our lawmakers are on an anti-consumer binge. Check out this partial list of people-punishing legislative measures:

• Auto insurance: Legislation is on track to allow insurance companies to jack up automobile premiums without prior approval from the elected insurance commissioner. Georgia used to allow unchecked rate hikes, and auto insurance rates doubled between 1982 and 1988. Rates became a hot issue in the 1990 elections, and officials decided to rein in the runaway insurance companies. Now, the companies are about to return to a runaway mode.

• Auto title lending: Georgia's auto title lending laws, already among the weakest in the nation, are about to become weaker as the legislature lifts the lid on usury rates. The lenders already can charge 300 percent interest. The lending companies have contributed more than $300,000 to key lawmakers' campaigns. If you feel like you've been sold out, dear consumer, you might have been. The title lenders apparently used your monthly payments to buy several of your elected representatives.

• Higher gas prices: House Bill 1325 creates a road map that would allow Atlanta Gas Light to build major pipelines and other facilities and then charge the cost back to residential customers and some businesses - but not charge the cost to the biggest corporate users. The bill would add yet another surcharge onto your monthly bill from the gas marketers.

• Utilities and eminent domain: Legislators are all but certain to make the use of eminent domain more difficult for government entities. Your elected representatives have made a huge election-year fuss to attract voter support. However, the big utility companies still will have a virtual blank check when it comes to condemnation of your property for their use.

Moreover, the Public Service Commission is expected to disband its consumer advocate staff as unnecessary, while enough other anti-consumer proposals are floating around to fill a good-sized bookcase.

You might think that in an election year this legislative bunch would be less cavalier in their rough handling of consumers. Apparently, they don't care. Many Republicans have re-rigged their legislative districts to all but guarantee re-election.Contributions from lobbyists are cascading into the Capitol as never before. Some minority Democrats are taking campaign money from corporate fat cats in exchange for not making a fuss.